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The sound of a drum depends on factors such as type of wood, shape and size of shell, skinning and tuning. DrumCall’s Senegalese djembes are made of hardwood such as mahogany, from forests which are sustainably managed. It isn’t necessary to kill a tree to use its wood. The licensed suppliers of hardwood for these drums cut from the tops of trunks, seal the remaining section and allow the tree to continue growing. Senegal is facing massive problems of desertification and forestry conservation is high on the political agenda. (Our Gambian djembes are from dead trees)
A good djembe should have a deep, sonorous bass sound. It should be capable of hard tones and whiplash cracks – Don’t expect these to come without practice as it is a question of technique. Quality of workmanship, type of wood, and tuning combine to produce djembes with all these tonal ranges.
Check that the head of the drum is smooth and regular where the skin meets the top rim of the djembe. It doesn’t matter if the rest of the drum is slightly off centre – maybe the drum tilts slightly when stood on the floor – it’s the sound which counts. It’s only our western mass-produced ‘perfectionist’ consumer culture which prejudices us against the individualistic and hand made. DrumCall djembes are unique works of craftsmanship which will give a lifetime of service. All profits from sales are ploughed back into supporting further production and job opportunities in
Senegal as well as enabling union rates to be paid to teachers at DrumCall events.djembe £75,£100,£150, £180 bougaroubou £100, £120 sabar £100, £150 dun-dun £100, large £200 tama(talking drum)£40, £60 pattern drum bags £10-£25 sang-sang(drum shakers)£5 goatskins £10 plus p+p or collect |
There’s a lot of myths about djembes, such as plain drums being better than carved ones. It should come
as no surprise that carving makes no difference to the sound of the drum – it is a sign of pride in the finished product that Senegalese craftworkers personalise their djembes with ornate carvings of
flowers, village life or decorative patterns.
The log is carved by hand using chisels and adzes. No doubt chain saws would speed up the process but Senegal
is a poor country and technology like this is expensive to buy and use. Cheaper djembes are appearing in the UK using lathe-turned or fibre-glass shells. Fibre-glass in my opinion produces a tinny sound compared to an authentic
djembe but they are cheap and water-resistant so I can appreciate their uses. Softwood djembes have a lightweight sound compared to their West African counterparts, which brings us to the question of sound quality.
Rope should be pre-stretched and evenly pulled so that the
metal rings are level, not tilted. Check that the shell has no serious cracks. Wood is an organic material and superficial blemishes can be filled without affecting the sound or strength of the drum.
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