are and
Feeding of
Djembes
byBillyZanski
intage djembes? Yes! And probably older than your dad’s Leed-ies! Djembes have become very popular in America over the last
couple of decades, mainly via the growth of the hand drum circle phenomenon. The djembe is now commonly used to replace the drum set
in unplugged situations, coffee houses, churches, and on recordings.
A djembe is one of the most used instruments in creating percussion
groove loops. An open hand hit in the center of the drum produces a
bass drum like tone, and a slap or pop near the rim can simulate a snare
drum backbeat, so drumset grooves are commonly transferred to the
djembe. We have asked Billy Zansky to write about the maintenance of
them. Pretty soon we might be searching Ebay for vintage djembes! J
V
To achieve the authentic djembe sound, it must be tuned with
rope. The goatskin must be thick, and evenly tight. Putting
a skin on a djembe can be made easy, or quite difficult, depending on your goals for the sound. With so many djembes
coming from Thailand, China, Indonesia, West Africa, etc, a
wide variety of styles and sound is found. I traveled to Guinea,
West Africa in 2000. I was surrounded by the most famous
djembe masters, including Bolokada Conde, who became my
teacher. Les Ballets Africains, Ballet Djoliba, Les Percussions
de Guinea....if you’ve never heard of any of these performance
groups, you haven’t looked into the history of the djembe.
These groups took West African drum and dance to the world.
When you hear the sound of a professional djembe, you realize there is no substitute. Since you can get a top of the line
djembe from Guinea or Mali for $450, saving $200 and getting a knock off doesn’t make much sense. Djembes carved in
Guinea and Mali are the best. Since the Malinke (Mandingues,
Mandes, Mankinka) people made the first djembe, their tribe
makes the best djembes. There are so many tribes in West Africa, you have a lot of different styles of djembe. When you ask
“where did the djembe come from?” the answer is the Malinke people....who have spread all over West Africa, but mostly
they are in Guinea and Mali. The djembes made in Ghana
are known to be the poorest quality. Senegal and Ivory Coast
export djembes, but they too are not as good as the Guinea
and Mali djembe. The wood used to carve a djembe is very
important. In Guinea, Lengue, Djala, and Khadi woods are all
excellent. This same wood is found in Mali, but in Ivory Coast
it’s Iroko wood, Senegal is Dimba, and Ghana is Mango. The
shape of the djembe is another crucial factor, as well as the
goatskin. I could try to explain how to tune your djembe, but
this is much easier to do in a video.
A djembe is relatively easy to take care of. Don’t get the skin
wet. If this occurs, dry it out as soon as possible by putting
a fan on it. Leaving your djembe in the sun is good for the
goatskin, but if you’ve tightened it up very high, you have to
be careful with the sun, as well as leaving your drum in a hot
car. Most players I know don’t tune their djembe so tight that
leaving it in a hot car or in sunlight will break the skin. During
the winter months djembes can stay in freezing temperatures
- no problem. Never let anyone play your djembe with a ring
on their finger! This is a common mis-hap as people don’t
remember they have a ring on and don’t realize they can dent
the wood and puncture the goatskin. Oiling the wood of your
djembe is a good idea. I like all natural oils, since teak oil and
others are toxic. Djembes can have cracks in the wood and
still sound good, sometimes a patch job will really make a dif-ference. Vintage djembes are out there, and you can usually
tell they are very old by the size and shape. The original djembe was much smaller than the average 12” head by 24” high
djembes you see nowadays. The proportions of antique djembes are usually quite strange, the head might be an egg shape,
and the bowl might be crooked. This is because after years of
playing, the wood changes shape, also, the carver might not
have been too concerned about perfect dimensions. Modernization has changed the way djembes are made, as well as the
way traditional rhythms are played. Traditional village style
drumming is not as exciting as the modern way of arranging
“performance pieces”. Djembe is now used in so many styles
of music, with its portability, deep bass and crisp highs, it’s
become one of the most versatile drums on the planet.
Billy Zansky operates Skinny Beats Drums in Ashville, North Carolina.
You can see his videos about djembes at www.youtube.com/user/skinnybeatsdrums and
www.skinnybeatsdrums.com. Email Billy at info@skinnybeatsdrums.com
