How to Choose a Djembe
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- čas přidán 18. 08. 2016
- Learn How to Choose a Djembe or How to Buy a Djembe. What's make a djembe quiality? How do you know you're getting a good instrument? Kalani tells you everything you need to know. Learn about the Djembe body, shell design, tuning, head construction and more. #djembe #drumming #drums #african #kalani #worlddrumclub. Visit / kalani to become a World Drum Club Member and get access to videos only members can see.
Totally agree with your point on supporting instrument craftsmanship, especially drum making. I bought an authentic Senegalese djembe 7 years ago - it sounds as good as the day I bought it (If not better) and I get comments on it often about it's great sound. Thanks for the video! Much love from Cape Town, South Africa.
Jack Straw I've got mine from 1985 Guinea by ABN gom..great quality lasts forever.
Your explanations about the djembe were very helpful, I didn’t know that a thinner shell was more important for a better sound. This helps me a lot because I’m looking for a good djembe .
Wonderful explanation love your humanity God bless you thanks
Thanks for the Tips of how to choose Djembe! Loved it 👍🏼❤️🙏
THANK you so much for this info about how to purchase a quality djembe. I got mine.....followed this advice. Solid mahogany, rope turned, craftsperson made, goat skin head.
wow nice drum and explanation, i'm just start learning by using a pvc djembe, after your video will going to get a timber djembe.
Thank you, very helpful!
Awesome video. Great to hear an opinion from someone that is not swllong djembes. Thanks!
Thanks for the tips on how to find a good djembe.I just bought a djembe in Toronto Canada and I love it so much it’s maid out of lengay wood it’s very hard and has a good sound.😊thanks kalani for this video.
Great! Thank you.
Owesome possum “ great video thank you !
Great teacher, very align with your philosophy, brother.
Thank you so much!
Great thanks I also like playing djembe and other percussion instruments.🤩
Nice. Good advices
Very nicely explained sir , thnx
I just came up with a bit of a makeshift djembe stand, a hack if you will: what I did was I put a stool upside down and I put my djembe in between the legs of the stool. Not the most practical way, but it’ll work if you want to play it standing up.
Thanks brother
Thank u sirrrrr
I started out with an out of tune askiko, learning on that. My first drum was a remo 14in mondo djembe, and I still love it. Nuskyn head has made it a perfect travel/gig drum. I play with a punk/jazzy kind of band, so the synthetic sound doesn't clash as it may in a drum circle. I finally saved up and am getting a real djembe from Wula drums. I'm so excited to get it in.
Thanks so much for the name drop I had no idea where to find custom made Djembe's. I will def give them my money
@@company543 It was so worth it. Definitely recommend them, I was blown away with the feeling and sound. Worth the money absolutely.
@@KruzerOak I need to save my money but yea these are some sexy drums. Omg 😳
Thank you for your informative video! One thing I still don't know is what size to get?
Amazingly fun to follow along to this channel!!
which size are you using for solo playing when one want to have both a really deep and high pitch sound?
For solo do you prefer the larger Djembe of Diameter: 33 - 35 cm
Height: 64 - 65 cm
or
do you prefer the Djembe of
Diameter: 30 - 32 cm
Height: 58 - 63 cm
I am in the process of shopping right now...
For the better handmade Djembe I can find right now in my area here in EU It is about 88 euro between the sizes...
I found a brand called Afroton and a model called Afroton AD-M03 Masterclass Djembe for 429 euro or the smaller size Afroton AD-M02 Masterclass for 359 euros…
They got cheaper ones too, but then the wood, the sound and the handcraft is also less fulfilling..
What do you guys think?
I wanna feel more close to the instrument and the sound waves ...
Thanks for any advice on what to consider in size differences...
I had this kind of djembe that he's recommending on this video for 7 years but it wore out and was very difficult to rope-tune. I'm considering a synthetic Toca djembe next because it's easier to maintain and hopefully will stand time as well.
that was awesome dude. ty
It would have been helpful if you could have provided recommendations on where to acquire quality djembe that meets the criteria you laid out.
This is a bit late, but 2 companies that sell authentic African djembes online are Wula Drum and The African Heartwood Project. Wula drums are mostly top of the line and can be pretty expensive while the Heartwood Project has a wider range of drums at different prices. Both have a very good reputation.
@@anonagain The African Heartwood Project makes excellent Djembes! Love the company
Perhaps, he was considering that not everyone is in America 🙄 (and that's actually assuming that's where he is based) imagine how frustrating it would be if he told you; "you can get an amazing bargain in my home town" which could be 100km's away for some people, or like me, America is 10,000km away! 🤦♀️
Added to the time factor, watching this 3 yrs after it first went out, recommending drum shop could now be out of business, especially since Covid happened 1 yr after this! 🤷♀️ I think the information given was excellent 👌 I hope you manged to find a Djembe Drum you love and you are still playing!
Thanks a lot for this video! But where can you get real good handmade Djembes??
I wear velcro shoes. The same kid you taught to tune/tighten a djembe...he learnt to play piano in two weeks.
I bought my first djembe in a charity shop this week. It’s v good quality, like the one in the video. Who would sanitise a drum?? You might as well wear hazmat suits to school.
In my opinion, REMO = Electro, modern, precise, tunable, easy to play, pop. WOOD-CARVED = Heavy, no precise tune, natural sound, Africa sound, need much better hand technic, mother earth call in your heart. LP NATURAL HEAD = Natural and tunable, pop sound, warm, heavy but not to much, good for recording. I prefer LP. Saludos desde Lima-Perú.
wood ok,but i have a back injury so what is the lightest 12 inch i can get to use at my drum club any help .. jeff .. ps found a mango wood 12 inch ?? jeff
6:50 ... Yes I was always wondering about this.. How does it affect the drum negatively if the spine is not in the middle, or if the spine makes a curve (which was in the case of my former djembe head, that broke)
Wanted to know goat headed djembe or fibre headed djembe is better?
What about the djembe from inside? Any tips?
Can I play this in place of dambuka ? I mean the way you play dambuka
Helpful video - thanks! How about a followup video - "How to Tune a Djembe"? I know there are lots on CZcams, but would appreciate your clear way of explaining, especially considering some of the videos on the subject are pretty confusing or poorly filmed/explained. Thanks!
Sure - I'm thinking about doing a series on tuning, since it's very important.
Thank you for watching and please help share WDC with your friends and colleagues.
How to Tune a Djembe: czcams.com/video/DdVExKPgpqU/video.html
Boy I agree the more I look the more confused I get LOL
@@WORLDDRUMCLUB And that's why I became a Patron :-) Thanks Kalani - great tuning video!
can someone tell me what diameter thet djembe is ?
Where can i get a drum just like that one? Can you direct me to a dealer i can trust?
you could really have done with explaining the preferable dimensions that a pro/strandard dejmbe should be (width of bowl=depth of bowl, hole between bowl and foot = half of the bowl top, and the foot itself generally seems to be a little longer than the width/depth of the bowl which does mean the width of the foot hole is a bit difficult for me to explain.
these dimensions are VERY important to get that classic musical sound, or it is not quite a djembe. Although i do recognise that you do get other goblet shaped drums of other proportions.
There are many different PRO djembe designs and they can vary greatly. They all work. Generally speaking, the mass-produced or "factory" drums have a longer foot and shorter bowls, but not always. Check WULA drums and DRUMSKULL drums for examples of professional djembe designs.
Sir What about size.. ?
Make a part two
One thing you didn’t mention was size. What size diameter head?
How to know WHEN it's time to tune the djembe?😅🤔
Which is better roop djembe or lugs djembe???? Otherwise ur videos is superb.
Djembe
About carving, the inner should be smoothly carved for a fine tune.
Bro.. djembe comes with different size of head so which is better ...???
For me, larger feels better 14-16 (synthetic head tuned well) Though, most people seem to like 12-13 (for tonal reasons / control)
Hi I have inherited a djembe drum and would like to sell it. I have no idea how to value it.
But does it djembe?
Djembe Dines
@07:57 - that one aged well :))))) nice video tutorials, btw
The djembe sounds like conga drums! 🪘
what are the prices now? Back in 1995 a similar shape was around 100 $
Not for a actual west african djembe. that is a replica djembe for that price.
$300+
tried to buy a Djembe drum 40 cm x 61cm height but no one seemed to recognise the size I was requesting
One of the downsides of using a system of mathematics that is arrogant and not in line with the rest of the planet
What is the Price of the Djembe U are holding?
How can I get the same in India?
I don't know if you can buy a Djembé in India (india is theTabla) , the Djembé comes from ouest Africa , like Mali ect..
I can tell you the price for the same in the video , in France is about 200€.. , i know a good dealer for in France.
Djembé's wood in Mali is ; linguè, dougoura, djala (caïcédrat), guélen, sounsoun
@@lippiacitri I can get you one from Ghana where most of the djembe drums across the world are produce
@@africannana1184 thank you very much,for the moment i have one to start..must be from africa not shoure from Ganha,don't think so,but enough for me now
Have a nice day thx
In beginner how many inches of size I want to buy ??
12-13
Hi, what about head diameter? Should the head be small or big?
Diameter should be 2x of your hand length.
30cm..
@@lippiacitri ... is enough for any women.
Kalani are you in Hawaii? I live here and want a new djembe. Any connections???
hello mr. david , we are from lentera_percussion indonesia, we produce quality djembe at a good price. You can check our production Djembe on Instagram
@lentera_percussion.
Just my two-cents....there is nothing wrong with 'alternative' material Djembes. If 'YOU' like the sound, it just doesn't matter whether it is rope or lugs, synthetic/animal skin, wood/synthetic shell.
And yes, I do have a couple of REMO Djembes and they sound great and are incredibly easy to tune/change heads, they are also lighter than their equivalent sounding wood-carved 'cousins'; which for me is an important consideration.
I Agree with you. Natural Djembes as explained in the video are excellent but I consider about the maintenance and long-term use especially if we share with the other players such as schools or churches, so I prefer the modern ones with tension rods instead of ropes. I like Remo and LP modern djembes.
I got a remo mondo djembe, but I recognize that a 500$ handmade one would be way better. Also the synthetic material take away some of the traditional 3 spirits aspect of the djembe.
I finally bought a traditional wood Djembé. As exploitation forest is a concern for me, I found a maker who take care of the forest. One Djembé sold is three new trees to be sure that at least one will grow as a future djembé in 15 years.
Could you tell me about the djembe that Kenny Malone plays? He's certainly at a high level and is an first-call studio player in Nashville, but when I see video of him playing a djembe, it looks like a synthetic, key-tuned drum. Since you say that all professional djembe players use wood drums, I'm curious about Kenny's djembe. Maybe his drum is in disguise, he doesn't play at a high level, or, more likely, you're just wrong.
What about key-tuned Djembes?
@Cerne Horse-shit ! Total bollocks comment, ....it's a fucking drum....
@Cerne It is not the drum, but the master. A true master understands that generalizations are "never" true.
@Cerne key-tuned djembe dont means the syntetic. It can be made from wood and goat skin and have key-tuned lags
I have ringy djembe ...😫😫what to do ..
You could put strips of foam tape along the inside of the drum bowl. I'd recommend placing them in a spiral pattern.
Ojalá estuviera traducido... son datos importantes y no todo el mundo lo entiende u.u
dijo que compre un tambor que tiene cascara de madera porque es lo que los profesionales juegan. Tambien, el tambor necesita cuerda y un agujero grande en el bajo. La cabeza de tambor debe ser de piel de cabra o de vaca. No hablo espagnol muy bien pero Yo quiro ayudarle.
Well he's wrong about the wood thing . . . Remo makes awesome Djembes.
Can you add a djembe to your drum set?
Yes, but avoid playing it with sticks.
My Djembé is just the same of you
What are your thoughts on the height of the drum, and should height be considered in selecting which djembe is a best fit for the drummer's stature? Also, given the many different diameters of djembe available, is it appropriate to select a djembe that is wide enough to accomidate the player's hands? Thanks for covering the basics.
Great questions: I do consider diameter when selecting drums. Larger hands=wider drum, in general. At the end of the day, we all need to feel comfortable on the drums we play and some people prefer larger or smaller drums.
As far as height goes: Most drums are proportional with regard to height and diameter. Because most professionals will either stand or use an adjustable drum throne, drum height is not really a major issue, since drums of different sizes may be fit to any player by adjusting the strap, stand, or seat.
Djembe is the perfect drum for any beginner . You can contact me when you need one
I want to purchase one
@@franciscoalves232 Country ?
@@franciscoalves232 our email africannana3@gmail.com
AfricanNana tv England
@@franciscoalves232 sorry for the late reply.
Send us a message through our mail let's continue.
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Leon Mobley (and other pros) plays a REMO MONDO DJEMBE live and in studio. What does that tell you? Are you that pretentious that you are not willing to try out any alternatives that are non traditional?
So drum makers???
My Name is Djembe 😓
Woodglut is nice for that.
Pretty dogmatic about the opinions. I would like to hear a little reasoning about why the traditional hand carved drums from logs with skin heads sound better. One thing you can see when you look at just about any hand carved djembe is that the inside are very very rough. Even though a solid log might reverberate better than glued together staves or plywood the rough surfaces have to be deadening or absorbing a lot of that sound or killing a lot of ringing or undesirable overtones. So those to aspects of the drum kind of contradict each other. If the rough surface is so good for killing high overtones then why is a djembe carved with a softwood so bad? Just asking.......Why does an animal skin sound better than a synthetic one besides being just a natural product? Is it just the thickness? If the all natural drum is so great why don't the world best stick drummers use snare drums carved from whole logs with skin heads if price is no object? Or why don't the world's best conga players have whole log drums rather than staved ones?
These are all interesting questions. When it comes down to it though, I've never heard a staved djembe or one with a synthetic skin actually sound very good compared to a well-carved hardwood drum with a quality goat or cow skin. In some part it may have to do with the amount of tension that a well crafted, rope tuned drum can withstand. But regardless, the sound is the ultimate test.
Perhaps you aren't seeing quality hardwood djembes, Tom. The insides of a quality djembe are usually not rough carved at all, but very carefully carved with a spiral chipping pattern. Yes, there are some poorly carved Senegalese djembes made of Dimba wood that are very rough on the inside (and softwood Ghana djembes, carved WELL outside the djembe's heartland can be thick walled and rough carved on the inside.)
Besides, it seems clear that Kalani stated in his video that he wants to support the craftsmen and tradition of this instrument. In the regions djembe comes from (the Mandeng/Mali empire), they are carved out of one solid piece of hardwood, and mounted with a goat skin or calf skin. I've never seen a great djembefola who played staved or composite djembes, or played on synthetic skins. It just isn't a thing. It's a completely different sound. My master would question my dedication to the music if I showed up with a ringy composite djembe with a synthetic skin, and rightfully so. It'd be like playing a recorder in a clarinet ensemble.
And, yes, some of the world's best snare drums ARE carved out of whole logs (see the VERY expensive Canopus hollowed out solid snare drums for example), or mounted with real animal skins, at a premium price. And conga traditions call for staved drums as the preferred construction methods.
i use synthetic heads because you can achieve virtually the same sound without slaughtering an animal. Know a guy who uses human skin as demonstration against anthropocentric world views. jonsburrier.blogspot.com/2018/12/an-open-letter-to-non-vegans-concerned.html
Are Toca Djembes good drums? I want a, Very-Deep, Sounding, Djembe, With a, Drum-Head, Circumference, Of About 12"-14" Wide. Last, I, Only, wanna pay, Betwixt, $50-$100, For one, Cause, l'm a Cheap-A-Zoid.
You will have a hard time finding any 12-14 " djembe for that price, yet alone one with really good bass.. In USD a good or at least decent price would be from 175 to 200 USD
The LP Circle Djembe isn't made of wood.
I am torn between a djembe and a Cajon.
What’d you decide?
@@RossReviewsEverything I think the Cajon is more versatile being I can use it as a stool or night stand when not in use. It blends in with the furniture and I wont have to worry about kids tearing up the head if found.
@@marvelousmaker That's a good point. I'm kinda torn between the two (or a conga). I figure the skills will translate well from one to the other, but not sure which have the best lessons.
@@RossReviewsEverything ask yourself what you want to do with it and why you want one. congas sound awesome but they are big and can be a bit tricky to transport depending on what your drive. the jimbe and Cajon are smaller. The other thing to look at is how much do you want to spend? If you plan on just practicing you don't need high end gear but if you are playing in a group you might want to shell out a few more of your preferred currency for better quality.
I have to disagree on the price point and buying in person it sounds a bit elitist to me. And not all pianos are wooden that’s a preference that doesn’t effect quality but that aside. If you’re paying a couple hundred for one you’re overpaying and being ripped off there are perfect quality ones for under 100 dollars. It’s a hand drum not a Hurdy Gurdy or Violin I would even consider 100 to be price gouging.
Dkfmk
Thank you for saying craftsperson and not craftsman.