Key points when choosing a djembe. Key Points When Choosing a Djembe Plastic Bucket with Lid

When collecting information about the djembe, I most often find descriptions of drums, advertisements for numerous djembe schools, and people wanting to sell their instrument.
Together, bit by bit, we collected information about the origin of the drums. But, as it turned out from the comments, most of you historical information are already known.

Then, due to numerous requests from reading friends, we decided to turn to the topic of making drums. Fortunately, Seryozha made the body for the ashika with his own hands and understands well what he’s talking about we're talking about and is it worth taking on? When selecting material, we studied foreign sources and the advice of local masters. Found a good one step by step instructions And great video on the topic of!

So, masters and craftswomen, we present to everyone who is interested quick guide: “Do-it-yourself djembe!” - go for it.

Step 1. Selecting a tree

If you're going to cut down wood to make your own djembe, here are a few things to keep in mind: important points:
During my search, I looked for trees that had already fallen.
The advantage of this is that half the work has already been done for you, and the wood has already begun to dry. (More on this later).
The downside is worms. If the tree was felled long enough, the worms have already begun to eat away at the wood, gnawing through channels. This may be fixed later, so it shouldn't scare you.

Regardless of the tree's condition, try to get a portion of the tree as close to the root as possible. Firstly, the larger the diameter, the larger the drum itself will be. Secondly, the core of the tree is larger. I suggest you cut the wood into 2 or 3 pieces of 40 inches each. 40 inches is enough material to work with, and the extra logs can be used for other drums or as backup material.

Comment from africansoul :
When choosing a tree, you should take into account its density. The density of the wood determines how the djembe will sound. Wood with low density - pine, for example, or birch - is easy to process, but the drum will sound dull and inexpressive. Dense wood, such as oak or maple, will be difficult or almost impossible to process without special professional tools. Soberly evaluate your technical capabilities when choosing a tree. The weight of the drum is important. This should also be an important criterion.

Step 2. Drying the material

If you have logs, you should place them vertically, not in the open: this is important because wood dries and shrinks unevenly in all directions. So if you start carving too early, you may end up with a warped djembe. So, here are the recommendations for drying the workpiece:

1. Protect the log from rain.
2. Raise above the surface (so air can get under the logs).
3.Install in vertical position.
4. Remove the bark completely.
5. Give him time.

Drying time can take from a week to three months, depending on how long ago the tree was felled

Comment from africansoul :
Since the tree actually dries unevenly, and when drying, the outer part contracts, and the core, while still wet, retains its volume, stresses are formed in the thickness of the log. This leads to cracking and damage to the workpiece. You can avoid uneven drying by painting over end cuts blanks (where the drying process is faster) oil paint. Drying time depends on the type of wood you choose and its condition.

http://www.lesopilka.narod.ru/s/sd.htm - professionals about wood drying.

Step 3. Determining dimensions and creating outlines

You should be able to get an idea of ​​what diameter drum your log will produce. To find out what drum height you need, look at the table.

When choosing correct size For a djembe, it is most important to find a drum that has a height greater than the diameter of the drum. However, when purchasing a drum, you will find that its diameter will increase as its height increases.

You should choose a drum that will stand high enough when you sit down to play it. The base of the drum should be on the floor, and the head of the drum should be about two to three inches higher than the top of your seated leg. The drum should be pointed away from you. If the drum is set too low, you will have a hard time hitting the head. On the other hand, if the drum is set too high, you will have to raise your shoulders when hitting the head, which will quickly lead to fatigue. You should always be in a comfortable position and not strain your body during the game, movements should be smooth and soft.

Below is a table to help you get an idea of ​​what size a djembe should be.

Height Diameter
Djembe membranes
12" 7"
16" 8"
20" 10"
24" 12"
26" 13"
28" 14"

So, let me repeat the size selection process:

Drum diameter - the diameter of your log
The diameter of the narrow part is 1/3 of the drum diameter
Bell diameter - 1/2 drum diameter
Height - depending on preference, but usually twice the diameter of the drum.

Once you've chosen the "ideal" dimensions, you can start cutting the log. How you do this is up to you, but I prefer to work with a chainsaw. I suggest you start with the bell itself, and cut out the top later. Remember you are just trying to get general shape at this stage.

A wonderful idea, according to psychologists, is to teach a child to music from the very beginning. early age. You can either purchase a drum at a toy store or make it yourself. A simple tin can and a little imagination can help you easily implement your plans.

Benefit or noise?

Many adults believe that a children's drum is of no use. It is simply a source of noise and accompanies the appearance of a headache. Nevertheless, the drum is very often entrusted to parents and their children in kindergarten to make. However, this does not happen for the additional workload of the baby and the parent on the weekend. Most often, a loud attribute is intended for performing at a matinee. And you can’t do without this.

Don't think that making this item is a waste of time. Who knows, maybe the child has acting abilities, and already in kindergarten he will decide on future profession. And such a craft will bring a lot of benefits, even if it is carried out at the request of a teacher from kindergarten.

What to make a tool from

In bulk necessary advice For making drums with your own hands at home, it is worth highlighting one not entirely serious recommendation. It is rather of a comic nature, but every joke has its own piece of truthful meaning. A homemade drum for a child can be used for something other than a matinee. It all depends on the imagination of the parents.

One has only to look around oneself, each person can notice several tin cans or packaging that is unlikely to be useful. From these materials you can make a drum for playing with your hands or special sticks.

Reasons for creating crafts

This question probably worries all adults. Every parent wants to find out the reasons for such a pastime with their child. There can be several examples of reasons for such an activity:

• Getting closer to your child through joint activities.
• An exciting start to the evening for the whole family.
• Development of coordination of movements and sense of rhythm in the baby. After all, with a craft that was invented and created with your own hands, you can participate in an impromptu march.
• The baby may not easily hit the drum with sticks, but try to reproduce an interesting favorite melody from a children's song or cartoon.
• Drums played with hands can be an excellent option for keeping your little ones busy for some time. summer cottage.
• Finally, the drum can become a weapon of revenge against annoying neighbors who constantly do repairs on Sunday mornings.

It is worth considering that an act of retaliation for neighboring apartments can occur without disturbing the peace of adults. To do this, residents of an apartment with a newly minted drummer need to buy earplugs or a pair of headphones in order to muffle the noise in the room.

Plastic bucket with lid

Not every adult knows how to make a drum with their own hands from a plastic country bucket. You can paint such a tool with simple paints; it can also be covered with ordinary colored paper. It all depends on the imagination of the little master. The lid on such a bucket should fit tightly. After all, the instrument will be damaged if top part the instrument will fly off at the most inopportune moment.

A drum made from a plastic bucket can simply be held in your hands, or you can hang it around your neck. This action is very simple to perform. The material has two holes from the handle on the sides. It is through them that you need to thread an improvised strap, securing it with knots.

Sticks for similar plastic tool can be selected from available materials. This role can easily be played by pencils or old felt-tip pens that are no longer used for drawing. So, things will be given a second life and the child will be satisfied. Kitchen brushes, which every housewife has, can also make interesting sounds.

A child can try out the sound of absolutely any object in the apartment and choose the most suitable one. You shouldn’t limit the imagination of a future musician or composer. Sometimes a child needs to be given freedom of action.

Paper product

A decorative drum for a little musician can be created from plain paper or cardboard. To do this, you need to cut out two circles of the same diameter. Their size can be any. Then a strip of paper is cut out, which will become the connecting element for the top and bottom of the instrument.

Paper design can be glued with glue or connected with tape. You can decorate the craft using paints or pencils, paste it with various paper illustrations, stickers, or cover it with bright satin fabric and sew funny pom-poms on the sides. Thus, a children's craft with their own hands will acquire its own individuality. This part of the work, undoubtedly, can be done by mother’s little assistant himself.

Almost any idea of ​​a little dreamer can and should be brought to life. And for this it is not at all necessary to go shopping and spend large sums. Do-it-yourself drums will not only look unusual and original, but will also not require much time to create.

Required tools and materials

The basis of crafts for children in in this case it will become simple tin can round shape. Among others necessary materials applies:

• hole punch for leather fabric;
• a small piece of brightly colored fabric (can be replaced with colored paper);
• leather flap;
• glue gun;
• leatherette laces;
• glue for fabric elements;
• cotton wool

And also in the process of work it will be impossible to do without wooden sticks.

Making the tool step by step

First, you need to cut out a piece of suitable size from bright fabric and paste it over the jar. The fabric can be any. In its absence, the base is simply covered with colored paper, which is sold in any stationery store or supermarket.

A jar is placed on a piece of leather material and outlined. It is necessary to add 10 cm to the resulting diameter of the tool. Draw another circle.

Along the radius of the part, using a pencil, mark the areas where the holes will be located in the future. In any version of making a drum, make an indent of 1 cm from the edge with your own hands. Holes in the leather are made with a special hole punch.

A leatherette cord is threaded through the holes. It must subsequently be tightened tightly on one side of the jar. The same steps must be repeated when creating the bottom for making a drum with your own hands. The lace is also used for additional fixation of products diagonally. In this case, the element is threaded under the lacing, which is located at the top and bottom of the drum.

The final stage is making drum sticks by hand at home. To do this, a wooden stick is connected to a bead-knob. Glue a small cotton ball on top of the bead and wrap it with threads so that there are no empty spaces left. That's how it works drumstick.

Instead of a total

It's so easy to create your own drums. Without a doubt, your little one will love this exciting activity. After all, a child can act as an apprentice at work. And creative activities with the whole family will not only contribute to the development of the child’s imagination, but will also have a beneficial effect on the child’s imagination and thinking. If a child strives to create things with his own hands, then this activity should be encouraged by adults, because spending time like this contributes to the development of children, strengthening various household skills, and simply brings joy.

Russian people are accustomed to the fact that a slacker’s hands are white and unstained, which is why the word “white-handed” is in Russian. And if a person plows in a factory near a machine covered in fuel oil or in a mine, then his hands, therefore, are black. But in Africa everything turns out to be quite the opposite. A slacker's hands are black and sleek, while a hard worker's, for example, are covered with white wood dust. Like these guys making djembe drums in a workshop near the craft market in Accra. The technology here is the same as in most carpentry work– first, a rough workpiece is made, and then in several stages it is processed with more and more precise tools, at the last - with fine sandpaper. That's when the African hands turn white, just like yours and mine. These guys themselves are not local, but have come to Accra from neighboring Cote d’Ivoire. Well, it’s like we have Belarusians. This is because the best djembe is made there, to the west of Ghana, in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, etc. In Africa, in general, there are a lot different types drums, and for the local Ghanaian culture, as it was explained to me, the most typical type of drum is similar in appearance to a can, in contrast to the djembe, which resembles an hourglass in shape. But djembe is the most famous and best bought by tourists, which is why they are in demand. In general, the issue of classifying African drums is very interesting, I am already familiar with some types, and I hope that in the future I will be able to study it in more detail. In the meantime, I’ll show you cards of how djembe is made in Accra and some other crafts in the Accra suburb of Aburi, where there is also a craft market. So, guys, not everyone with black hands is a plowman, but not everyone with white hands is a slacker, that’s how it turns out. For example, my hands are always white. And you? Photos 1-12 and the title one were taken in Accra, photos 13-21 in Aburi. Preparations for djembe.
The process has begun.


The guy with the bark, he makes them himself and plays them too. Not bark, but bark!
The djembe is almost ready. But all that remains is to rip the fur off the skin. The same type of drum that is more typical for Ghana.


But here the hands turn out to be twice black, there is nowhere to go.
A man adjusts the bark. Guy with a balafon. Children are also accustomed to work. Don't worry, they go to school, but today is not a school day.

Here I would like to talk about what points you should pay attention to when choosing a djembe in order to find exactly the one that sounds the way you want, and not accidentally stumble upon a fake. Let's take a closer look at each criterion when choosing a djembe.

1. Appearance

Appearance– this is a purely individual thing, some people like one design of the djembe, others another. As they say, there is no arguing about tastes. The most important thing is that you like him in appearance. I don’t want to dwell on this moment for a long time. I think everything is clear here.

size 2

Djembe is usually measured in inches, which corresponds to the diameter of the membrane. The larger it is, the more powerful it will sound.

8 inches. Such djembes are considered “children’s”. And this is not because only children play on them, but because it looks too frivolous. Although, despite this, if such a djembe is well tuned, it will sound pretty good. I wouldn’t recommend learning this, just because you won’t be able to achieve correct setting hands, by virtue of it small size(arms will not fit properly). But, nevertheless, 8-inch djembes are an excellent option for hikes where you plan to play music.

Weight: 2-3 kg.

10 inches. This option is suitable for both walking and playing in small acoustic groups (just make sure that the others musical instruments did not cover the sound of your djembe). It can be used for training.

Weight: 4-5 kg

11-12 inches. Already considered a professional option. Great for stage, street and teaching. One of the most common options. If you are in doubt about which size to choose, then feel free to take this one.

Weight: 5-7 kg.

13-14 inches. This is the most powerful option. These djembes have deep bass and powerful highs. For any size you will need a case, especially for this one large option, like this one, because the djembe is a rather fragile musical instrument..

Weight: 6.5-8 kg.

How larger size djembe, the more powerful it sounds overall, and this does not mean that it will be more bassy, ​​just the sound range of large drums is wider than that of small ones. The sound itself largely depends on the tuning and everyone configures their djembe the way they want.

3. Manufacturers

3.1. West Africa (Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire)

African djembe is the standard of sound among all manufacturers. Not surprising, because this is the birthplace of the instrument itself. The African djembe has a bright sound, clear tone, ringing slap and powerful, long-lasting bass. On stage, only such djembes are almost always used. They are considered professional.

They are mainly made from Mansonia or Irocco wood, and always only from a single piece. The membrane is shaved goat skin (never use a lime solution as this will negatively affect the sound). These djembes are made by hand, so they never look perfect, the wood has minor cracks, a simple pattern, etc. It is their natural appearance and powerful sound that professional drummers value.

3.2. Indonesia

Mostly, djembes are brought from Indonesia, which are essentially souvenirs. However, among them sometimes there are very good-sounding specimens. Their cost is lower than African ones. Externally, Indonesian djembes look very nice, as such drums are often decorated with artificial carvings. They do not tolerate moisture well (the skin begins to weaken), but after they are dried, the condition returns.

3.3. Branded

These are factory-made djembes made to standards. They have no individuality, but practically no marriage.

Made of plastic. The sound of these djembes is not authentic; it is loud and is a cross between a djembe and a darbuka. The advantages include the fact that they tolerate moisture well, have good strength and have a bright sound. A good option for beginner drummers.

Made of wood. These djembes sound more authentic. They are practically no different from ordinary Indonesian drums. They are characterized only by the presence of a label and strict adherence to the standard. Like plastic ones, they are suitable for beginners and amateurs.

Professional series. To create such djembe, higher quality mahogany species are used. The membrane is thick goat skin. Their appearance is neat, high-status, and expensive. An excellent option for perfectionists who want high-quality sound and do not want to see the small cracks and abrasions characteristic of African djembe.

4. Leather

The skin should not be white, thin, or papery. This indicates a cheap souvenir fake. A quality djembe has thick and durable skin. Also pay attention that there are no holes or cuts on it, because when tensioned there is a high probability that they will come apart. Only such gaps in the skin of the drum are allowed that arose due to the fact that during shaving the wool was plucked along with the hair follicles.

5. Weight

If you notice that the difference in weight between seemingly identical drums is very significant, then do not be alarmed, there is nothing terrible about it, this happens quite often, this does not mean that one djembe is better or worse than another .

6. Cracks

Don't be scared if you see small cracks on the leg, they will not affect the sound. Marriage is considered large cracks on the bowl (especially through) and on the stem, they will greatly affect the power and color of the sound.

7. Edge

The edge should not have any dents. It should be level in the horizontal plane. To prevent the striker from breaking off his fingers, the edge is rounded. Unfortunately, when producing souvenir djembes, the edge is simply cut off, without rounding - this is a significant disadvantage.

8. Rings and Ropes.

The rope must be reliable and of high quality so that it cannot break. It is considered defective if the djembe has a rope instead of a lower metal ring, because such a drum will be almost impossible to tune.

9. Sound

You shouldn't be surprised that we didn't put sound first. The fact is that the sound largely depends on the settings, and this is a matter of taste. A well-made djembe will always sound good, and our above points will help you identify the quality.

A little about tuning: a strong tension gives high “tops” and weakens the bass (this is how a classic solo djembe is tuned). Anyone who likes low sound plays on slightly lowered membranes.

My friends also shared their experience in purchasing djembe. They found him here. I didn’t hear any complaints from them, only positive reviews, everyone was satisfied with the sound and quality.

Now you know what parameters you should use to choose your djembe. I wish you good luck in purchasing and improving your playing of this wonderful percussion instrument!