Proper care of your djembe drum will ensure that it's consistently performing well and looking great. One of the easiest and most beneficial tips is to detune your djembe when not using it for an extended period of time. Due to the high amount of tension that is placed on the skin, it's often a good idea to detune the drum from time to time. Detuning will prolong the longevity of the skin and most likely extend the life of your drumhead by another 50%. By adding or subtracting up to six knots of Mali weave you can tune or detune your drum. The more often you do it the quicker you'll get at adding or subtracting knots. So, learn now and get in the habit.

Another tip to properly take care of your djembe is to rub a small amount of olive oil on the skin if and when it becomes excessively dry. Adding a small amount of lotion will help improve the tonality of your drum and also assists in improving the life of the skin. If possible it's also a good idea to store your djembe in a cool, dry place and avoid leaving your drum exposed to direct sunlight. A good place to store your drum is in your djembe bag. Make it a habit of leaving your djembe in the bag when not using it. Which leads me to my third point. Invest in a quality djembe bag.

A djembe is an instrument and like any instrument should be properly maintained. This includes getting a bag for transporting your drum from place to place. If you plan on lugging your drum all over, and doing a lot of gigging, I would recommend investing in a bag that offers padded protection all the way around your drum. These bags are typically more expensive and offered only in a black color, however well worth the investment. If you don't plan on transporting your drum too frequently you can probably get by with a cloth bag. Cloth djembe bags typically don't offer padding; however do serve the general purpose of offering protection during the transporting of your drum. Another positive for cloth bags is they are usually offered in a variety of color combinations.

One more point about djembe bags. Be sure to invest in a bag that fits your drum snugly. A bag that is too large for your djembe will not offer the proper protection it should as compared with a bag that fits your drum tightly. Now with that being said I typically find that people too often purchase a bag that is too small for their drum. Make sure you measure you drum correctly by taking into consideration the entire head size not just the playing surface size when sizing up a djembe bag.

Your djembe is an investment. By adhering to some simple maintenance guidelines you will get years of enjoyment out of your drum by ensuring that it's performing and looking great!

Next: History of Djembe Drums

Labels: djembe, Djembe.Buying.Guide, drum.tuning, drumhead

Conga tuning is a really up to the player. There is not a specific tone that any one drum should be tuned to, but there are some guidelines. When playing with harmonic instruments, they may be tuned to specific notes. Generally conga drums are tuned using the open tone. The open tone is played with the four fingers near the rim of the head, producing a clear resonant tone with a distinct pitch. The main thing to remember is that the drum must be in tune with itself. No matter what pitch you tune to, every tension lug point on the drumhead should be tuned to that same pitch. The pitch of the drum is up to you. You may want to tune high, you may want to tune low. Remember that every drum has a specific pitch that produces that best tone and most resonance. You may want to take some time to experiment and find that pitch. As for tuning multiple drums, again this is a personal choice.

The most common tuning would be to tune your conga (11 3/4") drum first (to whatever pitch you desire), and then tune the tumba (12 1/2") a fourth below it and/or the quinto (11") a fourth above it. A fourth is simply a term for a specific interval between pitches. An easy way to remember a fourth is the song "Here Comes the Bride." The two notes in the singing of that song constitute a fourth. If the conga is tuned to "Here_," then the quinto should be tuned to "comes the bride" (a fourth above). For tuning the tumba, the pitch of the conga would now become "comes the bride," and the tumba would be tuned to the pitch of "Here" (a fourth below). Again, tuning is very subjective and this is only one method. Also, be sure that you detune your congas after each playing. Natural heads are affected by temperature and weather, and can stretch out and lose tunability. Loosening the tension between playing sessions will prolong the life of the head.

Labels: conga, conga.drums, conga.tuning, drum.tuning, open.tone, perfect.fourth, quinto, tumbadora