Changes in djembe size over time

[michi]

In another thread, e2c wrote:

People with small hands can play any diameter djembe, whereas people with large hands need a drum large enough to accommodate their big paws and can't play smaller drums.

I'm puzzled by this, if only because all conga drums have head diameters well under the size of standard djembes... and then there are bongos, bata, kpanlogo, bougarabou, etc. But yet, I've never heard anyone make the "big hands, bigger drumhead" argument with any of the Latin percussion instruments

That's an interesting point. I don't really know why that is. Certainly, with something like a kpanlogo drum with its small head, a large-handed player will have difficulty. For bongos, I suspect it matters a little less because striking technique involves the ends of the fingers much more than the whole of the fingers (as for playing a tone on a djembe) or the palm (as for playing a bass on a djembe).

I'm not a conga expert, but I suspect that a large-handed player would feel cramped on a small quinto and would have to adjust technique accordingly.

And in documentary footage I've seen of percussionists in Guinea, virtually everyone - regardless of what part of the country they're from or the size of their hands - is playing drums with a far smaller head size than is common for djembes sold in the West.

Is this true in general? I honestly don't know. But, from what I learned in Mali, old drums were often larger than they are today. The fat squat bowl was common prior to the ballet days.

I can't help wondering if market demand has driven the size of current djembes - Westerners want more boom for the buck, so to speak, and the carvers in Africa comply, maybe?

That's certainly possible. The "bigger is better" mentality is bound to have left some marks on the market.

But, speaking from my own experience, I think the idea that a large-handed player should play a larger-diameter drum is sound. In particular, with a smaller drum, it can get difficult to place the bass without having either the base of the palm or the tips of the fingers protrude over the bearing edge. I also find that, if a drum is too small, I have to adjust the angle of my elbows and play with the elbows further away from my torso to get my hands to fit while I'm playing.

Players with very large hands and a small drum also end up having problems playing tones and slaps because, especially during fast rolls, there is a tendency for the fingertips of the left and right hand to make contact. Either that, or the player is forced to play further out, which is bad for sound and bad for the fingers...

Cheers,

Michi.

[e2c]

fwiw, bongos are played with the entire finger + the upper palm. Shake hands sometime with a Latino bongo player and you'll find that out very quickly!

Congas have morphed a great deal since coming to the US; the old-style drums are a whole different ballgame - and still preferred by a lot of rumberos (people who specialize in folkloric-style rumbas). Also, there are the 3 double-headed batá drums used in Santeria (and now in a lot of secular music), and those *definitely* have smallish heads (with the exception of the larger head on the largest sized one...).

I don't know of any other West African goblet-shaped (or cylindrical) drum that has a large a head as does the djembe - at least, the ones I've seen here in the West - though likely there are some.

And if you look at pics of atabaques (the 3 drums used in some Afro-Brazilian religious ceremonies as well as in some secular folkloric music), you'll see that the head size is - like that of congas - not that large, on the whole.

Mali and the shape of djembes there: yes, i can believe that. But equally, you've got parts of Mali where very small djembes are played - cf. the Wasulu region. (Look at the cover of Sega Sidibe's CD on the Buda label, for example.)

My guess is that regional variations are (or were) much broader than we might suppose - especially now that demand in the West has affected the African market to the point where carvers are cranking out drums for sale overseas. What was true 15-20 years ago is likely not so true now, you know? (I know Tom commented on some of this stuff a while back re. the evolution of djembe shapes, etc.)

[e2c]

The album cover I mentioned above...

[Djembe-nerd]

I have heard from my teacher about the older djembes being bigger. He had one which was 20 - 30 years old djembe and it was almost 15" dia with only 9" base.

Ladji Camara and Adama Drame have always been photoraphed with big drums too.

I have average size hands (leaning towards smaller) and my preferred djembe size is 13.5" - 14".

[e2c]

Very interesting... I wish we had access to old photos of some of these guys (and others). would be nice to take a look at their drums.

[michi]

Very interesting... I wish we had access to old photos of some of these guys (and others). would be nice to take a look at their drums.

Here is an image of my Jina djembe:

Jina djembe

Djembe.jpg (72.47 KiB) Viewed 341 times

According to Jeremy Chevrier, Sega Cisse, who is in his mid-seventies, an acknowledged master, and as traditional as they come, had input in the design. Jeremy wanted to create djembes that looked like the pre-ballet village drums, and the Jina's are just that.

So, in at least some parts of Mandingue, it seems that drums were large and squat. This may well vary with the region though. What's true for one part of Mali need not be true for other regions.

Cheers,

Michi.

[e2c]

Re. different sizes (mostly smaller) of djembe and djembe-ish drums, this is where I saw them...

[michi]

I have that video too and, yes, there are lots of smaller drums to be seen. (This is a brilliant documentary BTW, well worth getting.)

Cheers,

Michi.

[e2c]

Where did you get your copy, michi?

[Michel]

In the video section I posted a youtubemovie with some original sized djembe's from Wassoulou in Mali. On another video from Troupe de Kayes, you'll see a djembe which is said to be original size from the Khassonke-area (allthough in the past they didn't play djembe over there, but when they played it, it was a large one, low pitched) Like the Adama Drame-ones.

[michi]

Where did you get your copy, michi?

I friend of mine gave it to me as a present years ago. I don't know where she bought it. I believe the video is difficult to find these days. My searches didn't come up with much

Cheers,

Michi.

[e2c]

thanks, Michel!

michi... i guess I'll just have to keep looking, as I'd like to have my own copy someday.