How Do You Setup Your Dununs For A Performance?

[BobF]

Just curious how others setup their duns for a performance (3 duns, 1 per person).
Which drum do you put in the middle? Have you noticed much difference if you switch things around?

Thanks!
Bob

[Garvin]

I always have the dun in the middle. And usually keep the sangban on my right, kenkeni on left. Plus an extra sangban and kenkeni sideways on stands with bells for pieces where we drop a djembe and have someone play a part with a bell.

Occasionally I'll switch the drums on my left and right, but I tend to think of myself as right-hand dominant, and I want that strength on the sangban. I can easily ride stuff with my left on the kenkeni (I'm a drumset guy), and it doesn't seem to require as much of my left arm other than endurance.

I've seen people set up all kinds of ways. The beauty is that usually, all you gotta do is flip the things around to make them comfortable for you. Not like the difference between setting up a drum set for a lefty or righty.

[BobF]

I wasn't very clear in the first post.. What I meant was if you're playing traditional-style (1 person on kenkeni, 1 person on sangban, 1 on dununba), how do you line up the duns.

Thx!
Bob

[Djembe-nerd]

In the class : from Left to right from audience point of view

Sangban, Kenkei, Dununba, All players facing the audience


When we did Mamady's camp final performance : from Left to right from audience point of view

Dununba, Kenkeni, Snagban, All players side ways (dunun heads facing audience).

Hope this helps,

a question though, does it really matter.

[Garvin]

My bad Bob, I misread your question... But you basically got my long-winded answer anyway.

As long as everyone can hear each other, I don't think it should really matter. But I would still go kenkeni, sangban, dundun, from left to right, (audiences perspective).

[BobF]

does it REALLY matter? probably not but I was just curious as I heard someone say last night that "the traditional" way to set it up was with the kenkeni in the middle. When I hear people say one way is traditional and other ways aren't, it makes me question things.

Again, just curious, it's not a big deal.. Sometimes I like being closer to the kenkeni if the person playing is hard to hear or if there's a powerful dun player between me and the kenkeni.

[Dugafola]

i don't think it matters as long as the dunun heads that are getting struck with the stick are facing the audience.

[e2c]

My guess is that a lot of it is personal preference.

I like to play sangban, and prefer to be close to the dundun player.

[Rhythm House Drums]

I have a drum tech that does all that for me.. I just play...

[michi]

Seeing that the sangban is the "heart" of most rhythms and that the dundunba and kenkeni relate to it and often have a conversation with the sangban, I'd put the sangban in the middle and the other two drums either side.

Cheers,

Michi.