Show off your axe

[Waraba]

No more djembes. Now get a dundun of some kind.

[alifaa]

Now get a dundun of some kind.

As requested, just finished skinning up my matching set of khadi duns..
Diameters: 16" - 12.5"- 10.5"
Height: 71cm - 51cm - 50cm
(and no, I don't know why heights are metric and diameter imperial!!)

Got these puppies from Simon Fraser in Melbourne (see his website africandrumming.com.au under shop\duns for what they look like raw), was tempted by the lenke set, but while lenke had the "spirit" for djembe, khadi is denser and brighter in sound, so I wanted performance!!

I must say, a full cow skin is humungous, and the smell of wet raw cowhide has to be experienced to be believed!!!

one whole cow, ready to soak

whole cow.jpg (40.45 KiB) Viewed 419 times

They are still drying, but once fully tuned, I will post a video to youtube on how they sound. In the meantime, drool over the piccy's....

Thanks Michi for the inspiration of double loops, thanks to George Peel for his patience in losing 200 cowskins due to the rain, and finally coming through with the exact colour I asked for and quick postage, and thanks to Simon Fraser for the excellent service, as usual.

[michi]

The look great! I really like the rope colours and the red cloth wrap. Great job, and very tidy too! Your first set of dun duns? If so, bonus marks for quality craftsmanship on the first try!

Don't expect them to sound good until you've played them for about six months. Cow skin takes a long time to play in and, initially, sounds pretty bad because it sets so hard. So, don't be disappointed if they sound a bit "bangy" and lifeless initially.

I would suggest to clipper the hair down to about 2-3 mm in length. With my dundun, I don't bother to shave a circle in the centre of the skin. Instead, I just play them. It doesn't take long for the "naked" patch of skin in the centre to form because the hair breaks off quickly where you strike the skin with the stick.

Cheers,

Michi.

[Dugafola]

with wrap

[alifaa]

Your first set of dun duns?

Not quite....my very first skinning job was a kenkeni I brought back from Ghana (the year you were at Ekome, Michi). I have done a big sangban, and an oil can dundun, as well as a few aborted attempts at tin cans!!

My first complete set, done all in the one weekend, with one cowskin. Big effort, but worth it.

cheers

Wayne

[michi]

with wrap

I like the color scheme!

Nice seke seke too!

Michi.

[Waraba]

I have done a big sangban, and an oil can dundun, as well as a few aborted attempts at tin cans!!

Hey, how much would you charge to make and send me an oil can konkoni, or sangban, or dunuba?

[Dugafola]

with wrap

I like the color scheme!

Nice seke seke too!

Michi.

thanks, mate.

it's taken a while for me to warm up to that skin on that shell. it's super bright sounding although warming up nice now that i'm getting my stank all over it.

[alifaa]

Hey, how much would you charge to make and send me an oil can konkoni, or sangban, or dunuba?

Unfortunately, you being in the states, and me in the great wide land of Oz, the freight would make it unfeasible.

Hypothetically though, if you were local-ish, I would ballpark it as double the retail price of the materials. A pair of cowskin discs would be around $100 or more depending on size, rings would be around $25 a pair = $50, rope around the $20 mark, plus whatever the oil drum costs - some places will give it away (like Kmart Tyre and Auto), other places you have to buy it - Revolve will charge $100 for a 44 gallon drum. So considering the amount of effort involved, and the materials, you could easily be looking at $500+ to buy one. Making one for yourself, $200 - $300, depending on size.

Sorry I couldn't help you, but at least this gives a rough idea if someone local wants to do it for you.

[alifaa]

Update on dunduns:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDvZytOQ ... rbLuoaNFU=

They will sound better as they get beat in, even after 3 sessions, I can notice the difference between the side that has been played and the one that hasn't!

Cheers

[Dugafola]

16" ivory coast shell with fresh new skin.

poor photo.

photo(18).JPG (68 KiB) Viewed 234 times

[michi]

16"?!!! Bloody hell! That's monstrous!

Very tidy job on that skin too, looks great!

Michi.

[rachelnguyen]

I am loving the dundun pictures. What a gorgeous job you did!

And how 'bout that big Ivory Coast djembe? Beautiful job on that, too!

[alifaa]

Thanks Rach, I am very proud of them, and god, do they shake the room!!

Did a dundun workshop 3 weeks ago, spent about 15 minutes trying to identify all the things in the room that were rattling...

[rachelnguyen]

Ha ha. We play at my workplace after hours and the florescent lights shake in their sockets. It drives me crazy, LOL.

Here's to big bass drums!