IROKO wood qualities

[atam]

Is there anyone really experienced here to say some basic pros and againsts of iroko wood?

I have some very good recent experience with some iroko djembes from ivory coast, although I don´t feel experienced enough in this yet. I know that iroko is very variable, so you can find from light-weight to heavy shells, with plenty of sound variability as well.

It seems to me that it is possible to get a beautifully shaped (including inside) iroko drum (or shell) for cheaper than other best timbers... is it for iroko being softer and easier to work with, or it just does not reach the "top of the sound"?

Most of all, I am interested in some real comparisons with other djembe timbers as for sound quality, then maybe even durability (or other important qualities).

Is it possible that an excellent iroko drum will sound as good as the best lenke (or hare, ...)?

Do you know if some djembe masters are playing on iroko djembes as their prime instruments?

[fa_ramiro]

Hi Atam! What i can say about Iroko wood, is that is such a good quality wood than the others you have mentioned.... I own 2 iroko djembes, from ivory coast, and they sound great!.... One thing I think its good about this wood is that if you have 2 drums same size (thickness) of lenke, dimba, hare, etc.... the iroko one would be lighter.... but the wood it still hard!!!

About what you said, if true masters play Iroko, i think they do! (most with cow skin, it gets a particular sound, that wood, with the cow skin). For example Petit Adama Diarra, in his cd i think he is playing Iroko, and sounds of the hook. Other master i think they play iroko, are Thomas Guei, Harouna Dembele, i say i thinks, becuase i didnt have the chance to see it live or meet them, but in recordings or videos, it sounds Iroko to me! BUT Maybe im wrong!

Here is a video of Petit, playing, check it out, and get your own conclutions!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_LhSL41 ... re=related

[bops]

Do you know if some djembe masters are playing on iroko djembes as their prime instruments?

I know of several young guns who play primarily on Iroko drums. Fode Bangoura was rocking a beautiful iroko drum when he was here a couple weeks ago (until it popped). Boka also used to play on iroko drums. I think they are popular primarily among younger drummers interested in speed.

I've found iroko to be a very fast wood. Quality can vary widely, though this is true with any wood. I think lighter weight drums tend to be less durable. Iroko is softer than most other woods commonly used for jembe. Quality depends on the carver, what section of the tree was used, and how long the rough was allowed to dry before finishing it.

I got an iroko drum about 10 yrs. ago, but unfortunately it has some fairly large cracks in it.

[Djembe-nerd]

Here is a comparison of my Ivory coast Iroko and Mali Hare. You be the judge

For me, My Iroko has more volume than Mali Hare and somewhere in between wet-dry sound. The slaps are cracking (not in this sample, I have improved since ) and the tones are good. The Mali is towars wet, good tones but the slaps are a little warm too.

My Iroko is a good one with thick goat skin, and light weight so easy to carry and easy to play standing. Here is a photo if you want to check the wood color and grain.

[Carl]

Remember that personal taste comes into play as well. If you and your audience like it, then it is good.

Personally, I do not like Iroko, I've played a few (students and band members) and I own two Iroko shells (lenders for class). I find the shell to light for it's size. I'd be interested to hear the calfskin/iroko combo mentioned above, to see if it helps.

I can't speak to the variability of the wood, I've probably only seen 15 - 20 shells. None of them were heavy enough to hold my attention.

My biggest problem with Iroko is how they sound when they are really cranked, they tend to choke off to my ears. (when they are tuned lower, "accompaniment" tension, they sound fine)

My 2 cents.
C

[Djembe-nerd]

My biggest problem with Iroko is how they sound when they are really cranked, they tend to choke off to my ears.

i don't know what you mean by that, please explain. do you mean they are very high?

what do you think of the sample i posted, thats tight but can go higher.

[atam]

Here is a comparison of my Ivory coast Iroko and Mali Hare. You be the judge

I like your iroko much more - not only for its sparkling outfit !

[Carl]

My biggest problem with Iroko is how they sound when they are really cranked, they tend to choke off to my ears.

i don't know what you mean by that, please explain. do you mean they are very high?

what do you think of the sample i posted, thats tight but can go higher.

Your Iroko sample sounds good, a bit "pingy" for my tastes, but that could just as well be the recording. (or my cheap computer speakers)

As to "choking off" that happens when the reverberation of the skin is "deadened" because the shell does not carry the sound. It tends to have no cutting power and is lost in an ensemble. When played solo it sounds "thin". does not have the warmth that I like.

Hope this helps.

C

[michi]

As to "choking off" that happens when the reverberation of the skin is "deadened" because the shell does not carry the sound. It tends to have no cutting power and is lost in an ensemble.

Internal friction is the cause of that. If the shock wave initiated by the skin cannot escape cleanly, there are back pressure waves that stop the skin from resonating freely. Both density and surface texture of the wood influence that. If you want to try an experiment, stuff some foam blocks into the bowl and place them such that they don't obscure the hole. The sound will be very much muffled and deadened. Similarly, put an insert into the constriction at the bottom of the bowl to make the hole smaller and watch the bass go weak. (Tones and slaps aren't affected much by this because the sound for those comes mostly off the skin and doesn't rely on the resonator underneath.)

Conversely, if the interior of the shell is too smooth, there isn't enough back pressure, and the skin tends to resonate for a long time, resulting in long sustain and "ringy" sound. That's why the fibreglass Remos and such sound the way they do.

The proportions of the drum also play a role. The relative sizes of the playing surface, waist, and foot change things, as does the length of the foot and the shape of the bowl.

In general, larger drums are louder than smaller ones, so you get better projection, and drums made of harder woods also are louder, because less of the energy of the shock wave is absorbed inside the wood as friction.

Cheers,

Michi.

[atam]

I've found iroko to be a very fast wood. Quality can vary widely, though this is true with any wood. I think lighter weight drums tend to be less durable. Iroko is softer than most other woods commonly used for jembe. Quality depends on the carver, what section of the tree was used, and how long the rough was allowed to dry before finishing it.

I believe there are some prejudice or even myths about iroko, like: iroko is lightweight - though the thickness of the shell is usually more than average lenke, there are some quite heavy iroko shells (without being too thick). I agree it is a lighter wood than lenke, but it only applies in general.

Also there are several types of iroko, diferentiated not only in weight, but also in color. Including iroko dark, which is really dark with kinda strips on it sometimes. I append here a picture of a bougarabou made of iroko dark.

Anyway, I dont believe in general corelation between more weight of the shell and better sound. E.g., there is a senegalese teacher Bakary Toure coming to my area from time to time, who will usually come with quite lightweight drum with diameter around 13 1/2 and unbelievable sound. It is not just in his hands - I played on his drums. He is usually comming with different drum then previous time, and it is usually lightweigt and crazy at the same time! Bakary is quite small so maybe he has done some adjustments to his drums, like making the shells thinner at some proportional parts - but I only guess here.

[michi]

I built an Iroko drum from Ivory Coast for a student last week. It sounded great. Medium size shell, but loud, with nice projection, full bass with medium sustain, and good differentiation between tones and slaps. It's a drum I'd be very happy to play regularly.

Besides the choice of wood, there are so many other factors that influence sound that it is almost impossibly to make generalisations. You can have a great sounding Hare drum as well as one that sounds awful, and it isn't necessarily the wood that is responsible. My Jina djembe generally sounds brilliant--truly awesome sound. Yet, on occasion, I've had skins on it that made the drum sound decidedly average.

The proportions of the drum, the interior finish, the amount of tension, and the type of skin all are major factors. Put together, the probably overwhelm the effects of the species of wood. Basically, a djembe made of any of the traditional woods can sound excellent, and I have no doubt that non-traditional species of wood with similar characteristics can sound just as good.

Just avoid soft woods, such as Tweneboa. (I have yet to hear a djembe made out of soft wood that sounded truly good. Only a few soft wood djembes I've come across sounded acceptable, and most of them sounded poor.)

Cheers,

Michi.

[atam]

Do you know if some djembe masters are playing on iroko djembes as their prime instruments?

I know of several young guns who play primarily on Iroko drums. Fode Bangoura was rocking a beautiful iroko drum when he was here a couple weeks ago (until it popped). Boka also used to play on iroko drums. I think they are popular primarily among younger drummers interested in speed

Anyway, if these two drummers use(d) iroko as you say, I think it is a very serious reason for everyone to really take this timber into account..
But I think that iroko is not only a "fast" wood. Recently I have a nice (heavy) iroko djembe at home, which has moderate sustain and Mali-like sound. BTW the shell is almost 13inch and sounds to me like a much bigger drum. So, i think the potential of iroko is much more than for the fastest chops! Usually, big iroko djembes sound better to me than tthe small ones like Fode Bangoura or Thomas Guei use (well, I am not sure if Thomas plays iroko).

[atam]

The proportions of the drum, the interior finish, the amount of tension, and the type of skin all are major factors. Put together, the probably overwhelm the effects of the species of wood. Basically, a djembe made of any of the traditional woods can sound excellent, and I have no doubt that non-traditional species of wood with similar characteristics can sound just as good.

Yes, I agree with you 100%. But still, it is a nice philosophical topic to discuss these sound-color differences. And many people are a bit affraid of iroko, because it is usually cheaper... maybe it should be oposite ! And I am also not 100% sure of certain things although having mostly iroko in my small drum shop - therefore I started this topic It just seems to me that this timber deserves a bit more attention and respect..

[Carl]

One of the tricky things about asking about wood qualities is that it focuses everyone on just that one element. As Michi mentioned, there are many elements involved in the final sound of the drum, if you poke around here you will find each element beaten within an inch of it's life in one thread or another...

It just seems to me that this timber deserves a bit more attention and respect..

I know a lot of people who really like Iroko. I try not to diss anyone's choice in drum, that's why I bring up the whole "opinion" thing. What YOU want to hear makes a big difference in what is "the right wood" (or bearing edge, or skin... etc)

I like the sound of Iroko at the lower (non-insane) tensions. I just have a problem with tuning my drum too tightly.

C

[Djembe-nerd]

There is a guy in our circle who has this big Iropko, I think its 14.5" or 15". Its a light drum but the volume is great. But I can;t get the volume from it, he can cos he has these huge and heavy hands.

I like Iroko, although I bought it initially for its light weight. Next time I am gonna put a cow on it.

I like your iroko much more - not only for its sparkling outfit !

Hey ! That design is gonna be on djembe red carpet next year wait and watch.