Stone djembe

[dununbabe]

But judging from the recording, the bass sounds a little dead.

hopefully, with the advice from Mamady on changing the shape, the bass will ring on through when he changes it. Cant wait to see how it progresses.

[bops]

hopefully, with the advice from Mamady on changing the shape, the bass will ring on through when he changes it. Cant wait to see how it progresses.

I could be wrong (and without having seen or heard it in person, that is likely), but I would say the biggest factor is probably the material. Don't you think? Stone (even with a high-sheen coating) is more porous than wood, so I would expect some of the sound to get absorbed within the stone.

[simba]

To be honest, the idea and effort of using man-made material to replace natural african hardwood is will always be only a tower in the sky.
I've tried the stone "djembe" like drum, and must say it is simply another fiberglass Remo with goat skin. The drum is made with stone powder and is some kind of a cement.
I won't buy and use it, but I do appreciate the people who want to make new things.
No artifical material can replace natural material which is created by our Mother Earth.

[dleufer]

Yeah but nothing can replace all of the natural material once the overconsumption of African hardwoods by the growing djembe market depletes them.
I often sigh when I see the the terrible quality of some djembes, either synthetic ones or those dodgey tourist djembes from Ghana and other countries. But then I also think that it's probably good that these substandard djembes are available for casual players. Not many people who get into drumming through drum circles are ever going to take it to the level where they need a decent djembe so it's good that proper African hardwoods don't go to waste being used as coffee tables or being beat out arhythmically at dodgey drum circles.
Maybe there should be an exam you have to pass before you get a hardwood djembe!

But really, if djembe takes off in a country like China, as it seems to be, it's good if there's a sustainable alternative material for making djembes.

[bops]

I agree with you, Leuf. I personally wouldn't play a stone jembe, but it may be an excellent option for beginners or intermediate players.

[wonderwebb]

found one lol




sounds wonderful

[michi]

Sounds more like a darabuka. In fact, I suspect that if you were tune that drum higher, it would sound very much like a darabuka.

For the record, the stone djembe I played in Singapore sounded nothing like this. It was a good djembe (if not an outstanding one). I've heard many wooden djembes that sounded worse.

Cheers,

Michi.

[PatBrand]

I'm thinking of recreating this with concrete as a project for school, would anyone know the type of skin on the drum and the dimensions? Any other djembe building tips would be great, this will be my first attempt on creating one

[michi]

Skin is goat, as usual. Proportions and size are like for any other djembe. If you've never built a djembe before, I'd recommend to start with a normal wooden one, so you learn how to rehead a djembe first. Building the shell as we'll might be biting off a bit too much all at once.

I'm afraid I can't help with how to create a stone shell—I don't have the expertise. But you will find plenty of info about reheading if you browse through the posts here.

Cheers,

Michi.

[PatBrand]

I would make it out of wood, but the problem is, I cant find any tree trunks big enough to make into a 12" or 14" drum. And even if I did, there is still the chance of the wood cracking during the drying process. I cant buy any tree trunk or shell online because I am rather low on cash, and concrete seems to be my best shot. Do you know if there would be a pronounced change in sound using concrete instead of stone?

[michi]

Sorry, can't help. The stone djembe I saw in Singapore was the first and last one I've ever seen. I have no idea how to make one.

I'd experiment and enjoy the process. You are sure to learn a lot along the way!

Cheers,

Michi.

[drtom]

Great post! Thanks for sharing.

I agree that other industries do a lot more damage to the tree population than drum-building, but if good alternatives to trees can be offered, I'm all for it. I have yet to hear a synthetic djembe that sounds right to me, so if these stone djembes produce a quality sound, I think that's a great step in the right direction.

Hopefully, since the builder of these drums is said to be an avid environmentalist, these drums don't spare the trees at the expense of something else equally important.

I'll keep an eye out for these drums and, hopefully, you'll keep us posted on any new developments that come to your attention.

Thanks again,
drtom

[the kid]

I would make it out of wood, but the problem is, I cant find any tree trunks big enough to make into a 12" or 14" drum. And even if I did, there is still the chance of the wood cracking during the drying process. I cant buy any tree trunk or shell online because I am rather low on cash, and concrete seems to be my best shot

I wonder did your concrete drums materialise or did they turn into elaborate flower pots?

Have you heard of stave djembes. I'd say they'd be easy to make. Check 'rhythm house drums' for ideas or somebody will direct you to the relavent post. I've heard of somebody making drums from plywood. Cutting the circles out and glueing them together. This would be the easiest method for you to try.

[the kid]

'''I'd say they'd be easy to make'''

Did i say easy?? I ment easier to make than a concrete drum