Got my 1st Mali 2 weeks ago: 19 diamonds too much??

[michi]

I guess it's back to Djembe-L for me.

Yeah, same here. See ya!

I'm sure I can overcome my current karma issues. If everyone says a prayer for me I may get out of Djembefola purgatory.

I shall send you my prayers too. Do not stray from the path, and your plea might be heard...

Cheers,

Michi.

[Djembe-nerd]

I had 740 10 minutes ago, i didn[t download anything and now i am left with 240.

This is deflating faster than the house market i will get 10 for this though

[bops]

Better save that cash so you can refill your beerstein! I'd love to help, fooddude, but it seems these here karma points are mighty precious.

[michi]

work....

Note to the moderators: I strenuously object to this flagrant abuse of the forum by bops. He gets 10 karma points for four letters and four periods. I've just written far more than bops, so I should get many more karma points. I also would like to warn the moderators of the potentially serious consequences of this imbalance. We are facing an inflationary disaster of unprecedented proportions if this practice is allowed to continue...

OK, sarcasm off... I wrote the above just to underscore silliness of all this. I prefer to judge the merits of the people on this forum myself, rather than having an idiotic piece of software generate a bank balance.

"What, johnsmith has only $70 karma balance? That guy isn't worth talking to!" Except that johnsmith may have just posted that one article that is crucial to me getting unstuck on some rhythm or drum repair problem. In my book, that one post from johnsmith then is worth enough karma to last him the remainder of his life...

Cheers,

Michi.

[bops]

I was going to try to make 3 quick posts in succession (work...the...system!), but alas, I was foiled by those crafty mods . I do agree with Michi, though. The whole karma thing could actually end up discouraging interaction.

[Djembe-nerd]

Ok, I tried and recorded 2 samples, one for mali and one for iroko. Tuned them a few days ago.

Is there more I can go in cranking them up.

[michi]

I had a listen and, in my opinion, both drums are at a pitch where they are playable and sound OK. You could go considerably further with both of them. It really depends on what sound you want and like.

If you tighten them more, you'll obviously get higher pitch, but you'll also get shorter sustain (less ringing) and an increase in volume. Be aware though that, the tighter the drum, the more difficult it gets to produce full and fat tones. A very tight drum requires considerable better and cleaner technique than one that isn't cranked to the hilt. (Also keep in mind that, the tighter the drum, the shorter the life of the skin.)

One way to tell whether you've gone too far is to listen to the bass. If you crank a drum too much, eventually you will choke off the bass and you no longer get a nice-sounding "boom" but something more like a dry "tock". If you reach that point, you've gone too far. On the other hand, with a drum that's too loose, you tend to get a bass that sounds more like "booooooiiing".

Also, try hitting the bass hard and sharp (making sure to keep contact time between your hand as short as possible, but hitting hard). If the skin is too loose, you'll find that the bass sort of "crashes": the hard hit produces not just the fundamental frequency but also excites the skin such that you get higher-order harmonics. Because the skin is so loose, these dampen out very rapidly, making for an unpleasant collapsed sound, quite similar to what a stereo system sounds like when you play it so loud that the bass drivers can no longer keep up.

It really is all up to you. In terms of risk of breaking the skin, it doesn't sound like you are anywhere near that yet with these drums.

Cheers,

Michi.

[bops]

Adam - I think both of the drums sound like they are tuned correctly for you. Your sounds are really coming along, especially considering that you've been playing less than a year (am I correct in thinking that)? For someone who is beginning to develop their technique, it's ideal that your drum head give a little more than, say, a solo jembe. Any higher and it may get more difficult for you to get distinct tones and slaps. What michi said about the bass note is also a good point.

[Djembe-nerd]

Thank you guys for your adcice.

you are right, I have been playing 8-9 months now and still struggling with the technique, and the sounds are on and off. sometimes I get good tones & slaps, sometimes not. specially when i am concentrating on learning something new, thats when the focus shifts from technique to the new part or something.

[michi]

specially when i am concentrating on learning something new, thats when the focus shifts from technique to the new part or something.

That's perfectly normal. It takes maybe one to two years for techniqe to get to the point where it becomes subconscious. I've been playing intensively for six years, and my technique is still improving.

I'm afraid that the only way to get good on the djembe is to play it lots

I agree with Bops that, at this point, you are probably best off not going too high in pitch. You'll find it easier this way to develop your technique.

Cheers,

Michi.