Djembe style (Gembe)

Member Name: mrsbbq

Product:	Gembe
Date:	26/01/04 (440 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great sound

Disadvantages: big djembe are heavy

I have just started to play the djembe, and its not as easy as it looks. Being a beginner I chose a synthetic head, since the cold wet British weather tends to play havoc with natural skin heads. The two djembe I own I purchased from ebay. They were bargains, however it is worth remembering that these drums are heavy so the postage costs can be very high. Drums are often available second-hand, and I do recommend you chose a synthetic head if you are a beginner like me.
In particular I recommend the Remo range of drums (www.remo.com). This company makes drums that are designed for use in schools so they are tough and durable. They come in a variety of patterns, my favourite being the Rainforest design, however the design itelf makes no difference to the sound the drums make.
The kids djembe is about 14 inches tall, with a eight inch drum head. This is small enough to be tucked under the arm and light enough to be held between the knees for playing. The sound is surprisingly good for something so small and reasonably priced (although this drum costs up to £85 new, they can be found for much less, but beware of any postage costs. A favourite site of mine is www.knockonwood.co.uk. Their prices for percussion are very competitive.
My newest djembe has a 14 inch head and is about 24 inches tall. It makes the most amazing sounds and I am very pleased with this purchase. This djembe would have cost almost £250 new but I was lucky enough to find someone on ebay local to me and they kindly delivered it to me when I won the bidding (thanks Gilly).
I started playing drums when we had a percussionist visit my school. The kids and the teachers had a great time (www.rhythmbash.com). He explained about the shape of the drum being important in producing the sound, and we all made music. It was a wonderful day of drumming and I enjoyed it a lot.

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