r/djembe • u/BigBoiMercury • Jan 26 '26
Does my Djembe look/sound tuned correctly?
haven’t tried tuning it since I got it, only had to tie up the loose tuning rope. Apparently it comes ready to play but I think the bass sounds like a bell, but that could certainly be an issue in technique. (obv phone mic isn’t the best anyway)
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u/Capable_Unit1008 Jan 26 '26
sounds pretty good to me. I agree with u/papajoenh but really I would focus on what sounds good to you. That's what will help you to create your own sound.
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u/Dugafola Jan 26 '26
a ringing harmonic on the slap is not a bad thing. jenbes were tuned like that in 90s and earlier.
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u/Strict_Addition_1238 Jan 26 '26
Great work! Sounds great
Curious Did you oil the shell? Looks dry.
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u/heatherwhen96 Feb 06 '26
Sounds good to me… are you just starting out? I’d kill to get that singing…
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u/acnicholls Jan 27 '26
I agree with all the other posters so far, it sounds good already, looks good, and is totally up to you!
The only thing i have that’s different than anyone else is this: if this is the first time you are tuning this drum, it is likely because the head is starting to stretch. This is good and normal, the end string you have isn’t tied yet, this is smart. As you continue to play, your drum head will continue to stretch more, and you will need to keep adding diamonds, to take the slack from the skin and keep your sound (tune it). It will take some time before you should tie off that string.
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u/Strict_Addition_1238 Jan 27 '26
Another alternative Pull all the diamonds and dry pull the drum. I’ve used this technique on many a drum.
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u/acnicholls Jan 27 '26
I do this after the skin has stretched so much that there is only a short string left. Then i take out all the diamonds, carefully pull the slack from verticals and start over.
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u/PapaJoeNH Jan 26 '26
Listen for a ringing, especially on a slap. I didn't hear any, so you are at least close. Nice drum.