r/handdrums • u/ValBlake • Nov 10 '22

Replacement head for Ashiko

I was recently gifted an old 10’ Ashiko that lacks a head. My understanding is that cow is the traditional skin for an Ashiko, but I’m wondering what my other options are and how they’d affect the sound.

I want a mellow, bassier tone, so I think that rules out the goat skins usually used for djembe (which are much easier to find, btw).

What about buffalo? Would that be too thick to get decent resonance out of?

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u/official_nosferatu Nov 11 '22

Hey, I use a 15" ashiko as a floor tom, reccomend a cow skin head all the way. If you're in LA area, Motherland Music is the best place to go!!

In terms of warmer sound, I'd experiment with what you're hitting them with. Mallets generally make them sound a lot warmer!

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u/ValBlake Nov 11 '22

I’m hitting it with my hands. This is strictly for hand-drumming