Specialist Drum Preservation Advice for First-time Musicians

By Clare Brady


Djembe drums have seen a large increase in appeal, especially in the UK, in recent times. The West African drum has certainly made an impact, in spite of being a long way from home. Perhaps this is due to the fact groups including U2 and Coldplay who have been integrating the djembe to their concerts.

Everybody from schools, orchestras to the general public are purchasing djembes. Therefore if you have just bought your first djembe, you will be itching to know the proper tactics to care for the instrument. Much like many other musical instruments, in order to keep it in its best condition the djembe requirements regular care and maintenance. In this post, we take a look at a few ways for you to protect your brand new drum:

Hands and Fingers Solely

Unlike a sizable drum kit, one should just play a cajon or djembe drum with your hands. This particular variety of drum has a very fragile head; one that is not built to endure intense beating with sticks. This may cause sizeable harm to your djembe and ought to be avoided. Alternatively you should play the beat lightly with just the hands.

Detune

It is important to detune your new drum if it is not in use, to guarantee that it stays sounding its best. The authentic sound of the drum might suffer, just like the head of the drum, if the strings remain tuned for any extensive length of time. This particular technique makes it possible to protect the life of the skin by up to 50-per-cent. When you want to, it is simple to re-tune your djembe.

Djembe Storage

When storing your djembe for a amount of time, there are a variety of things you will need to ensure that you do. To keep your djembe's colours vivid, ensure it is stored in a dry and cool spot. As well as keeping the patterns and colours bright, you can help keep the strings taut, and skin in perfect condition by storing the instrument in this manner.

Suggested Accessories

An essential accent for many djembe owners is a padded storage bag. Designed to perfectly fit any sized drums perfectly, these carrying cases shield the drum when in storage or during transit. It's also advised that you buy a strap and protective hat to further take care of your drum. These items will help you preserve the condition of the body-work and also head of the drum.

Cleaning The Musical Instrument

Exactly like our skin, that of the drum can become dehydrated and dry. This may cause the drum skin to crack and break, really compromising the quality of the audio. To keep the drum skin hydrated, rub a modest amount of lotion or oil to the head of the drum on a regular basis. However, this is only advisable for cleaning standard wooden djembes, though. Contemporary fiberglass versions mustn't be cleaned in this way.

These five steps are simple, effective and can keep your instrument in tip-top condition for the duration of its life. Djembe's are far more than an impulse purchase, so should be taken care of correctly.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment