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Traditional Rope Tuned Style Djembe Or The More Modern Key Tuned Style Djembe?

// August 22nd, 2011 // music

There are two types of djembe you can buy based on how you want to tune it. Djembes are usually tuned via rope or key systems. Here’s a brief description of each type of drum tuning system and construction:

Rope tuning system

Originally all djembes were rope tuned, so this is the original type. To change the pitch on a rope tuned djembe you change the position of the ropes. The skin is held from rings that are attached from the ropes. There may be either two or three rings around the head of a djembe drum, and these are usually thinner than with key tuned drums.

A rope tuned djembe is tuned by having its ropes pulled and causing tension on rings that surround the drum. Raising the tension of the skin on the drum will raise the pitch. To “pull a diamond” means tuning a drum by adjusting knots. A type of knot used to tune djembe drums is the Mali Weave.

Key-tuned djembe drums

The tuning systems of key tuned drums is quite modern. In this system, which closely resembles the tuning systems used for conventional drums like snares and tom toms, bolts around the djembe head are tightened with a wrench. Tightening these bolts also tightens the larger metal rim around the head of the drum, and as a result, this raises the pitch of the drum. For key tuned djembe drums the tuning mechanisms are bulky. A rope tuned one will have less metal and weight.

Which tuning system is best for you?

The advantage of a key tuned system is that it is easy to understand and implement. On the flip side, this is up to the individual, as many djembe players believe that the advantages of a key tuned system stop there. One complaint is that the key tuned system’s bulky tuning rim gets in the way. Some won’t mind the extra metal which comes with this system in exchange for the ease of tuning.

Rope tuned djembes are more authentic in construction in that they are made the way djembes were originally made by West African peoples such as the Mandika in times of antiquity. If you want a djembe true to original form, choose a rope tuned djembe. Rope tuned djembes are a bit more involved to learn to tune properly, but they are easy and convenient to tune nevertheless once you have learned how. Many people agree that the unobtrusive placing of the rim rings as well as them being thinner make for an easier drumming experience. For a variety of reasons the variety of djembe that is rope tuned could be the better choice. As with before, this choice depends upon the personal preference of the drummer.