What can I do if my natural
skin drum head is affected by heat and humidity?
If the head is loosened due to humidity, one can tighten the head with a damp
cloth placed on the head for about 15 minutes. Then let the head dry naturally.
It is important to make sure water does not get into the glue joint. If the
drum is a tabla, water must not get on the gaab (center black dot). Also,
applying heat from a hair dryer will tighten the head.
What is the difference between an African
drum with hair versus one without?
A skin with hair on it still has the natural oils which produce more subtle
and lower bass tones. Also, the hair (and therefore, natural oils) promotes
strength. A skin without hair produces a crisper sound with higher pitches.
How do I tune an ashiko?
These are all rope tuned (unless you have a tunable model which uses a tuning
wrench) and the heads are tightened by tightening the rope. For more details,
see our drum tightening page. |
