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How to reskin your Djembe Reskinning a Djembe usually becomes necessary every couple of years, depending on how much it is played. Damages in the hide because of excessive tuning, sudden climate changes or hitting the drum with an object may also force you to replace the hide of your Djembe. To reskin your Djembe, you can take it to your drumming teacher. But the best thing is to just learn how to replace the drum hide of your Djembe yourself. Free Djembe Reskinning Guide This page is a step-by-step guide how to reskin a Djembe the African way. Look for the highlighted Toolkit tipps: You can get all tools you need right from this page. | First of all, you need to decide whether you want to reuse or replace the existing rope. It will not help to just put a new hide on your drum if the ropes are in terrible shape. Check the rope for cuts and frizzes. |
| If your drum was diamond-tuned, untie the tuning rope diamond by diamond,
row by row. Then, locate the rope's starting/ending point of the verticals and open the knots.Loosen the verticals evenly all around the drumhead by pulling the rope.
You don't need to completely remove the rope. Just loosen it enough so that
you can remove the drum hide from underneath the crown ring. You only
have to undo about a quarter of the verticals.Remove the iron ring from the hide. If the hide is too hard, you may soak it in
water first. Wrap the iron ring with a new strip of cloth or electric tape. This prevents cuts
and rust damages to the hide. |
| Don't be tempted to buy one of those premounted, synthetic hides with big brand names to reskin your African Djembe! A premounted hide may not fit your drum well and cause it to sound "ringy". Instead, reuse the original iron rings, that were custom-fitted to your drum and get a good goat hide from West Africa. These are the most suitable ones for African Djembes. Because of the climate and conditions the goat lived in and the food it ate, African raw hides are different from European or American ones. Toolkit! For your your convenience, I post some good hides from Senegal on the left. You can easily order it right from this page through Amazon.com. Of course I'm also more than happy to send you raw hides from Ghana. In addition to goat I have calf if you prefer that (like I do!). Calf creates a warmer sound than goat and lasts longer. Just contact me and ask for an offer. |
| Prepare a bucket of water and dilute some insecticide in it. (To prevent bugs from eating up your drum.)Soak the new hide until it is soft enough to work with.Remove the hide from the water. Check it for cuts, scars and weak spots by holding it agains the light.  
Place the iron ring on the hairy side of the goat hide, away from the edges and eventual damages,
so that the spine line is centered in the ring. Fold the edges of the hide over the ring to the middle. Cut small holes near the edges all around the hide. Use a cord to connect the holes and tighten it to
keep the hide in place.
(You can skip this step and just hold the hide firmly in position by hand if it is big enough.) Put the hide on the drum (edges on the upside) and place the crown ring with the ropes on top of it. |
Pull the rope to tighten the verticals all around the drum without applying any tension. If you had to undo some of the verticals when removing the old drum hide, redo them now. (Remove the cord that held the hide in place) and pull the edges of the hide to stretch it and
remove folds. If necessary, tap the top rings into position. They should sit exactly on top of each other. In case your drum doesn't have a carved notch in the frame for the bottom ring, make sure it stays level.
  
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The goal of this step is not to make the drum sound well, but to get the hide into position for later tuning. It can be easily overstreched in wet condition! Apply light tension by pulling the verticals all around the drum.
The aim is to achieve the following:
- the crown ring comes down to sit just below the rim of the drum
- all rings are level to the ground and in good position
- the hide is evenly stretched over the drum without folds near the rings Pulling the ropes by hand should be enough at this stage. In case it becomes necessary to pull the rope harder because the rings are not level, you can do the  following: Where the rings need to come down, slip
a mallet under one vertical Twist the mallet to secure the rope Pull it towards you to tighten the verticals Wind the loosened rope around the mallet
and pull again If necessary, do the same thing with the next
pair of verticals Then, continue to tighten the rope by hand Toolkit! Instead of the mallet, you can use an actual drum rope puller. For your convenience, I posted two versions of this tool here. It can easily be ordered right from this page through Amazon.com. Again, while tightening the ropes like this, you may tap the rings into position
from time to time and pull the hide to stretch it and remove folds.Wen you are satisfied with the result, coil the ends of the ropes to keep them out of the way. |
| Now you have two options, depending on how you want the remaining hide to be: 1. Short This style allows you to slip traditional Djembe Shakers through to crown loops. Use a sharp knife to cut off the extra skin directly at the rim. Press the edge of the hide to the rim by tying a piece of rope around it.Put the drum in the sun or near a heater. Allow the hide to dry completely,
if necessary for a few days. 1. Long: This style shows off the cute goat fur and protects the rope at the crown ring. Fold the extra hide over the crown ring and ropes. At the desired length, tie a piece of rope around the drum to secure the hide. Try to remove folds from the hide as much as possible. Tie one end of an elastic bandage to the verticals and completely wrap the
welded hide with it. This will shape it nicely. Put the drum in the sun or near a heater. Allow the hide to dry completely,
if necessary for a few days. Remove the rope and bandage and evenly cut off the extra hide at the desired
length. (Keep it as long as possible. It shall completely cover the top rings.) Toolkit! For your convenience, I posted an elastic bandage with clips on the left. It can easily be ordered right from this page through Amazon.com. |
Toolkit! This is the best type
of blade for shaving. | This step is a bit dreaded by first-timers. Don't worry. When the skin is completely dry it is hard and doesn't get cut that quickly. But still, take your time and work carefully. Here are some tips how you can avoid cuts: Always shave in direction of the hair growth, not against it! Always keep the blade in motion, never just place it on the hide to start
shaving. Make shaving movements before the blade even touches the skin. Be extra-careful along the rim. Ready to go? Hold a double-edged razor blade between your thumb and the tips of your
fingers in a way that it bends a bit.
spine. The fur can be thick and stubborn there. Shave along the rim last,
once you have a better feel of it. Don't be shy to shave well to remove all stubbles. It's ok if the skin gets a bit
dandruffy under the razor blade. If you still have stubbles, you can remove them with a very, very fine
sandpaper. But be aware that this may thinnen the hide. |
| Don't confuse this with the usual tuning (Mali Weave, diamonds). We will just tune the Djembe by pulling the verticals to be very tight. There is no use doing the Mali Weave if your verticals aren't tight. So use the same technique to tighten the verticals as described above, but this time using more force. Tipp: Find some kind of bench (like the one I posted on the left). Lay the Djembe on the bench and sit on the drum, with one leg on each side of the bench. This is the best position for your back. Of course you can also just sit on a chair, place the drum on the floor and hold it down with your feet. But that may strain your back. Use your mallet or rope pullers to pull one vertical. While you firmly hold the rope near the crown ring to keep the tension, you
move on to the next pair of verticals. Continue doing this all around the drum head. Constantly check the sound. Make sure you pull the rope evenly all around the drum. The tension should be
well distributed. It is better to make several rounds than pulling too much the
first time. This can cause the rings to come down too much on one side or the
hide to burst. Toolkit: Holding the tension with your bare hands can get pretty painful if you are not used to it. To prevent blisters and sores you may want to use a "Locking Plier" like the one presented on the top left. The "locking" feature of this tool lets you work more efficiently and you can even take a break without loosing the tension. Once you are satisfied with the sound, secure the rope by knotting each end. Wind the remaining rope around the drum for later diamond tuning. That's it! Well done Rasta! |
Watch the video to better visualize the technique on my Djembe production page! Printable Guide Have it handy when you need it. Print the illustrated guide before reskinning your Djembe. Step-By-Step Djembe Reskinning Guide (PDF) Need more tips and advice? I'm happy to help. Just contact me or post your questions in my new African percussions forum! | Need a new drum? Check what I currently have in stock! | Custom-made Djembes Tell me what design and features you like, and I'll custom-build your drum in Ghana! | D rum builders at work Pictures of our production in Ghana, explanations
and a video. |
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