Djembe bass drum videos? Anyone post a link?

[Toolate]

I've seen some cool pictures and heard some discussion about this but I don't own one and would like to hear what it sounds like and how it can be played. Can anyone post a video of this in action?

 

[opentune]

Type 'djembe as bass drum' on youtube. A few examples.

 

[Toolate]

Type 'djembe as bass drum' on youtube. A few examples.

Hoping for something off the beaten path or some insight into how people are playing these? I would imagine a soft beater is where it's at.

 

[SmoothOperator]

I think a larger djem-bass 16" or 18" would work well especially with a mic. The bottom of the djembe gives the bass sort of a ported speaker tone, that really projects.

My experience with the 14" djembe is that the fundamental is actually in the same range as most snares just with the bass emphasized instead of the treble. So your mileage may vary.

 

[Toolate]

Hit one with a LP cajon bass drum pedal at Sam Ash the other day and it makes a serious "doom" sound. Too much sustain for my ear but I suppose it could be muffled. It was a 16 and I also didn't take the time to tune it but seemed like it could be made to work somehow.

Interesting idea though for quieter work.

 

[tcspears]

No video links, but it looks like just searching on google will help you with that.

I will say that I've seen a ton of drummers using djembes as bass drums in Boston, but mostly in jazz and latin where you don't really need the "thud" sound for dance music.

 

[Toolate]

Makes sense. Lot of low end available there though seems like just a matter of playing with tuning/beaters to get a decent sound even if you have to bury the beater maybe. This is officially an experiment that I can't afford to do now...