Instrument Reviews: Percussion Plus Slap Djembes

The drums I am reviewing are the 8” and 10” sizes, though there are also 6” and 12” varieties. At first glance I am impressed by their light yet sturdy construction and their eye-catching design. Their pricing (from £16.42 for the 6” pretuned to £59.42 for the 12” rope tuned, both inc. VAT) brings these drums in cheaper than most of their competitors. But does their pricing have an impact on their sound?

They perhaps lack the round bass tone and louder ceiling volume you would expect from a more expensive instrument, but they are more than suitable for a school environment. Poor sound in a school setting is often more down to playing technique than to the instruments themselves, and the ‘how-to-play’ diagrams printed on the heads (showing where to play the drums to get the bass, tone and slap sounds) would be very handy for younger pupils and should get beginner percussionists of any age up and running very quickly.

The colourful printed fabric designs that wrap around the drums are very striking and will be sure to be a hit with pupils. It's possible that the fabric may end up getting a little dirtier than a more easily wipeable wooden or fibreglass shell, though they seem very robust.

The smaller 8” drum reviewed was fitted with a simple yet sturdy carrying strap which, combined with the lightweight design, would make it incredibly easy to transport, even for the youngest of primary pupils. This might mean these drums could become a makeshift member of a samba group, were it needed.

The 8” drum came with a ‘pretuned’ head, whereas the 10” drum had more traditional rope tuning. In my experience, in school a rope tuned drum may as well be ‘pretuned’ as I've yet to meet anyone who can effectively retune a djembe, so I certainly don't see the pre-tuned head as an issue. In fact, I could see that the lack of rope around the bowl of the drum may make them a little more comfortable for little legs to hold.

Most of my discussion has revolved around these instruments’ suitability for primary pupils, though I could see them working well in a secondary setting too. For older pupils, it may be worth contextualising the untraditional aspects of the instruments’ design (the synthetic head and shell, the printed design etc), however, from a musical perspective, they can certainly hold their own against everything but the most expensive, traditionally made instruments.

In summary, these are much more than simple ‘cheap and cheerful’ substitutes for more traditionally constructed instruments, and I don't doubt they could form an integral part of any music department.

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