by 120decibels » Thu Nov 21, 2002 1:15 pm
In my experience with Djembes, a properly pulled (tuned) wood djembe with a good head on it is one of the loudest drums I've ever heard. Djembes were/are used not only for music, but for communication. Their sound must be able to carry for miles. The synthetic drums are a good imitation. I haven't heard one that it louder (relative to size) than a natural drum.
An interesting story comes out of this discussion. A few years ago, I was at a Percussive Arts Society convention where Leon Mobley was giving a clinic. Mobley is a Remo endorsee/endorsor. He preached about how the Remo synthetic drums were saving trees and animals. When an audience member challenged him by saying that the plastics used in remo drums were also killing the environment, Mobley would have none of it. He nearly had the guy thrown out of the clinic. I wonder where the balance is between saving trees and polluting the environment to create synthetics?
Zach