My son has just return from a Djembe 2 day course. He really enjoyed it and would to get one for home to practise on. There are so many different brands. I am looking at spending about £40/£50, does anyone know which are good quality and sturdy with good strong heads.

Anyone else taught or experience these?

I'm not sure of prices, but I'd recommend investing in a decent, good quality drum from the beginning. LP Percussion is a good reliable make, but for cheaper quality try Percussion Plus.

Djembes are great instruments by the way, an experienced player can add so much colour and depth to music with a djembe.

Matt

I bought a djembe a couple of years ago. After a lot of research I found that everyone was recommending I get one with at least a 10inch head (I think that was the size - I don't have it to hand to measure at the moment), since anything smaller doesn't make a good enough sound and is not really satisfactory to play. I got mine from a specialist shop in Bristol, and it cost £80, which was considerably cheaper than most others I saw. The other advice I was given was that since they are all individual it is important to be able to try it out, rather than going for mail-order. I'm not really sure that is necessary, however, since if you've only got one you don't know what the alternatives are!

Although I agree with size being important, I have since bought a small dumpy 8inch one which is easier to carry around and makes a reasonable sound. It was only £45 but I can't at the moment lay my hands on the leaflet detailing make, etc. If I could, I would not hesitate to recommend it! (PM me if you want me to hunt for the details).

I have invested in a set of 18 djembes for school workshops now, they are all brillant and have been used for a summer workshop this week. My son is enjoying them, they measure by height and range from 70cm all the way down to 40cm. They are all fair trade and were purchased from a supplier in the south. If anyone wants more details please PM.