Blergh #4: How to Attach a Djembe Strap, and Stands
Drum Stands:
There are a lot of Djembe stands on the market and many of them will do the job just fine. One of the brands we highly recommend is Gibraltar. We have had a lot of good luck with them over the years. They aren’t exorbitantly expensive, and they’re durable enough to last you a long time.
If you’re interested in purchasing one, you can check out our affiliate links below:
Heavy Stand (US Only): http://amzn.to/2glXLDT
Heavy Stand Top Part: http://amzn.to/2fe5R5j
Light Stand: http://amzn.to/2gnfsXh
However, we always recommend buying locally at a music shop near you!
Fashioning a Drum Strap
If you want to play your drum standing up without a stand, making your own drum strap isn’t difficult or expensive to make.
- You’ll want to start with a good canvas or nylon strap at least 4 inches wide and 13 ft (4 meters) long.
- Thread your strap through the vertical tightening strings of your drum perpendicular to the goat spine on the head.
- Tie the ends of the strap together securely so that you have a complete loop.
- With the drum lying on its side, loop the strap over the drum on the other side securely
between the body and the foot of it.
- This will give you two handles on either side. Bring those two handles together and cross one
over the other.
- As you pull them apart, this forms a triangle.
- Put your head through that triangle.
- Then your arms go through the two side holes created by the cross-over.
With that, you have a drum strap perfect for standing play! To adjust the height of the drum on your body, you can change the length of the strap by adjusting the knot. It’s likely you’ll have to do this a few times to get the perfect fit for your body.
We recommend you check out the accompanying video for this process; it can be a little complicated for beginners without a visual aid.
