Djembe Drum Heads: Goat Skin vs. Synthetic Skin

Wondering which type of skin to choose for your djembe drum? Mother Rhythm Drums offers both traditional, authentic goat skin djembe drums, and modern synthetic head djembe drums.

If you’re looking for a primal, authentic look and sound to your drum, then traditional goat skin is the way to go. Goat skin provides well-rounded overall tones. Thicker skins will last longer, and can be tuned super tight with the Mali Weave, resulting in sharp slap tones, but limited bass. Thin skins will result in very crisp high-end slap and rim tones, and great bass but they won’t last as long. Moderately thick skins are the best choice, as they typically last a reasonable length of time and produce great bass tones with high-end slaps.

The only draw-back with goat skin is that skin is a membrane, therefore prone to absorbing moisture, particularly during periods of high humidity. As a result, goat skin drums require on-going tuning with the Mali Weave to maintain optimum sound, particularly if you live in a humid environment.

On the other hand, if you want a drum that maintains tune regardless of climate conditions, then a synthetic head djembe drum, particularly a FiberSkin headed djembe, is the way to go. Unlike goat skins, which can vary in thickness, synthetic skins such as FiberSkin are of the same thickness, therefore more consistency in sound from one drum to another. Synthetic heads also tend to last longer than natural goat skin. Although synthetic headed djembe drums lack the organic component and sound, it’s not enough to create major concern, particularly if you’re a novice or Vegan where the use of animal products is not an option.

As an important note, keep in mind that not all synthetic skins are created equal! Some synthetic skins are made of a harder plastic material, which results in a very tinny drum sound. A more ideal synthetic skin choice is something that looks and feels similar to goat skin. Freedom FiberSkin djembes do just that.