Sabar Tuning
Tuning a sabar can be pretty confusing if you have no one to show you how so I will attempt here to give full instructions, with Pictures!
Note: These instructions apply to tuning Mbung Mbungs, N'der, Gorong Yeguel, or any sabar which uses a strap system around the pegs. They do not apply to the Chol or Lambe or Khrin which have the pegs simply inserted in their holes without the straps. These drums may be tuned by simply tapping (gently) the pegs into their holes, or loosening them, until things sound right.
For some basic Sabar playing technique visit our Sabar Technique Illustrated page.
First.. When does it need to be tuned? A sabar with a new head on it will break in and stretch after about a week of hard playing. At this point you need to do a full re-tune which involves adjusting the straps on at least three pegs, as described below. After this initial tune up a peg or two will loosen up on occasion and need to be reset without adjusting the straps. The skin will also loosen and go out of tune if the weather turns damp and cold and then you may want to readjust a strap or two.
So, how can you tell if you just need to reset a peg or do a strap adjustment? You could just go all the way around the drum with a brick or stone and drive all the pegs in tight and by that catch any loose ones. But sometimes doing this will actually loosen pegs which are already tight, so I suggest this: With the drum sitting squarely on the floor press down on each peg with the heel of your hand, using a good deal of body weight. If the peg feels spongy under this stress it needs to be knocked back in tight in it's hole. Each peg should feel completely solid in it's hole. After driving the loose peg in tight (you should hear the pitch of the drum rising as you drive it in) check all the other pegs again and reset them as necessary. When a peg is tight in it's hole it makes a very solid 'clack' when struck. If a peg simply won't seat solidly read the 'Problems' section at the bottom of this page. After doing this if the drum still isn't pitched where you like it you will need to pull some pegs and adjust the straps. You can tell which straps need to be adjusted by trying to pinch together the two straps which form a V descending down to each peg. They should be very tight and difficult to move and of even tension all the way around the drum. Select the loosest and pull the peg.
Pulling pegs. Take your tuning brick or stone (hammers really don't work so well, you need a broad flat faced object like a brick to hit the peg squarely with a lot of mass and not split one of it's edges off) and knock at the peg from the side, not from the top or bottom. After a few blows this will loosen the conical peg in it's hole and you can then pull it out by hand. If the peg is really jammed in there you may have to reach inside the drum and tap the peg out from the inside to loosen it.
Adjusting the straps. With the peg out of it's hole you will see two straps descending probably from the right to beneath the hole and wound around each other mysteriously and running back up through a loop on the left. Unravel these two straps so that they hang freely down from their origin, probably on the right side of the hole. One of these straps comes down from under the lines that are wound through the slits in the skin and the other comes down from over the top of these lines. Take the one which passes under these lines and send it through the little loop hanging down to the left of the hole. We will
call this Strap #1.
Place one finger in the hole and pull strap #1 so that it raises your finger out of level in the hole just a little bit, 1/8" to 1/4" at the most.
Raising this loop more than 1/4" above the bottom of the hole can result in tearing the skin up at the slits when you drive the peg back in. So pinch strap #1 together with it's loop to keep this adjustment while you go to the next step.
Take your finger out of the hole and pass the end of strap #1 over it's loop towards the hole, so that it now hangs behind it's loop.
This picture shows the position of strap #1 at this point, but it does not show that you should be holding it with tension so as to keep the adjustment you made. If you were to continue with the strap as loose as it is in this picture it would not serve to tighten the drum head at all.
Now, holding strap #1 in place take strap #2 (the other one hanging down) and pass it in front of #1.
Again, you should be holding strap#1 firmly by pinching it together at the bottom of it's loop, not loosely as in this picture which is just supposed to show where the different straps are going.
Bring the end of strap #2 around behind #1 and out through #1's loop pointing towards you. Pull it down snug and hold the ends of #1 and #2 together.
Now insert the peg with your free hand through the loop and into the hole. Lever the peg down against the loop as you push it into the hole as tight as you can by hand.
You will feel it pulling a little slack out of the straps and maybe stretching the skin a little as you lever it down.
Now, holding the peg down against the tension of the straps with one hand, tap the peg into place with your brick or stone. After a few taps to begin stretching the skin strike it heavily a couple of times to get the peg seated solidly in it's hole. You should hear the pitch of the drum rising as you strike the peg.
Now pinch the straps on the pegs on either side of this one you just adjusted to see if they have loosened up. If they have, you will need to adjust them in the same way. Otherwise, if you are happy with the drums pitch you are done!
When you are adjusting the straps for the first time after a new head has broken in you should this adjustment to any three pegs that are right next to each other, not pegs that are on opposite sides of the drum. If you try to tighten three pegs on opposite sides you will end up going around and around and around.
"No matter how hard I hit a peg it just won't seat solidly in it's hole!"
This happens when a hole is a little out of round or when a peg either doesn't fit the shape of the hole anymore or doesn't fit deeply enough. This is remedied by taking a knife or a file and whittling at the peg until it fits the hole correctly. The wood of the peg is softer than the wood of the shell and will conform to the shape of the hole as it is driven in, but over time it can become misshapen and needs to be reformed.
"I over adjusted the loop and the skin tore at the slits!"
This happens more often than anyone would like to admit. It may not look good but the skin tear is very unlikely to extend up onto the head where it would be a disaster and it really doesn't effect things much. Make sure the straps are snug and the peg is solidly in it's hole and don't try to adjust it again. Adjust the straps on the pegs to either side of the peg with the torn slits to get things in tune, and leave this one be. If you get more than a few torn slits you will have to replace the head, because you will run out of pegs that you can adjust. If you want to replace a head by yourself you will need a goatskin, which we sell here. If you would like us to do this work for you please inquire via email.
Well, that's about it. If I've left anything out or you have any questions about this please send email to info@bongocentral.com and I'll answer as best as I can.
Copyright ©2000 R. Fulbright
02/03/02