How the Djambla was born

Back in 2002 while playing the djembe with one hand and the drum sitting sideways on my lap, I put my other hand into the body of the drum and heard magic. The pitch lowered the deeper my hand went. That was the moment the idea was born. I hurriedly fashioned a stand out of whatever I could find and I modified a hi-hat stand to act as a plunger to push a rubber ball up and down the drum. The effect was incredible – It sounded like the Indian tabla. Using the pedal I could play with 2 hands and get the most amazing sounds I’d ever heard from a djembe. I realized I had discovered something interesting!

Tom Freston, co-founder of MTV said, “Innovation is taking two things that exist and putting them together in a new way.” Well, the Djambla is at least 2 things. 

How the Djambla was born

Back in 2002 while playing the djembe with one hand and the drum sitting sideways on my lap, I put my other hand into the body of the drum and heard magic. The pitch lowered the deeper my hand went. That was the moment the idea was born. I hurriedly fashioned a stand out of whatever I could find and I modified a hi-hat stand to act as a plunger to push a rubber ball up and down the drum. The effect was incredible – It sounded like the Indian tabla. Using the pedal I could play with 2 hands and get the most amazing sounds I’d ever heard from a djembe. I realized I had discovered something interesting!

Tom Freston, co-founder of MTV said, “Innovation is taking two things that exist and putting them together in a new way.” Well, the Djambla is at least 2 things. 

The name of this new product came first. It plays like a djembe and sounds like a tabla, djembe + tabla = djambla. I converted my garage into a workshop and started producing prototypes. I filed for a US provisional patent and secured the trademark for the DJAMBLA name and went full steam ahead and worked the project like a 2nd job. My dad, a retired mechanical engineer, joined the team and after 13 months learning all the ways that it couldn’t be done we arrived at our near consumer ready prototype. Today, we are producing a product that is “hand made in Canada by European craftsmen, using only the finest hardwoods, aluminum, and hardware.” It’s a tagline for sure but it’s true.

I believe the best is yet to come. What excites me most is seeing and hearing what drummers will do with this amazing development for drums. I watch Youtube videos of drummers who can play beautiful rhythms with such intricacies in their hands and fingers and imagine them being able to add a few extra notes and bend them up and down with ease. I see a soon to be future where drummers will create music the world has yet to hear.. by using this piston+pedal that came to life in a 2 car garage in Canada.

The name of this new product came first. It plays like a djembe and sounds like a tabla, djembe + tabla = djambla. I converted my garage into a workshop and started producing prototypes. I filed for a US provisional patent and secured the trademark for the DJAMBLA name and went full steam ahead and worked the project like a 2nd job. My dad, a retired mechanical engineer, joined the team and after 13 months learning all the ways that it couldn’t be done we arrived at our near consumer ready prototype. Today, we are producing a product that is “hand made in Canada by European craftsmen, using only the finest hardwoods, aluminum, and hardware.” It’s a tagline for sure but it’s true.

I believe the best is yet to come. What excites me most is seeing and hearing what drummers will do with this amazing development for drums. I watch Youtube videos of drummers who can play beautiful rhythms with such intricacies in their hands and fingers and imagine them being able to add a few extra notes and bend them up and down with ease. I see a soon to be future where drummers will create music the world has yet to hear.. by using this piston+pedal that came to life in a 2 car garage in Canada.

Hannu Rauma – Inventor/ Founder