Growing Region: Mexico and Central America.
Availability: An alternative species. Available with FSC (Forestry
Stewardship Council) certification.
Weight/Hardness/Density: A hard, dense and tight grained wood. Chechen
scores 2300 on the Janka hardness scale, Maple scores 1450, and Red
Oak scores 1260.
Cost: 130% the cost of Maple.
Comments: The Chechen tree grows up to 50 feet in height with a trunk
up to 21 inches in diameter. The sanding dust can cause dermatitis
and respiratory problems. The sap is also caustic. Chechen is part
of the Anacardeiaeae family, which includes cashews, poison oak, poison
ivy, and poison sumac. While it is not true Rosewood, it does share
much of the same coloration.
Timbre/Tonal Color: Chechen has a lower fundamental pitch than our
Maple comparison drum. Full bodied and rich sounding with a nice "presence".
Dynamic Range: The character sound of the drum remains the same from
pp (very quiet) to ff (very loud) with a sweetspot similar in size
to Maple.
Tonal Range: It has predominantly mid-range frequencies, with some
low as well as high frequencies, giving it a full, rich textured sound.
Tuning Range: Tunes down nicely. The note gets shorter as the tuning
goes from loose to medium tension. The Chechen went slightly tighter
than the Maple drum before choking, but was still lower in pitch than
the Maple drum. Chechen has a softer feel to it than our Maple drum,
without the "table-top" feel at higher tension.
Resonance/Decay: Less focused than Maple with a "spreading"
sound. Chechen is more resonant and has a longer principal note than
Maple.
Cross Stick: Full bodied and low in pitch. One-half inch of movement
gave a pronounced change in pitch.
Volume: Slightly louder than Maple.
Sensitivity: Good sensitivity that responds well at all volumes, with
nice projection across the room.
Comments: Change in pitch on the cross stick could be troublesome,
or allow for more sounds depending on the situation. Great feel
to the drum with good stick rebound. Fun to play.
By Greg Gaylord & Robert Bowler (RB).
Photo credit Frankie Frost.
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