Three Ashikos from 2002

Ashikos are not traditional African drums but are a hybrid of African and American designs. They are conical drums that have been popularized in large part by leaders in the international drumming community such as Arthur Hull and Babatunde Olatunji. They are played in an identical manner to the djembe, but are characterized as having a warmer, rounder tone. Treefrog Percussion Ashikos are lightweight, durable, and affordable. Some situations where Ashikos excel include jamming with other musicians, accompanying choirs, and as drums for novices or children.

Up to and including 2007, Treefrog Percussion Ashikos were all made with 18 staves of Canadian softwoods, including pine, fir, red cedar and butternut. Starting in 2007, Hardwood drums made from Maple, Cherry, Walnut and Ash have also been made. The drums retain a ratio of 2:1 in regards to the head diameter to the opening at the base of the drum. They are also roughly twice as tall as the head diameter.

The most common size for these drums is 12 1/2” across by 25” tall. A smaller drum at 11” across by 22” is also available. However, many drums have been built that are smaller and larger, and a typical year's production will have many "one-off" sizes. Let us know if you have a custom size you would like us to make.

For custom orders, The 100% pine drums can be stained essentially any colour you can imagine. Also, the skin on these drums can either be folded over the tension ring when mounted or the ring can be left visible. If the ring is left visible it can be wrapped with either one or two ribbon colours for a candy stripe effect. Contact us for colours and availability.

Ashikos awaiting their turn on the lathe in 2007

Some Facts about Treefrog Percussion Ashikos:

• Nearly all the wood for these drums is from within 100 kms in the Ottawa area.

• It can take up to 25 hours to complete a drum, spread out over several weeks.

• Students who take the 5 week-end drum building class with Leo make an Ashiko from raw materials. (See Classes section for more details)

• Each drum has a serial number and is part of a limited run for each year. For example, serial number  0317A would be the seventeenth drum made in 2003. The “A” signifies Ashiko.

• These drums are notched at the bottom ring so it won’t slide up the drum as you tighten the skin.

• While for logistical reasons the design and dimensions of the drums remains constant, no two drums will have identical wood content.

• Drums are skinned with either Canadian or African goatskin.

Here are some samples of my favorite Ashikos from years past. The numbers below refer to the serial number of the drum. The first two digits are from the year the drum was made, the last two are the number of the drum in the series. For example, 0412A would be the 12th drum made in 2004. The "A" signifies Ashiko as opposed to Djembes.

Click on the photos to see the image full sized.

0002A	0008A	0010A	0102A	0105A	0202A	0204A	0212A
0217A	0218A	0310A	0314A	0316A	0320A	0339A	0602A

Ashiko progress - from glued together to turned to finished

Leo hopes to make this page a sort of "Audio Gallery" for the drums he builds.

Until such time as he can build the drums and gather more samples, please enjoy this version of the popular rhythm Shiko.

Shiko played on Treefrog Percussion Ashikos

Thanks for listening!