ok first put the new dagga skin on top of the dhol and mark the holes along with the hooks on the treble if you have have 11 hooks on treble then 11 holes on dagga skin same thing if you have 9 or 10 after that heres one way take any screw driver and poke the holes in the skin when it is dry before you wet it( poking the holes while the skin is wet won`t make any difference just poke it before you wet it it is more quicker.) and when poking the holes make sure you poke them close to the edge of the skin so that way the hole does not turn into a big giant rip across your whole skin while playing then you`ll need a new one again, after that soak it in hot water for about 15-20 minutes to allow the skin to become stretchable after that pull the ropes through as quick as you can because you wanna try to get the lip of the skin lined up or below with the edge of your dagga side on your dhol when your in the phase of tightening the ropes evenly before you tie the knot after your done roping it let it sit for 1 day the next day play as much as you want .


below is an installation video if this is your first time then heres a guide line you can rope it the exact same way he ropes it in the video but I personally don`t like that method because I find that the skins won`t last as long using this roping method so just cross rope it ( meaning put the rope in one hole and then skip the second hole and put the next bit of rope in the third hole and repeat the process) < using this method my dagga skin on my dhol is going strong after 7 months and I don`t have to tighten it very far where as on my old dhol I had to because I single roped it and had the change the skin every 3 months because I play pretty hard.

Dhugga Install Tutorial

Thanks for the help. So after soaking the skin came unraveled off the wooden ring. Any ideas on how to fix that?

damn never heard of that happening where did you get the skin from ?

sorry dude I honestly don`t know since that hasn`t happened to me but try toget the skin back around the ring and then roll it up from their  if it doesn`t work order from them again or just order it from kalakendar their skins ain`t bad and apparently they get their supply from the guys that supply jas

that's great advice. thanks guys

DEFINITELY burn the holes in; you'll cauterize the skin and it'll be much stronger.


If the head's unraveled from the hoop, then you've got to re-tuck it, which is a really unpleasant process:

THE CALF SKIN HEADS

Your choice as to if you want to make the wholes using a soldering iron or a screw driver is based our of preference.  When it comes to the question of whether you want to soak it before or after making the wholes is up to you as well, I recommend soaking it.  And if you are to soak it, soak it for at least 30 minutes in HOT WATER so the skin is very elastic.  You want to stretch the living days out of that skin when you are roping it so you need it to stay damp long enough to do so.



The part that is nearly impossible to explain is the process after you rope the skin.  In a nutshell, you have to apply some weight to the middle of the skin for about 3-4 hours (until the skin dries-up) so the skin looses the excess elasticity.   After that,  it's time to tune it.  Depending on the elasticity of the skin, the tuning procedure could go in any direction.  I wouldn't recommend tuning it yourself if this is your first time roping a drum.  If you aren't sure what sound you are looking for then I guess you can give it a go.


If you are in the GTA and want it professionally done, give me an e-mail, I'd be happy to apple the skin for you.  E-mail us at hobacademy@gmail.com