Remo Traditional Kanjira

The traditional Indian kanjira was made using skin of the now-endangered Monitor Lizard. Remo's synthetic Skyndeep® lizard-graphic drumhead is an ecological tribute to the beauty of the Monitor Lizard. For its tunable kanjira, Remo attaches its Skyndeep® lizard-graphic drumhead to an Acousticon® shell with a 30-degree radial bearing edge; the frame is finished with a dark stain veneer, giving the drum an elegant and traditional antique look. With its modern technologies, Remo uses proprietary materials that enable kanjira players to bend and modulate pitch exactly like the original, without being affected by changes in climate. Remo's Kanjira can be tuned easily by inserting a 5/64" hex key into a recessed key hole and rotating the key in small increments to achieve the desired low pitch. The 2 3/8" depth x 7" diameter Kanjira fits comfortably in the player's hands and features a one-inch flat jingle set to produce a dry tone with short decay.

The history of the kanjira is part of a rich and complex Indian classical drum legacy. This South Indian frame drum is an instrument used in classical Carnatic music. The kanjira's shell was originally made from the jackfruit tree; its drumhead was constructed using the now-endangered lizard species Bengal Monitor, or Varanus Bengalensis, of India. The original kanjira drum was naturally pre-tuned very high. In order to achieve a good bass sound, the performer would sprinkle water inside the drum to loosen its tension. This tedious process would have to be repeated many times during a single performance. The tone of the drum was also affected by climate changes which thereby required performers to carry multiple kanjira drums to ensure that at least one drum was perfectly tuned. Remo has developed a modern kanjira using its proprietary Acousticon® drum shell made from 100% recycled wood fibers and feature specially developed synthetic, weather-resistant drumheads