When I record the djembe, I record with a mic up top and a mic down at the bottom.  Here I have turned it into a stereo track with some live reverb. The bottom mic captures the bass sounds, and the top mic captures the subtle treble timbres.  For this example, I’m playing a Latin based rhythm quickly followed by an African beat.

This drum has substantial sustain for it’s size.  Today humidity has affected the drum a little bit.  Sometimes I use a heat gun to remove some moisture from the drum, bringing up the pitch to it’s original tuning.