The skin on my pandeiro arrived really loose (or tight). Is this normal?
Yes to both. All pandeiros are tuned down completly before they are shipped out. You should actually do the same whe you’re not playing it. It takes the tension off the frame as well as the skin itself. This is good for the longevity of both! So, ideally, the skin would arrive completely loose when you open the box. However, reality is another thing as climate changes during shipping (including air conditioning) will frequently cause the skin to tighten up – sometimes extremely tight, even with the tuning lugs left completly loose. To remedy this situation, just give the skin a good open-palm slap in the middle of the head and it should release the tension. You can do this a few times if necessary. Once the skin “gives” and lowers down in tone, you can start to tune it up again to a tuning of your choice. Many luthiers and players recommend tuning and de-tuning using a diagonal, criss-crossing technique to make sure you’re putting even tension on each side of the drum. Whichever way yo
