I am new to frame drums. I have played African drums (djembe and ashiko) for a number of years and just found myself interested in expanding my percussive horizons. I saw this drum while searching around online, I am always skeptical about buying an I strument before playing it. After watching a couple of videos and getting a rough idea about the tonal quality, I decided to bight the bullet and order this drum and I must say I am not disappointed. It sounds great! Built very well, the amount of different sounds you can generate with this drum are incredible and nuanced. The jingle bars that come with it are a great addition, I keep them mostly muted and only use two as I find all four is a lot of extra sizzle. It's a bit on the heavy side for holding it with one hand and playing, but it is a larger frame drum so that's to be expected. I originally ordered this as a present for my partner and now I am thinking I might have to get one just for me, I like it that much!