DJEMBE

Djembe History

The drum of a thousand voices

The djembe has its origins with the Maninke people of West Africa around the 1300 AD.

The drum has a rich and colourful history, a tapestry of oral tradition recounted by generations of musicians and story tellers.

Traditionally, the drum is more than just an instrument of entertainment. Songs and rhythms played on the drum are representative of events in the community, past and present, and a record for future generations.

In African culture, music is a story.

It's this story and mystique that makes it so appealing to a wide audience. Over the last 50 years, the drum has exploded in popularity across the globe and it's impact has been felt beyond just the world music scene.

The rise of the Djembe has it's roots in the rise of the Mali Empire, which dominated North Western Africa from the 13th to 16th centuries. Here is a little bit of history about the Mali Empire:

COMMON Types of African Drums

While there are a wide variety of drums used in Africa (remember it's a whole continent with thousands of different ethnic groups with their own customs), there are a few drums that are extremely common and easy to purchase outside of Africa. The majority of African drums are hand drums, which are drums that you play with your hands instead of a stick or other striking instrument.

Djembe

The djembe is the most well-known African drum around the world. It has a narrow base that opens up into a rounded bowl near the top, kind of like a wine glass. The top of the bowl is covered by a goatskin though synthetic materials are also used today. To play the djembe, you only need to strike it with your hand. We'll discuss the different ways to hand-strike it a little later one.

Dundun (Talking Drum)

The dundun's body is shaped like an hourglass and has a number of ropes or strings stretched from top to bottom. It requires a curved beater, so it is not a hand drum. Drummers hold it under one arm, usually supported by a strap over their shoulder, and squeeze the ropes against their bodies to change the pitch. It earns the nickname of a talking drum because of this modulation which allows it to mimic human vocal sounds.

Bata

The bata is actually a three-drum set that can be struck by hand or with a stick. The Yoruba people consider the bata a sacred musical instrument belonging to the goddess of love, Oshun. The bata plays an important role in Cuban music, and it was brought to the island with Africa slaves.

Bougarabou

The bougarabou is a cylindrical drum with the ends narrower than the middle though some variations are narrower at one end than at the other. Sometimes, drummers wear bangle bracelets to make a tambourine-like sound while they strike the drum with their hands.

A Traditional Djembe Ensemble

A typical ensemble contains one soloist, one or two accompanying djembe and from one to three dundun players. It is often accompanied by dancers and hand clapping.

The bass drums, or dundun, are usually played with sticks and provide the core structure of the rhythm. There are 3 types of bass drum that range in size and pitch. They are the doundounba, the sangban and the kenkeni.

The djembe accompanists each play different rhythms alongside the bass drum to complete the basic song. The soloist introduces the song, accents the beats, controls the tempo and plays solo pieces over the rhythm provided.