African Djembe Hand

African Drumming with a Djembe

Among the group of membranophone instruments is the djembe. In its traditional form this drum is constructed of wood in the shape of a big goblet with animal skin stretched over it. One of West Africas favourite drums it produces a deep bass sound when played correctly due to its goblet shaped shell.

The drum's history can be traced all the way back to the Mali Empire of the twelfth century and to the tribes of either the Mandinka or Susu (also known as Numu). When the blacksmiths of the Mandinka tribe crossed Africa the djembe, or sanbayi as the Susu call it, went with them and as a result it became widespread. The people of these tribes believe that the instrument contains three spirits, one of the person who makes the djembe, one from the tree from which the wood is taken, and one from the animal whose hide is used for the drum. Modern day players prefer to have drums with a goatskin hide that they personalize with braided rope and designs carved into the wood.

Surprisingly the word djembe is actually French in origin and not African as you might suspect. The French colonised parts of Africa and studied the music styles of the people as well as their instruments. As they do not have a hard 'j' within their language they chose to use 'dj' and it is this spelling that has gained the most recognition. There are currently many accepted spellings of the drum including jembe, djimbe and yembe. It was in the 1950's and 1960's around Paris that the djembe grew in public awareness due to be it extensively used by the ballet ensemble Les Ballet Africains. Since then the drum has continued to grow in popularity around the world, especially amongst professional musicians who are appreciative of its unique and tribal sound.

In Africa the drum rhythm, known as the diansa, is played at celebrations such as baptisms and weddings and also to commemorate important events such as full moons and the changing of the seasons. Some have even suggested that African peoples have used the sound produced by the drum in order to send messages over long distances, making use of the different sounds to communicate different meanings like a type of musical code language.

The people of Africa also use other instruments to accompany the djembe, typically bells and dundun drums. The Wolof tribe from Senegal uses the djembe as part of an elaborate dance performed by their women. While the instrument is played the women dance the 'Sabar', a provocative dance meant to attract and entice their men.

There are three basic ways to create sound using a djembe. The first is by hitting the centre of the djembe with the palm of an open hand, creating the 'bass' note. Hitting the edge or rim of the drum with the fingers flat produces the second sound called a 'tone', and thirdly using a similar action on the rim of the drum but with fingers relaxed is called a 'slap'.

Djembe drums are now made by specialist drum makers all over the world and are sought after by students, tourists, professional musicians and hobbyists alike. When you hear a djembe being played well it is not easy to resist grooving to the sound and even beginners will appreciate the primal energy of handling this african drum.

About the Author

Baz Waters runs EthnicPercussion.co.uk, an internet store based in the UK that provides djembe, african drums, didgeridoos and other ethnic percussion instruments in the UK.

African Djembe Hand

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