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Choosing a Djembe Drum
Djembe Drumming Techniques
Choosing a Dun Dun African Drum
Choosing West African Bells
Choosing a Krin African Drum
Choosing a Songba African Drum
Playing a Songba African Drum
Playing a Kinkini African Drum
Playing a Dun Dun African Drum
Playing a Dun Dun African Drum Beat
Playing Three Dun Dun African Drums
Tips on Djembe African Drums
Playing Bass Sounds on Djembe African Drums
Playing Tone Sounds on Djembe African Drums
Playing Slap Sounds on Djembe African Drums
Beginning Djembe Drum Tips
Playing Solos on Djembe African Drums
The Break in African Drumming Techniques
Playing Sounds on Djembe African Drums
Playing Different Pitched African Drums
Playing the Bass Djembe African Drum
Playing Solos in African Drumming
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Summary: How to choose a Djembe African drum; get professional tips and advice on playing traditional West African percussion instruments in this free music lesson video.
Michael Markus is the owner of Magbana Drum & Dance in New York City, where he is a professional performer and teacher of intermediate and beginner African Drumming. His other...read more
The djembe is a large, goblet-shaped drum that is skin covered and played with bare hands. The drum is a membranophone, meaning its covering in a shell, usually rawhide. Its origins trace back to West Africa, where it is a monumental part of the culture and musical history. According to African tradition, the djembe contains certain spirits which motivate the drummer and are an active part of the experience for the listener, as well. While the djembe drum has found popularity in the Western world as a part of a drum circle, its intended ensemble use is with a dun dun drum and bells. Soloists or lead drummers will beat rhythms to accent and accompany dancers, signaling changes in dance steps as well as adapting to the dance.
In this free video clip series, our expert will introduce you to the djembe drum, the dun dun, bells, the krin and many other popular west African rhythm based instruments. Learn how to do everything from basic taps and beats to more advanced rhythms like polyrhythms and sixteenth notes. You will also learn about proper posture and body mechanics for playing the drum as well as slapping and soloing techniques.
"MAN: The African djembe drum from Guinea, West Africa. We have many different types of wood from West Africa. You can see I have some beautiful drums here that are carved by hand, no machinery, and they're made of African hardwoods. And then, they're decorated on the outside, all different types of designs. This is a redwood from Guinea, West Africa, they call acajou. This is a wood they call [PH] bene wood which is the same that they make the xylophones called balafon out of; beautiful carving on the inside. Once they make this shell, then they put a goat skin and rope that's tied to two rings and it's pulled very, vey tightly and that what produces the sound. They're completely hollow on the inside. These are djembe drums from West Africa from Guinea and Mali."
eHow Article: Choosing a Djembe Drum
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Comments
bolokelen said
on 7/24/2009 What a relief to see someone on an internet how-to series who actually KNOWS what he's talking about! Thank you Michael Markus, I have great respect for your work. For all beginners out there, you need to know that 95% of what's out there on the internet is total crap - this guy is the real deal. He knows, the instruments, he knows the music, he's an excellent djembefola, and very important, he has respect for the west African traditions.