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 Questions:

  1. What is the DJEMBE-L?
  2. What is a djembe?
  3. Is this FAQ, and the mailing list itself, ONLY about Djembes?
  4. Can anyone subscribe?
  5. How can I subscribe to the DJEMBE-L?
  6. Do I have to always capitalize the word DJEMBE-L?
  7. What can I expect when I subscribe?
  8. What is the difference between the two addresses, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/djembe-l/members_and
    Djembe-L@yahoogroups.com ?
  9. How do I unsubscribe?
  10. How do I read the header on my DJEMBE-L email?
  11. How do I send mail to the list?
    What is the mail etiquette?
  12. How do I send "private" mail to an individual or a small group on the list?
  13. Must I identify myself when sending mail to the list?
  14. Can I get the DJEMBE-L mail condensed?
  15. Is there an archive of old posts from the DJEMBE-L that I can access?
  16. What commands will the ListProcessor recognize?
  17. I forgot my password and/or mail settings. How do I find them?
  18. Can I advertise percussion related products or services on the list or the FAQ?
  19. What type of notation system is used on the list?
  20. Is there a collection of rhythms available?

 


The Answers:


1. What is the DJEMBE-L?

This FAQ is in support of the mailing list DJEMBE-L.  It is an open mailing list and is moderated. Please note that this is NOT a Usenet newsgroup but rather a group of people sending and receiving email focused on a particular subject. An understanding of this concept is essential for proper participation on the mailing list.

You might SERIOUSLY want to consider browsing the archives (see directions in Question #15 below) BEFORE subscribing to the List.

Read the answer to question #5 How can I subscribe to the DJEMBE-L? for information.

[Return to Questions]



2. What is a djembe?

A djembe (pronounced " gem-bey ") is a unique goblet or chalice shaped drum, usually carved from a single piece of wood. It originated in West Africa and is generally considered to have roots in the Manding people of the early Mali Empire. It stands approximately 20-30" high and is covered with goat or antelope skin, usually held on and tuned a by lacing of cord in a pattern called the Mali weave. .

[Return to Questions]



3. Is this FAQ, and the mailing list itself, ONLY about Djembes?

The information in this FAQ and the correspondence on the DJEMBE-L is not only about djembes or the music related primarily to that particular drum, though that is the central focus and intent. Congas, Batas, and other drums related to West African, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music are also discussed as is Dance. Various other topics with an ethnic hand drum focus are also considered. .

[Return to Questions]



4. Can anyone subscribe?

Yes, anyone can subscribe to the list. Please, though, before you do, carefully read the sections on this FAQ regarding how the mailing list works. Keep in mind that 'subscription' means sending a command to
Djembe-L-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

    You must understand the command to 'unsubscribe' to successfully stop mail from coming to you should you decide not to continue to participate. Once you subscribe you will immediately begin receiving email directly to your mailbox, either as individual messages or in a single digest of the mail for each day. You will continue to receive mail until you unsubscribe to the list.
  To UNSUBSCRIBE, send "blank" email to:
Djembe-L-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

[Return to Questions]



5. How can I subscribe to the DJEMBE-L?

Send blank e-mail to this address:
Djembe-L-subscribe@yahoogroups.com - or - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/djembe-l/members

[Return to Questions]

6. Do I have to always capitalize the word DJEMBE-L?

No. The word DJEMBE-L is only capitalized in this FAQ to make a clear distinction from the number "1", which is virtually indistinguishable from a lower case "L" when viewed on the screen. 

[Return to Questions]

7. What can I expect when I subscribe?

When you follow the instructions in this FAQ and subscribe to the DJEMBE-L, you will be placed on the DJEMBE-L mailing list and receive copies of all mail sent by other members to the ListProcessor. You will first receive an automated response from the ListProcessor welcoming you to the list. Then you can expect mail about rhythms (new and old), tips on how to repair your drum, comments and reviews on various books, videos, and announcements about performances in the hand drumming world. There are no fixed topics, questions are fielded from any member and a great deal of support for many drumming styles is available. .
[Return to Questions]

 


8. What's the difference between the two address, Djembe-L-subscribe@yahoogroups.com  and Djembe-L@yahoogroups.com  ?

Once you have subscribed, mail intended for ALL members of the list should be sent to Djembe-L@yahoogroups.com. Mail requests for information from the server or commands to unsubscribe or be set to digest mode should be sent to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/djembe-l/members

[Return to Questions]

 

9. How can I unsubscribe to the DJEMBE-L?

Send email to: Djembe-L-unsubcribe@yahoogroups.com
Co - List Administrators are HappyShel <happy@drums.org>  and R Clark <clark@acceleration.net>.  
Please send any and all "off the wall" questions to them. If you are having difficulty in UNSUBSCRIBING, address the Moderators ONLY, not the entire list.
Djembe-L List Moderators, as of SEP, 2002, are:
HappyShel
happy@drums.org
Alan Tauber
Alan@DrumConnection.com
Janet Planet
jplanet@j2k.com
R Clark clark@acceleration.net
Amanda Pickering robamanda@ntlworld.com

[Return to Questions]



10. How do I read the header on my DJEMBE-L email?

Depending on your mail software and what options for the display of Headings you'll be confronted with a long list of data or basic To: & From: information.
Essential information begins with the line titled "Date".

Date: Thu, 4 Jan 1996 09:54:51 -0500
Reply-To: Djembe-l@yahoogroups.com
Sender: Djembe-L@yahoogroups.com
From: bigbill@whatsit.com
To: "Djembe drumming / hand percussion"
Subject: [Djembe-L] Recording djembes for video

Line by line, the IMPORTANT headings are the following:

Date: This is the date and time the message was sent by the person on the "From" line

Reply-To: This is the address to use when replying to a message carried in the body of the mail. Note: If you select the common "Reply" or "Reply to All" function of many email programs, your reply will be mailed to ALL members of the list, NOT to the one person who wrote the mail who is listed on the "From" line. See Question #12 to reply privately.

Sender: This indicates that the message was sent from the  directly from the individual on the "From" line.

From: This is the email address (and account name) of the person who sent the message to the ListProcessor.

To: Person to whom the mail was sent. In this case it was sent to all recipients of the list

Subject: [Djembe-L] distinction which list the mail is from & the topic that follows in the body of the email.

[Return to Questions]



11. How do I send mail to the list?

To send mail to the list simply address your mail to
 Djembe-L@yahoogroups.com
.  The ListProcessor will receive it and send a copy of it to ALL of the other members on the list. .

[Return to Questions]



12. How do I send "private'" mail to an individual or a small group on the list?

If you wish to send mail privately to an individual on the list in response to a post or simply to make private contact you must take care to use the "From" address on the mail header. Most mail packages (Eudora, Outlook, Outlook Express, Netscape, etc) have a "Reply To" function. If you use this function your reply will be automatically directed back to the ListProcessor, which will send it to ALL the members on the list. To send to the individual, click "REPLY ALL."

To reply privately, delete the DJEMBE-L address and insert the address in the "From" line. Note: You can develop a 'group' of people who all receive copies of mail send to one another (like a mini-list) by using the "Cc" line to add addresses of those you wish to receive copies of the mail you send to the address on the "To" line, the "Bcc" line to HIDE the email addresses.

[Return to Questions]



13. Must I identify myself when sending mail to the list?

The members of the DJEMBE-L are part of the greater community of world drummers, and as such, share a common desire to promote trust and closer connections with others. How you identify yourself is a personal matter, some members indicate address, phone and fax numbers, others only a nickname. It is helpful if you add some clue as to your physical location such as city, county, state or country. This saves time and bandwidth when members send mail asking for help or references to resources. .

[Return to Questions]



14. Can I get the DJEMBE-L mail condensed?

Yes, the ListProcessor will recognize a command to organize each day's mail into a "digest" and send it out once a day. To activate digest mode you must send a request to the ListProcessor (not to the DJEMBE-L) in the following format.

To SET DIGEST MODE: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/djembe-l/members     Enter your e-dress or Yahoo and password and click on "Digest."
Your mail will continue in this format until you notify the ListProcessor to set you out of digest mode by sending another command to the ListProcessor (not the list itself).

[Return to Questions]



15. Is there an archive of old posts from the DJEMBE-L that I can access?

Yes.

NOTE:
   http://groups.yahoo.com/group/djembe-l/messages  location also offers the unique possibility to access the mail on the djembe-l from the Web. List member Jim Banks offers his personal experience with this.

" Hi, everybody. Here's an interesting fact about Djembe-L and Yahoogroups.com that hasn't been posted yet: The archives at Yahoogroups.com actually allow you to access Djembe-L messages through the Web, almost as soon as they are mailed in, without actually have them sent to your mailbox.

Going to the following location takes you to the opening page for the Djembe-L archive:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/djembe-l/messages

From there, you can search, or browse the 12,000 or so past messages (as of 12-27-02)  or by Clicking HERE

You are then presented with a list of the most recent messages sent to the List, numbered from 1 to 25, in reverse order of when they arrived. (Further pages give you more messages, continuing in reverse order.) From there, you can click on and read individual messages.  (Reloading the page re-orders the listing with any new messages that have come in.)

Obviously, this gives Djembe-L the functionality of a newsgroup, on the Web, and allows you to access Djembe-L without having an overstuffed mailbox (although you could also use Digest Mode). Those who don't want to subscribe or receive these posts as e-mail (or who have unsubscribed) could still participate by reading on the web and mailing to the List, even if you leave Djembe-L and join the new newsgroup.

So try it, and see if you like it!

--Jim Banks, Chicago "
[Webmaster's Note: Djembe-L mail list switched to Yahoogroups.com in December 1997.  Some of our old archives have been  lost.  Yahoogroups.com currently is archiving approximately 12,000 messages. 12/02]

Another archive can be reached at The Drum and Percussion Page. It is organized by month beginning with July 1995 and ends January, 1996. The archived mail is arranged by thread within each month.

[Return to Questions]


16. What commands will the Mail List recognize?

Remember that the Moderators read each piece of mail.  You can receive details from the server itself by:

Clicking this URL http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/djembe-l.  Once there, click on MESSAGES.



17. I forgot my password and/or mail settings. How do I find them?

If you forget your password that you were given when you first subscribed, the one you changed it to, or wonder what mail setting mode the Djembe-L Mail List 'thinks' you're in, you can find out by contacting http://groups.yahoogroups.com/group/Djembe-L/member.  This is helpful to confirm successful switches in or out of digest mode or Web Only, No Email when on vacation.


 

[Return to Questions]



18. Can I advertise percussion related products or services on the list?

There is the FAQMALL to Advertise products on the FAQ to members of Djembe-L and visitors.  ADS can be sent thru the Mail List ONLY, "once every 30 days per member" when the subject line clearly states "ADS" and the Ad is limited to 75 words or less PLUS have a link to a URL where more info is posted. Members of the list recognize that many small business have products and services of value to the drumming community and want to stay informed. On the other hand, we are all sensitive to the impact of advertising.

 

[Return to Questions]



19. What type of notation system is used on the list?

There are several well known systems for notations of rhythms. Please refer to the section below for more details. The system most clearly preferred by members of the list is that used by Larry Morris in his Rhythm Catalog. The key to that system (and part of one rhythm )is reproduced below.

LEGEND:
| first beat in the bar
* other whole beats
. half beats
, quarter beats
: repeat
>> at end of bar = continue phrase next line
B,b bass
O,o tone
M,m muffle tone
S,s slap
Sf, Of slap/tone flam
h heel
f finger
. touch or spacer (rest)
_ appears above notes that should be played with your strong hand.

KPANLOGO, Larry Morris lam@eng.tridom.com  '94 from informal sources

4/4     |:    .    *    .     *    .    *    .     |    .    *    .     *    .    *    .     :|
        -           -          -          -          -          -          -          -
Tumba   O     O    O    O     B    .    s    s     O    .    s    s     B    .    s    s
        -           -          -          -          -          -          -          -
Conga   B    .     s    s     O    .    s    s     B    O    O    .     O    O    .    O

[Return to Questions]



20. Is there a collection of rhythms available?

Yes. Larry Morris maintains a page with both ftp and http links to his Rhythm Catalog . See Volume 17, Web Links for Larry Morris' new FTP site. It is also posted periodically to the list. (Note: Be sure that, once downloaded, you view and print the notation in an equal space (non-proportional) font such as Courier. Failure to do so will prevent proper alignment.

Return to Questions

 

The Djembe-L FAQ is maintained by HappyShel with a lot of help and input from many other members of the DJEMBE List. Errors, suggestions & additions to happy@drums.org.
PC software used: MS Publisher 2000,  MS Word 2000,  Adobe PhotoShop 7.0.
US Mail address for scanned photos on 3 1/2" disk or CD-ROM:
PO BOX 141354, Dallas, TX USA 75214.
Tel: 214.662.DRUM [3786]
FAX: 214.887.0386

(last revision 06/01/08)