Welcome to DJEMBE-L FAQ - Djembe Technique

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DJEMBE-L FAQ
Beginner's Path
DJEMBE TECHNIQUE

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    Some drummers have noticed that the basic techniques necessary to begin playing djembe are fewer in number than those required for conga. Most beginners on djembe learn the bass, tone, and slap. Conga students learn, in addition to these open strokes, closed hand positions for bass, tone, and slap. Basic Afro-Cuban technique also includes the "Heel-Toe" techniques, which are lighter, closed strokes necessary for playing the rudimentary conga rhythm known as the "Tumbao." It might seem that djembe students have it easy in comparison to conga beginners. But the djembe palette includes many more sounds than the bass, tone, and slap!

    All you have to do is witness a master of the djembe in action to understand that there are many ways to bring out the drum's timbres. Adama Dramé, a djembe master from the Ivory Coast, often includes solo performances on his CDs to demonstrate the variety of sounds he can make with his hands. Mamady Keita's solo, "Djembe Kan," which is on his double-CD, Mögöbalu, contains a wide variety of hand techniques. The best ways to learn some of these advanced hand techniques is to listen closely to recordings, watch closely when you get the chance to see a djembe master perform, and then experiment on your own.

    Percussionists approach any surface as musical - not only the standard playing surfaces (such as the drum head or a guitar string), but also the body of the instrument itself (such as the shell of the drum or soundboard of a guitar). Check out those spots on the drum that are in between the standard playing position and the shell. You may be used to hitting your slap so that your knuckles land on the bearing edge. Try pulling your fingers back and snapping the tips right on the bearing edge. Or try striking the shell of the drum itself with hand. Listen to musical qualities of sounds you can produce from different parts of the drum.

    Experiment with striking the instrument with different materials. Think about the sound of brushes on a snare drum. It's now a very recognizeable jazz technique, but at one time it was an innovation and a departure from the traditional technique with wooden sticks. Try hitting the djembe head with other parts of your hand. Some master players hit the bass, not with the palm of their hand, but with the outer edge of their fist. Adama Dramé plays rolls with his finger tips in a technique similar to the way impatient people drum their fingers on a table. A flam is a kind of variation of the standard slap or tone: you use two hands instead of just one. Think of different parts of your hands or different combinations of hand postures as offering musical possibilities.

    Experiment with modulating the timbre of the instrument. Conga players learn this technique right off. Try playing a tone and intentionally pressing your hand into the head and leaving it there, thus modulating the pitch and ring of the tone. In conga technique, this is called a "closed tone" or "muff." You can do the same thing with the slap: hit the drum and imagine you are trying to grab the drum by the head and pick it up. Or use one hand to press into the center of the drum while hitting a slap stroke with the other. Djembe masters use these techniques often. If you have ever seen a South Indian tabla master, you have seen their sliding modulation of the large drum (the bayan). They tap the note with their finger tip in the usual manner, then slide the heel of the same hand into the drum head, making the pitch of the note rise. The greatest tabla players can control the intensity, depth, and speed of this pitch bend with precision. You can control the pitch modulation of your closed strokes on djembe by varying where you press into the head. Mamady Keita uses this technique when he solos, letting the fingers of his left hand "walk" across the head as he presses with them and strikes with his right. Give it a try!

    Once you understand these approaches, you will see that there are almost no limits to the sounds you can produce on a djembe. The keys to learning new techniques are: listen, watch, and feel free to experiment! Then, try to blend these new sounds into your soloing and even accompaniment playing.

    Most of all, enjoy the unique musical qualities of any sound!

© 1999 Adam M. Rugo