The djembe drum is believed to have originated with the Malinke people in the Northeast of Guinea.  The djembe migrated to the Mali empire in the 9th Century and 1,100 years later is not only found all over Africa, but has become popular in many parts of the world.

Traditionally made of carved hardwood and covered in goat skin, the Djembe’s sharp, bright sound and dynamic decorative carvings made it an ideal drum for community drum circles, performances, healing ceremonies, accompanying African dance performances, and, in Africa, for communicating between villages.

The Djembe has become the most popular African drum to be played outside of Africa, spreading around the world to become the hallmark instrument of the worldbeat movement.

how to play the Djembe

There are three basic strokes used on the Djembe: slap, tone and bass which are made by hitting the drum in different ways. When playing any of thee strokes, remember to slightly tip the drum away from you so that the sound can be released from the bottom, if not you get a very flat, lifeless sound from the drum.

To get a bass tone, flatten your hand and strike the drum directly in the center. This should produce a deep, hollow sound. The tone has a higher pitch: cup your hand slightly and hit the edge of the drum with the center joints of your fingers touching the point where the drumskin meets the edge. This slap is the most difficult sound for beginners to make, but gets easier with practice  It is achieved by quickly swiping the area of the drum between the center and the edge with your third, fourth and little fingers, almost like whipping the drum.

One way of achieving nice sounds on your djembe is to imagine that your hand is “a child” and the drum is “a trampoline”.  Have fun bouncing