| A Brief Introduction To The Djembe |
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Made in the shape of a shell with an animal hide stretched over it, the djembe is a large goblet like drum that falls into the membranophone category of instruments. Mostly played by just using the hands its shape produces a hard to resist deep tone or bass sound. Found all over West Africa the djembe is among the most popular of all the African instruments.
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 is of the person who makes the djembe, one is from the tree from which the wood is obtained, and one is from the animal whose hide is used for the drum. Today, people prefer to use goatskin to cover the drum and they decorate it by carving designs into the wood and attaching braided rope to it to give each one a unique appearance and flair.The word djembe itself is actually French in origin. It was given that name by the French colonialists who spent time studying the different styles of African music and their instruments. Because there is no hard sounding 'j' in the French language the letters 'd and j' were used instead. This has led to a certain amount of confusion regarding the name of the instrument which is also known as a jembe, djimbe or yembe amongst others. Outside of Africa the drum became popular back in the 1950's and 1960's in Paris when it was used by the ballet ensemble Les Ballet Africains. Since then it has grown, and continues to grow in popularity among drumming enthusiasts the world over. In Africa the diansa, or drum rhythm, is traditionally used in celebrations such as at weddings and baptisms and to commemorate full moons as well as the changing 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. Djembes are sometimes played with a thin stick and sometimes accompanied by other instruments, typically bells and dundun drums. Dancers can't but help to move to the rhythm of the beat and the women of the Wolof tribe from Senegal perform the 'Sabar', a traditional dance used to entice and attract the opposite sex. To create the djembe's unique sound there are three basic ways. The first is to hit the middle of the drum using the palm of an open hand to produce a satisfying bass tone. By striking the edge of the drum with flat fingers produces a different sound called a 'tone', and the third way is to strike the rim with relaxed fingers, this is referred to as a 'slap'. Today the djembe is produced by professional drum makers all around the world. Students of music, professional musicians, tourists and even hobbyists all create a demand for the instrument and have |
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