The djembe is one of percussion’s most special instruments. In West Africa, it has been planned as a resource for getting everyone together in harmony. Anyone can learn to play this amazing instrument. The djembe drum is a great addition to any musical performance when it comes to percussion instruments.
This African drum will increase the music’s success all the time. Almost everyone can take a djembe and have a go while playing with their hand; but it’s a little hard to learn the top five djembe drumming techniques. Here we will show you how to play the djembe drum and how to learn the five main techniques:
The basics
Rest the djembe between your knees from a seated position. Keep your head away and tilt the drum off the ground. This allows the sound to escape and allows your hands to be positioned correctly.
Holding the drum at this angle will also make sure the djembe is placed with the natural arm orientation. You can play quickly and more effectively. To get the correct hand position, build a triangle with your hands and put it on the head of a drum. This triangular shape is the key here to keep while you are playing. Here are the top five notes that you must know:
1. Bass
The bass is your first drumming tool. Maybe this is the easiest to play, but djembe playing is fundamental; it is the note most frequently used and forms the basis of any music.
Keep your hand flat with your fingers; hit the drum core with your right palm. Take it away immediately when your hand reaches your drum head. It allows for the escape of the vibration and proper execution of the technique.
2. Tone
The ton produces a higher note of pitches than the bass, if played with your fingertips and not with your hands. Touch the surface of the drum with slightly capped fingers to control this procedure–remember to hold it tightly together.
The drum should be struck by each finger in the same tone, with the central joint to the edge of the drum. Just like the bass, directly after impact you have to move your hand to intensify the tone of the note.
3. Slap
The slap is the last djembe drumming technique’ beginner,’ but is known as the toughest to practice. The slap is played with’ slapping’ motion, as you would like to imagine. However, you should be careful not to use excessive force.
Take your hand–like you try to take a fly on the djembe head–and put your hand on the drum sideways. Place all your fingers together and smack between the drum’s middle and rim somewhere.
This should be a simple, quick move, but one that takes a little practice to get perfect.
4. Ping
The ping is somewhat more complex but one which can make the music more profound. It’s like the phone, but it has an even higher tone. That sound is struck with the fingertips at the very edge of the drum.
Place your hand so that the first finger joint is on the border; it may just mean that your second and middle finger hits the drum. Just like the tone, strike the head of the drum to hit every finger at once. Pull your hand off after hitting the drum as with all these four notes.
5. Muffled tone
Silly tone is the fifth and final tone of drumming. The tone variation is played with one key difference exactly the same way. Keep your hand on the drum head instead of hitting the drum. It muffles the sound and produces its unique effect.
There you have it, and today you can learn 5 djembe drumming techniques. Once you nailed it individually, work to add it to a rhythm to create those magnificent parts for which djembe drums are popular.