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How to Play the Djembe

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
A guide on how to play the djembe, an African drum.

Steps

1. Make sure your djembe is clean and the skin is tightened correctly.
2. Place your drum either under your arm, keeping it in place with your inner elbow. Alternatively, if sitting down, place it between your legs and keep it in place with your knees.
3. Get a friend to keep a beat either on a conga, or simply on a table or hard surface.
4. Keep the beat slow to start with until you get used to how to play the djembe.
5. Cup one or both hands, depending on the position of your drum.
6. Play a rhythm keeping in time with the beat.
7. Repeat this rhythm over and over again until you are familiar with the rhythm.
8. Change rhythm and keep same beat.
9. There are three basic tones you can produce: The bass tone, by hitting near the center with your palm; the open tone, with your knuckles approximately over the rim, and the slap, with the heel of your palm in the center and your fingers slapping near the far rim. The slapping stroke is the hardest to get- practice making the slap as high-pitched as possible.
10. Each stroke can either be open (let your hand bounce freely off the drum) or closed (press your hand down so that it doesn't bounce of the drum). These will affect how much the drum resonates.
11. Strike the drum with different intensities to vary the volume. Accent some beats and deemphasize others.

Tips

• Play the Djembe with other African drums and instruments. It helps to keep the rhythm if you drum together with others.
• Keep your drumming consistent and try to keep to a certain beat.
• Keep your rhythms simple to start with and your beats slow.
• Play in a quiet place so you can hear yourself.
• It helps if you tap your foot lightly to the beat.

Warnings

• If you squeeze the drum too tightly it could crack.

Things You'll Need

• Conga/Hard Surface
• Quiet Room
• Djembe
• Friend

Sources and Citations

• Wikipedia article on the djembe, including a link to a recording with a sample rhythm.
• How to tune a djembe

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Play the Djembe. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.