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05/12/15 |
        
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What is a Djembe and how is it pronounced? Djembe which is (pronounced JEM-bay) The djembe is a West African hand drum that is played on most celebrations of one's life (weddings, baptisms, harvests circumcisions, parties, and welcoming. In earlier times and still in some rural areas djembe were used to send messages over long distances.
The djembe is a member of the membranophone family of musical instruments. A djembe looks like a Goblet with a wide top and a narrow bottom, the narrow bottom of the djembe gets wider as it you go down the shell depending on what part of Africa the djembe comes from.
The Djembe shell is usually made out of native African hardwoods like dimba, bois rouge, acajou, iroko, hare, lenge and dugura. The shell is cut out of one solid piece of wood with the help of different types of hand tools. Apart from the physical effort, the various steps involved require a lot of skills and practice. An experienced worker that has been carving djembe drums for many years is able to give the drum the optimal shape, thickness and finishing. Properly made drums are not smooth on the interior and have a series of teardrop shaped divots inside; this enhances the tonal qualities.
To enhance its looks, talented carvers beautify the drum with hand-carved designs. Although every carver has his own style, the traditional West African Adinkra symbols are a favorite design on Ghanaian drums, which are engraved or deep-carved in the body of the drum.
The shell is covered with a skin and rings are used to mount it to the shell. The rings are wrapped in cotton cloth. Traditionally, red cloth was used for Ghanaian Djembe, as red is the color of mourning and the drums are usually played during funeral ceremonies. The skin is usually goat skin that is shaved thin. More rarely the skin can be antelope, zebra, deer, camel or calf. In all cases the female is preferred – And the adult cow is never used. Sometimes although uncommon it is possible for a djembe to be skinned with cow hide. However, this kind of hide is considered less desirable because the skin is usually heavier and produces a dull sound that is not ideal for a djembe.
Master drum builders use rope to mount the skin to the rings. The rope is knotted around the crown ring and the base ring, creating continuous loops or single loops with a space between the knots, depending on the drummer's preference. The verticals are then loosely woven around the drum's head, joining the two rings. The top rim of the drum is prepared for the skin. It is carefully rounded towards the middle and sanded. This makes playing the drum more comfortable and prevents the skin from being torn because of sharp edges and splinters in the wood. Most drum shells from Africa are treated with palm oil to seal the wood against moisture, preventing shrinkage and cracks. This treatment evaporates very slowly and needs to be replenished from time to time to ensure that the wood does not dry out and allow moisture to enter. It is the repeated cycle of moisture entry and drying that causes wood to crack, which is the worst thing that can happen to a drum.
Spiritual connections – “explained from Wikipedia” The djembe is said to contain three spirits: the spirit of the tree, the spirit of the animal of which the drum head is made, and the spirit of the instrument maker. It is legend that the djembe and/or the tree from which it is created was a gift from a Djinn or malevolent demigod, male counterpart to the more familiar Genie. Properly crafted djembe drums are carved in one single piece from hollowed out trees called Dimba, or Devil Wood. Drums made from slats or segments of wood glued together are considered by traditionalists to have no soul of the tree.
Technique and how it is played will be explained at a later date.
This site was last updated 05/12/15 |
