Djembe
History of the Djembe
What’s In A Name, Djembe or Jembe?
Djembe is the French spelling of a Maninka (pronounced Mande-nka) word.
During the French colonization of western Africa,
many native words were recorded using the French spellings. Today many Africans
argue that use of the “Djembe” spelling is a sore reminder of that colonial
domination of their heritage. Today, Africans, and supporters of indigenous
peoples, have been developing phonetic spellings for various African dialects.
In the culturally sensitive phonetic spelling the French “D” is dropped. If you
are a purist, or an African Music devote, you will likely demand the Jembe
spelling. However, as you will read below, the non-African spelling may be more
appropriate when talking about a drum who’s popularity is exploding on an
international, inter-cultural, scale. Interestingly, the term Djembe was not
popularly used in France.
There, the African Drum is known as the Tom-Tom. They erroneously, believed
that the Tom-Tom was beaten with the hands to send messages through the jungle
(shades of Edgar Rice Burroughs). Actually, the drum used to transmit messages
is constructed of a hollowed tree trunk, and beaten with mallets.
Roots of the Jembe
The north western reach of Africa bulges out into the Atlantic
Ocean. In the north is Morocco. On the southern portion of
this bulge is the country of Ivory
Coast. To the west of Ivory Coast is Guinea,
to the north the land locked country of Mali. Threading trough Mali and Guinea
is the Niger River. On the banks of the Niger at the border between Guinea and Mali you will find Mande, the home
land of the Maninka people. This is the birth place of the Jembe. Reportedly
the word ‘jem’ refers to the tree used to make the Jembe, while “be” refers to
goat, the hides of which were used for the drum head.
Jembe Emerges on the International Scene
In 1958 Guinea
took the lead in declaring its independence from French Colonial rule. From
October 2nd, 1958 until 1984 Guinea
was a dictatorship led by President Sékou Tourés. His government was a patron
of traditional music. The most famous government sponsored ensembles of the day
were Les Ballets Africains and the Ballet Djoliba. Les Ballets Africains became
the national ballet of Guinea
and was well accepted on its world-wide tour. His authoritarian rule has ended
but the world-wide interest in the African Djembe may be his lasting legacy.
Unfortunately, though perhaps unavoidably, the ensemble created the
disassociation of the Jembe from the culture that created it. By necessity the
ensemble’s world tour tried to present a variety of songs, rhythms and
instruments from a large area populated by a staggering number of cultural
groups. In doing so, the world received the Djembe and not the Jembe. The
traditional rhythms and dances that were unique to Jembe playing in villages,
were replaced by performers playing a collection of instruments. Instruments
that would never have been played together in a village were now presented to
the world as Africa music. In villages dancing-in-the-round
was the norm. However for shows this would not do. Dancers were removed to
lines that did not block the view of the instruments and in many cases the
dance was removed completely; something that would not have occurred in the
villages. While the world embraced the physical appearance and the sound of
this Maninka drum, the heritage it symbolized was lost.
If you want to play the Djembe, there are an unending supply of books and
instructional recordings. Joining your local drumming circle will provide you
with support, guidance and a social awareness of the drum. However if you want
to learn about the Jembe, You will have to search out one of the African jembe
masters who has relocated out of Africa.
Search on line for “Jembe” or “Mande.”
Djembe
The main advantage that our African style drums, which are made in Pakistan, over those from Africa
is the rosewood. It almost never cracks and is very tolerant of severe weather
conditions. Our experience with drums from Africa
has been that they have a very high rate of weather cracks within a year or
two.
DJMB Djembe, 14"x24"
Engraved rosewood with floral carvings, the hair has been removed from the
playing surface of the goatskin head and is tunable by rings and cords.
DJMM Djembe, 12"x22"
Engraved rosewood with floral carvings, the natural hair has been removed from
the playing surface of the goatskin head. The head is tunable by rings and
cords.
DJMS Djembe, 10" x 20"
Engraved rosewood with floral carvings, the natural hair has been removed from
the playing surface of the goatskin head. The head is tunable by rings and
cords.
DJB2 Djembe, 12"x22", Rosewood, Bolt Tuned
Engraved rosewood with floral carvings, the head is tunable by bolts. Please
specify head type; goatskin or synthetic.
DJM3 Djembe, 13" x 24" Mango Wood
Carved from Mango wood, the goatskin head is tunable with rings and cords.
DJSM Djembe, Shell & Rings, 12"x22"
Rosewood shell with rings; head not included.
DJSL Djembe, Shell & Rings, 14"x24"
Rosewood shell with rings; head not included.
NC12 Djembe, Nylon Case, 12"x20"
Quilted nylon case with zipper closure and carrying handle, for storage and
transport.
DJC2 Djembe, Nylon Carrying Case, 13"x24"
Quilted nylon case with zipper closure and carrying handle, for storage and
transport.
DJC4 Djembe, Nylon Carrying Case, 17"x25"
Quilted nylon case with zipper closure and carrying handle, for storage and
transport.
How to Play Djembe and Care of Djembe
To play the Djembe sit on the edge of a chair. Cross your ankles and tuck
them slightly under you. Hold the Djembe between your knees or thighs so that
the bottom of the drum rests behind your heels. Djembe players will find a wide
range of sounds can be produced from this instrument.
There are commercial head conditioners on the market. However the best
treatment for a skin head is use. The more a drum is played the better for the
head. The natural oils from your skin will help to keep the head in condition.
If you find the sound going a little dull you can re-tune the head using the
cords.
Never use harsh chemicals to clean you drum or the head. When not playing
your drum do not leave it in a car or vehicle. Keep your drum, like all
instruments, away from sources of cold or hot air. Since the head and the body
of this drum are natural materials, they will be affected by changes in heat
and humidity; therefore try to avoid rapid changes in environmental conditions.
If the head is loosened due to humidity, one can tighten the head with a
damp cloth placed on the head for about 15 minutes. Then let the head dry
naturally. It is important to make sure water does not get into the glue joint.
If the drum is a tabla, water must not get on the gaab (center black dot).
Also, applying heat from a hair dryer will tighten the head.
A skin with hair on it still has the natural oils which produce more subtle
and lower bass tones. Also, the hair (and therefore, natural oils) promotes
strength. A skin without hair produces a crisper sound with higher pitches.
These are all rope tuned
(unless you have a tunable model which uses a tuning wrench) and the heads are
tightened by tightening the rope.
