Musical Instruments Percussion � Djembe Drum

When people converse about Musical Instruments Percussion they often bring up the african drums, as they are so striking (pardon the pun) and make a fabulous sound. The entire african culture goes along with them too, and it's more than just a musical instrument, but is vital to their society. The djembe drum is one such percussion drum, with it's roots in west africa, and distinctive sounds familiar to many of us. I won't go into the history of the djembe drum, but you can find other articles which would give you more information about the history of the djembe drum.



The djembe drum is shaped in a kettle or hour glass shaped base, with goat skin (typically) stretched out over the top of the hollowed out shell to form the area for playing. Instead of using a stick or a mallet the djembe drum is played with both hands.



The djembe drum has become popular recently, with djembe classes beginning in most cities. Evening classes learning djembe are common, as an alternative to guitar or art classes!



Drum circles are a social drum group with various african drums playing all together, with most drummers playing the same beat together, and some more experienced drummers taking turns to take the lead. There's an excitement and harmony amongst the drummers when you feel together with each other in your beats. Drummers from all levels can play in a drum circle. You may have seen a drum circle in a park, under a tree, or perhaps in an urban setting. In Vancouver we used to see drum circles hanging out in a city park with hacky sack players nearby, coffee always available, and a general laid back feel. (there could have been some other substances helping to provide the laid back feel, but that would be optional!)



The djembe drum is a cool percussion instrument. A good place to buy them is the Djembe Drum Shop, http://www.djembedrumshop.com ,where you can pick up a drum for all levels of drummer.



Once you have a djembe drum it's a good idea to get some lessons. If you feel outgoing you could look into your local community centre, college or high school for an evening class in Djembe Drumming, or african drums. If that doesn't suit you for whatever reason then I would advise getting an online course.



Whatever you decide to do, have fun playing the djembe drum.





Chris Barton is a musician and business man in Scotland. He loves most music and plays the keyboard, djembe, guitar and sings too. He runs a number of music websites including Musical Instruments Percussion and Djembe Drums which is a great place to buy a good djembe for all levels of player.

You can find additional info at the following links:

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