Djembe technique - making good sounds

[bubudi]

pads first. but try not to be analytical about it.

[dununbabe]

When you perform a slap, the hands pads just below the fingers strike the rim and the finger tips strike the head, correct? Should they strike at exactly the same time, or should the pads of the hand hit the rim just before the finger tips hit the head to aid in the whipping motion?

Working on my slaps,
Ryan

hows it coming? regarding the blue line across your hand; try bringing that line down towards the palm just a little more... just about where the crease would be.

[Adam]

but try not to be analytical about it.

I am always trying to pay attention to my technique and get it correct. Its been 8-9 months now since i started djembe, and lately I have observed that I make better sounds when I am not thinking about making them correctly, when they come naturally.

[Rhythm House Drums]

I've read this thread before, but I just jumped on the last page with a thought, so forgive me if it's been mentioned...

I'm noticing that the more I play, the less I have to hit the drum hard to get a good sound. I see lot of players (beginners and not so beginners) hitting way too hard, especially for slaps. Almost as if treating tones as ghost notes (or even regular notes) and slaps as being all accents. I'm finding a sweet spot so to speak with the amount of force I'm hitting the drum. I used to as well go for a harder slap to make sure it was heard. Now I find myself using more proper technique for the slaps which feels much more relaxed and natural, and perhaps even play them lighter than my tones now. No doubt I've got miles to go before I get the consistency and sound that I love when I hear pros play... but I guess my point is, you don't have to play it hard to get good distinction between tones and slaps... a common mistake I see.

[e2c]

@ RHD: Yes! It's not about force, it's about hand position (mostly, imo). It just takes time to get there. Force might make you [plural "you"] feel like you're getting it right, but it really is (imo) kind of irrelevant. The actual dead weight of your hand and arm can make a powerful and clean stroke all on their own, but you have to be pretty relaxed for that to happen effectively.

you guys can take what I say with a grain of salt; after all, I learned both tone and slap techniques from playing frame drums and darbuka.

[michi]

I'm noticing that the more I play, the less I have to hit the drum hard to get a good sound. I see lot of players (beginners and not so beginners) hitting way too hard, especially for slaps. Almost as if treating tones as ghost notes (or even regular notes) and slaps as being all accents.

Yes, I see this too. I think that's because, initially, most people find it harder to get a slap than a tone. (It was that way for me, especially when I still played a small djembe with a thick skin that was tuned low--quite difficult to get a decent slap out that, even with good technique.)

So, initially, the focus is on the slap and, because that's where the focus is, people tend to hit harder.

I'm finding a sweet spot so to speak with the amount of force I'm hitting the drum. I used to as well go for a harder slap to make sure it was heard. Now I find myself using more proper technique for the slaps which feels much more relaxed and natural, and perhaps even play them lighter than my tones now.

Same here. I found that, as time went by, slaps happened more or less by themselves and that it was harder to get a nice dark and fat tone than it was to get a crisp slap. I also agree that, the longer people play, the more relaxed they get and the less effort they spend for the same volume level.

The problem is that telling people "to relax" is not that useful (other than in an abstract sense) because true relaxation comes only with mastery. It is because my technique has improved that I can afford to relax, not the other way round. (Mere relaxation doesn't create good technique--it only enables it.)

but I guess my point is, you don't have to play it hard to get good distinction between tones and slaps... a common mistake I see.

Absolutely. Just listen to the masters. They make perfect tones and slaps at any volume level

Cheers,

Michi.

[Adam]

For me its natural to make a slap, its the tone that I have to try, and the left hand is awful sometimes, it falls between a slap and a tone.

I think it comes from what I played before djembe. here is a video of what instrument I played before.

[michi]

Interesting. What's that instrument? I have to profess to my ignorance here...

Michi.

[Adam]

Its called a Dholak, Here is the description from wikipedia edited to be accurate to hand drumming only, as it is also played with sticks but the size is bigger in that cases.

The Dholak (sometimes dholaki) is a North Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese double-headed hand-drum. It may have traditional lacing or turnbuckle tensioning: in the former case rings are used for tuning, though the dholak is mainly a folk instrument, lacking the exact tuning of the tabla or the pakhawaj. It is widely used in various styles of North Indian folk music. It was formerly much used in classical dance.

The drum is either played on the player's lap or, while standing, slung from the shoulder or waist. The shell is usually made from sheesham or shisham wood (Dalbergia sissoo). The process of hollowing out the drum (its resultant shape and the surface of the drum's interior, whether left rough-hewn by a drum carver or carefully smoothed) determines the tone quality of a dholak.

The dholak's right-hand head is a simple membrane, while the left-hand head is of a greater diameter and has a special coating, a mixture of tar, clay and sand (dholak masala) which lowers the pitch.

Indian children sing and dance to the beat of the dholak during pre-wedding festivities in many Indian communities. It is often used in Indian film music, in chutney music, and tan singing, the local Indian music of the Caribbean. It was brought by indentured immigrants to Suriname, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. In the Fiji Islands the dholak is widely used for bhajans and kirtans.

Dholak masters are often also adept at singing or chanting and may often provide a primary entertainment or lead drumming for a dance troupe. Perhaps the most characteristic rhythm played on the "dhol" is a quick double-dotted figure that may be counted in rhythmic solfege as "ONE -tah and -tah TWO -tah and -tah THREE-E (rest on 'and') -TAH, FOUR AND" or simply a long string of double-dotted notes, over which the bass side is used for improvisation.

[michi]

Ah, thanks for that. Come to think of it, I have seen and heard this drum before, but only with the traditional hide tuning system. A few months ago, I listen to an Indian drummer playing it. There was some pretty amazing stuff he did with that drum!

Cheers,

Michi.

[Adam]

Yeah, Its capable of a lot, I didn't study it, just learnt it by listening and playing along. Since I am playing djembe I am going into the theory side and realize that there were cases where we would swing between tenary and binary in the same song following the singer.

I think I can listen and learn better than I can study and learn music