Another djembe player has joined your community

[Mazer]

Hello everyone,
my name's Indrek, I'm 18 y/o and I'm from Estonia. I thought being able to play a rhythmic instrument aside from guitar would be a good idea and I thought djembe would be a good one. I loaned one from my friend with the head's diameter of about 18,5 cm (approx. 7 inches) just to try. If I'm going to stick with it, I'm going to buy one for myself. I had a question, can I get all the possible sounds (tone, slap, bass) out of such small djembe? My goal is to be able to play a complex rhythm after hearing one for a few times, just being able to come up with nice rhythms and last play different styles. What do you think is a good way to start learning and playing?
Thanks!

[freefeet]

I'd go for 12-13 inch, and if you're considering this a long term investment then buy a good hardwood djembe. If you just want to dabble and have fun around campfires and that kind of thing then save some money and buy a softwood one.

http://www.baragnouma.com/ are a good company to deal with and make great drums that are very reasonably priced.

Welcome to Funland!

[Waraba]

I think having a quality instrument is self-reinforcing. If you go the cheapie route, you won't be so drawn to play on it. 7" is too small to get the right sounds. Get something nice, at 13", hardwood, from a reputable seller, and enjoy what you pay for.

[Mazer]

But can you direct me technique wise?

[bubudi]

hi indrek

can I get all the possible sounds (tone, slap, bass) out of such small djembe?

no.

you can get a good range of sounds from such a small djembe, but it won't be the real djembe sound.

But can you direct me technique wise?

the technique on a real djembe is different from an 8" drum that has a djembe shape (that is what you have).

therefore, learning djembe technique will not help you make nice sounds on your 8" drum, and since your drum is not a djembe, you cannot use it to develop djembe technique. sorry, but what you are asking is equivalent to saying: i have a violin, but i want to play it to see if i like it enough to get a cello. they have similarities, yet they are completely different.

What do you think is a good way to start learning and playing?

the best way is to find an african drumming class. they will have real djembes for you to play and you will have a chance to learn a few rhythms and start to develop your technique, as well as playing with lots of others, so you will see if you enjoy it or not!

if you don't find any classes in estonia (i'd be surprised if that was the case), then buy a good dvd to start you off, and buy a couple of cds with djembe music to hear what the instrument is supposed to sound like. but again, you need a proper djembe. and maybe find a friend who wants to learn too!

but the class is much, much better. even if the nearest class is a few hours away from where you live, i would suggest you do it, at least once. the djembe is a powerful instrument. you may be surprised how it can affect your life.