- Thu Jan 21, 2010 10:52 pm
#10142
Although I have to say that I think a lot of people overdo the showmanship aspect when they're soloing. (For my taste, anyway. But I guess I'm more oriented to the ensemble/backup aspect of things... and I'm certainly far from being able to pull off a credible djembe solo onstage.)
I do feel that anyone who's onstage has a responsibility toward the audience, no matter what kind of music they're playing.
You got it, in the 1st graph especially.bops wrote:What it boils down to is, when we play jembe, we're not just playing for ourselves. We're playing for others. The idea is to make people happy, in the simplest of terms. Whether it's dancers, the audience, your band-mates, or other people in your drum circle, playing jembe is about connecting with people.
A good jembefola strikes up a rapport with their audience. It's all part of the game. Over the years, I've found that an audience's perception of a jembe player's ability level is highly dependent on visual cues. Not just outside of Africa, but also in Africa. People want you to engage them while you play. Make eye contact, smile, whatever, but don't just roll your eyes back in your head and purse your lips. People are going to get bored pretty quickly.
Although I have to say that I think a lot of people overdo the showmanship aspect when they're soloing. (For my taste, anyway. But I guess I'm more oriented to the ensemble/backup aspect of things... and I'm certainly far from being able to pull off a credible djembe solo onstage.)
I do feel that anyone who's onstage has a responsibility toward the audience, no matter what kind of music they're playing.
Exactly!If it detracts from the performance, don't do it!