Playing the Djembe Drum

How to Play a Djembe Drum

There are two start positions for playing the Djembe, standing and sitting. We find the best way to begin to play the Djembe is in the sitting position. This is the most common method with Drum Circles as well. You can also play the Djembe in a standing position with the use of a strap.

To play, sit on the edge of a chair with ankles crossed, the top of the drum fitting neatly between the knees as the base of the drum rests behind the heels. This way the drum is angled away from the body. Sitting up straight with hands resting on the drum's playing surface, wrists should become flat and this allows the position to create the standard djembe sounds. Djembes produce three basic sounds: bass, tone, and slap.

BASS: With the hand flat and fingers together, place the hand at the dimension of two fists above the centre of the playing surface. Allow the hand to strike and bounce back to the original position above the centre.

TONE: This is the high-pitched sound produced by striking the top surface nearest the edge with firmly placed fingers.

SLAP: Strike the playing surface's edge first with the heel of your hand, and then allow your fingers to naturally bounce down towards the drum's centre.