When shopping for a djembe drum please understand that these musical instruments are hand made and will at times show natural imperfections.

Here's a brief note on what not to worry about:

Most African djembe drums are hand carved in Indonesia or other parts in Asia from a single piece of wood (ex: mahogany). As such, many djembe drums are not going to be perfectly symmetrical or evenly built. It's just a natural part of the process. After all djembes are made with hand tools from skilled craftsman. In some cases the djembe drum will even be lopsided as it rests on the floor.

It's important to understand the fundamentals of playing the djembe when you're first beginning. In fact even if you've been playing for years, it never hurts to go back to reviewing the basics. Too many times players have jumped into playing their instrument without properly understanding correct body positioning and playing technique. And when it comes to playing hand drums this can surely lead to sore hands and painful joints.

Playing Positions

I would venture to say that the sitting position is probably the most common position when playing the djembe. For more on selecting the right size drum click here. Sit on the front edge of a chair and place the djembe drum between your legs gripping each side with your knees. Tilt the djembe away from you so that the base of the drum is open. This is important as the bottom hole must be exposed in order to obtain a proper sound when playing. Some players will choose to hold the base of the drum with their feet for overall instrument control. Please remember not to lift the drum completely off the floor. If the drum is lifted off the floor when striking the head, it could slip and the base could hit the floor causing damage to your djembe.



It's vital that you keep correct posture when playing. Remember to keep your back straight so as to keep from slouching. Correct posture will ensure a longer playing time without the aches and pains associated with improper playing technique.

Basic Playing Strokes

The bass stroke is played with a hand at the center of the drum. The right hand bass note is called 'GUN', and the left is called 'DUN'. Essentially your goal is to bounce your whole hand off the skin without too much slapping sound. When struck correctly the tone will resonate out from the bottom of your drum. Take note that you don't have to hit the skin very hard. Your entire hand should be inside the rim of the drum, and should have a degree of firmness to it - not so firm that your hand is rigid, however not to loose either. Practice a few times so you can figure out what works for you. Remember, only one hand should be on the skin at a time.

Next is what's called as "edge tones". Edge tones are played at the edge of the drum where your hands are lined up at the rim of the djembe closest towards your body. Move your hands towards you until your knuckles have just come off the drum. The remaining pads of your fingers should be held over the drumhead. Striking the drumhead at the edge with the pads of your fingers will produce a type of ringing tone. The right hand stroke is called 'GO', and the left hand stroke is called 'DO'. You can play these tones by making your finger pads hit the skin very evenly or by striking the skin on more of an angle.

Lastly, there are the "slap tones". The slap tones have characteristics of both the bass and edge tones. The slap tones produce more of a 'crack' and bright sound, however they also have a little bass resonance. The slap tones are played near the edge of the drum, with your knuckle line over the rim of the djembe falling onto the playing surface. Relax your hand so that there is a little pocket of space between the drumhead and your hand. From here your fingertips should almost reach the middle of the drum and your palms should fall over the rim of the djembe. Your hand should bounce off the drumhead so that the fingertip pads flick quite sharply on and off the surface with a slap. The pocket of space under the palm gives the tone a hollow sound, and the flicking action produces a sharp sounding tone. As with the bass tones the reach of the fingertips towards the center of the djembe provide the lower tones. The right hand stroke is called 'PA', and the left hand stroke is called 'TA'.

Learning to play the djembe takes time, dedication, and a personal commitment of continuing at it until you get it right. Just like learning to play any other instrument practice is the main ingredient and perseverance is at the heart of improving your skills. But above all else remember to have fun and enjoy the process. After all, you're making music - what a treat!

Use the djembe rhythm audio tracks below to practice your hand drumming skills before your next performance. All rhythm samples are free, courtesy of X8 Drums. Each track is performed by pro djembe player and instructor, Raphael Torn.

TRACK 1: Sounds from a Drum Circle.
Play along and find your own rhythm to add to this session or mimic one of the patterns in the circle. Either way, you'll have new grooves to play at your next performance.

The instruments included in this drum circle track are:
1. 13" Pro Djembe, Waring Ridge (foundation rhythm)	2. 10" Ruby Pro Djembe & 10" Matahari Pro Djembe (played together, one with left hand and one with right)
3. Cowbell / 4. Shakere	5. 13" Pro Djembe, Ruby (lead line)

TRACK 2: Sounds from drum circle without the Lead Line
After listening to Track 1, create your own lead line by playing along with the same groove, minus the recorded lead line.



TRACK 3: Djembe Solo
Join this track to create rhythm patterns to support a drum solo. The drum in this track is a Ruby Pro 13" Djembe.



More coming VERY soon! Bookmark this page.

We are currently in production of a series of djembe instructional videos that will be a favorite resource for all hand percussionists.

The series is set to include a rope tuning demonstration, how to replace a djembe head, djembe rhythm samples, djembe playing techniques and our special X8 drum circle (you'll have to wait for the scoop on that!).

Bookmark this page now. We'll be posting the full list of videos here the week of October 29th.

While you're waiting, let us know if there are any specific djembe videos you'd like to see as part of the djembe video instruction guide. The segment topics above are based on customer requests, so we're definitely listening!

Some entertainment while you wait...

Watch step by step instructions for tuning a djembe. We also provide rope tuning services and djembe head replacement customers nationwide. Click here for full details.

The drum is tightened by weaving triangles with the extra rope. The more triangles, the tighter the head becomes.

Step 1 - Uncoil the excess rope after the last triangle. You will be creating new triangles as you work around the drum.

Step 2 - From the last triangle, working in the same direction as previous row of triangles, look at the next 2 separate vertical ropes; verticals-1 & -2. Lay the loose rope over verticals-1 & -2.

Step 3 - Pass the loose end backwards only under vertical-2.

Step 4 - Lay the loose rope over vertical-1 and pass the loose rope back under verticals-1 & -2. If your drum wraps right to left, as in the photos, you should be looking at a Z pattern in the loose rope. If your drum wraps left to right, you should see an S pattern.

Step 5 - The object of this weave is to pull the vertical-1 under the vertical-2. Pull down hard on the rope. This will add a triangle to the ropes.

Repeat this procedure moving in one direction around the drum until the head is tightened. Then tie off your loose rope and secure it around your drum.