guitarfreak12
New member
I've been playing Djembe/Ashikos for years now and have never had any training on playing, I think I'm alright, but not really good, are there any playing tips and or instructons online for playing? Thanx
Rimshot
New member
Djembes and ashikos are very different drums and they are tuned and played quite differently. An ashiko is a drum only specific to Nigeria and it is not that common there. It was popularized in the states by Babatunde Olatunji and the ashiko that he played was a sort of "bastard" version that was a hybrid between an ashiko and a conga drum (the conga drums were what Baba played in jazz combos when he first came to NY as a political science student at NYU). The ashiko has continued in limited popularity because of Arthur Hull (a disciple of Baba's) and his use of it in his drum circle gatherings. Ashiko is a very mellow sounding drum that is meant to take the mid range and occassionally play the solo.
The djembe is another animal entirely. It is enormously popular and is common to many of the cultures in West Africa. Originally created in about the 9th century it's popularity spread to make it one of the most widely used instruments in West Africa next to the "talking drum". A "djembefola" is a master player of great repute and the training involved in playing this instrument correctly is similar to the training needed to be a tabla master or a master congero. The way in which this instrument is tuned and played is very different. It must be tuned TIGHT. So tight that the slaps are piercing and almost deafening when listened to up close.There is a paradox with the djembe, because when you pull it tight, your bass actually gets fuller and rounder while the slaps get high and piercing.
It takes many years to play the djembe well and even once you've mastered the technique, there are over 300 different rhythm patterns that every djembe player is supposed to memorize. The diffrence between how a master djembe player plays the instrument and the garden variety "deadhead" drum circle types is the same difference between how Andre Segovia played the acoustic guitar as opposed to Richie Havens.
The one place that I can reccommend that you can go to get some instructional tapes and dvd's is:
www.africanrhythmtraders.com
and look for the instructional tapes by Mamady Keita. Mamady Keita is the reigning grand master of grand master djembefolas. He lives in Brussels, but he does travel to America to give workshops every year.
Baring that, check out DjembeL which lists all of the different djembe instructors worldwide. If you live near a major city, you can probably get lucky and find a West African djembe master that teaches. A lot of them live here now.
Good luck.
The djembe is another animal entirely. It is enormously popular and is common to many of the cultures in West Africa. Originally created in about the 9th century it's popularity spread to make it one of the most widely used instruments in West Africa next to the "talking drum". A "djembefola" is a master player of great repute and the training involved in playing this instrument correctly is similar to the training needed to be a tabla master or a master congero. The way in which this instrument is tuned and played is very different. It must be tuned TIGHT. So tight that the slaps are piercing and almost deafening when listened to up close.There is a paradox with the djembe, because when you pull it tight, your bass actually gets fuller and rounder while the slaps get high and piercing.
It takes many years to play the djembe well and even once you've mastered the technique, there are over 300 different rhythm patterns that every djembe player is supposed to memorize. The diffrence between how a master djembe player plays the instrument and the garden variety "deadhead" drum circle types is the same difference between how Andre Segovia played the acoustic guitar as opposed to Richie Havens.
The one place that I can reccommend that you can go to get some instructional tapes and dvd's is:
www.africanrhythmtraders.com
and look for the instructional tapes by Mamady Keita. Mamady Keita is the reigning grand master of grand master djembefolas. He lives in Brussels, but he does travel to America to give workshops every year.
Baring that, check out DjembeL which lists all of the different djembe instructors worldwide. If you live near a major city, you can probably get lucky and find a West African djembe master that teaches. A lot of them live here now.
Good luck.
guitarfreak12
New member
dude you are the guru. Thanks for the history. I didn't know that African rythm traders sold tapes. I deal with them all the time, I buy my supplies to make ashikos. Which brings me to my next question. I have made about four successfully, but my info on the best supplies is limited to what I've found on the net. I get my lacing from A.R.T., but I got my skins from a guy online named Yendor. He's cheap, and he told me that deer is best for ashikos. Now I asuume and hope he knows what he is talking about so is he right? Because I'm not happy with the "thin" sound I get. I also have a horrible time keeping them tight, about a month after I tighten them, it lossens up.
I would like to have thicker skins cause my dad has a Burasuka (spelling) and the skin is thick and sounds awsome. So basically I need advice on skins. Thanx for your time man
I would like to have thicker skins cause my dad has a Burasuka (spelling) and the skin is thick and sounds awsome. So basically I need advice on skins. Thanx for your time man