THE KENKENI

The Kenkeni is the smallest drum in the Dunun orchestra, and therefore has the highest pitch. This drum usually is played without variation on a solid beat, but not necessarily a down-beat.

THE SANGBAN

The “heart” of the rhythm is in the Sangban. If you only have one Dunun, you should be playing the Sangban part. Sometimes the Sangban makes variations.

THE DJEMBE

Perhaps the best-known West African instrument is the Djembe.  No longer foreign to Europe, America, Japan, and much of the world, the Djembe has been adopted as a collector's item, or as an aerobic means of relieving stress.  Although we do not officially condone such action, we would like to support the reality that the Djembe is culturally attached to the culture from whence it came.  It is a Mandingue instrument, used by the Malinké people and surrounding ethnicities as a general expression of joy.

The Djembe is played in conjunction with the other instruments presented, as well as clapping, singing, and shaker instruments such as the Djabara.  Although there are many songs that are played at any time, there are specific songs that coincide specifically with the cultural events of the people.  This is similar to the fact that Christmas caroling only occurs at a certain time of the year in American society.  These songs will most often involve dancing.

 

THE DUNUNBA

The Dununba gives the power of bass to the the ensemble. Be careful not to assume that this dominant drum always has the downbeat! And listen for the variations.

The Djembe has a couple of roles in the ensemble.  Usually there are two or three accompany parts that are traditional in sound (bass, tone, and slap) as well as traditionally handed, (i.e.. the rhythm is always played with right and left hits in the proper place).  The Djembe is also the solo instrument.  This solo Djembe is tuned higher than the other accompanying drums and brings another pitch dimension to the collective sound.

The Djembe solo is partially improvised music.  This is where a Djembefola (Djembe player) can have some fun with mixing time signatures, rolls, variations, and special sounds into the song.  There are, however some traditional licks or techniques that go with specific rhythms.  These traditional techniques may coincide with a traditional dance move.  For more information about the Djembe, Dununs, or drumming, visit our related links or sift through the thousands of entries on the web. 

...an African drumming

    experience in New Hampshire

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The Instruments

The family of 3 bass drums are called Dununs. They are cylindrical and both ends are covered with cowhide.  The "dununfola" (dunun player) beats the drum with a wooden stick that is held in the right hand while playing an iron bell that is attached to the drum with the left hand. Not all regions use the bells, and technique varies geographically. Each Dunun has 2 tones, (open and closed), creating combinations of 6 drum sounds in the Dunun orchestra.