African Drums
African Drum is going mainstream
Who would have thought that the fastest rising percussion instrument today would be the African drums? This traditional instrument was commonly used during African ceremonies and dances. There is a multitude of variations to this kind of drum, all of them having different sounds, shapes and sizes. These are usually handcrafted and may have African art and carvings on the body.
Among the African drums, the most popular to date would be the djembe. Commonly used in world music, the djembe comes from the membranophone family of musical instruments. This is because the instrument’s shell is covered by a drum head and tightened to achieve the desired pitch and tone. The bigger and wider the instrument is, the deeper the sounds it can produce. If a djembe has a longer shaft, the sound would have longer resonance and sustain. Hitting the head of the instrument using the palm of your hand in the middle would result to a very deep bass sound, while hitting the edges with grouped fingers would produce a high pitched snare-type sound. Skilled percussionists take advantage of the range and sensitivity that this instrument produces. It can create a full rhythm pattern consisting of both upbeats and downbeats.
These types of instruments are gaining popularity in mainstream music. A famous rock and roll band named Incubus has featured the djembe along with a couple other African drums in some of their popular compositions. It is usually used to compliment an existing drummer or may be able to stand alone on itself to produce an earth-ambient feel to the music.
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