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DJEMBE

It is thought that originated in the year 900 BC in the tribe of the Maninka, which means people of Mande, although some people that origin dates back to 1300 BC. Mande would be, at present, roughly in Mali, Mali is not in vain deformation of the word Mande and Malinke (the latter synonymous with Maninka). From here the djembé migrated to other areas such as Senegal, Nigeria, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. It is thought that was created by the Numu, artisans of wood carvers, who were considered the guardians of certain powers. They were responsible for sculpting the body of djembes and touch them. 

The djembé is known in such places as the drum for his great healing power, was used in sacred rites, births, weddings and funerals, accompanied by other instruments such as the dundun, balafon or shekere. have different rhythms, very rich and varied, as we can name a few: MANDIANY, was played in farm work. DOUNUMBA, is played at weddings. WOLOSODON, it is played in baptisms and in the circumcision ceremony. The rhythms of the original djembé han ido changing over time, adapting to modern times and joining with other types of music. The way in which rhythms such as Sunu or DOUNDUMBA have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries, has been through the complex system of syllabic and vocal African languages. Teachers sang rhythms to their students and these pilots.

The djembé is played to accompany and sustain the ceremonies, all kinds of ceremonies such as baptisms, weddings, dances, masks, death .... Each ceremony has a rhythm or a set of rhythms (polirritmia) that correspond to that music played to warn the population of what is happening. Traditionally the djembé was always coupled with the singing and dancing. The polirritmias currently used with the following structure: 


Any group form a circle 
The djembistas (players of djembé) and dunums (players of dunums) guests play a rate basis. 
Women and their young daughters sing and beat palms. 
People at the ceremony that concerns fall within the circle and make the steps of the dance. 
During the dance (with or improvised steps established, according to the ceremony) djembista soloist, or more rarely dunums the soloist, had to improvise musical phrases (or use phrases that correspond to this dance) on the rate base touched by others instrumentalists, following always with an eye to the dancer or dancer, so that his improvisation is a perfect support to the steps of the dance. 

The orchestration of each polirritmia consists of two sections: the djembés (two or three instruments) and of dunams (two or three instruments as well). Usually it is built of sifuiente form: 

First section: djembés (3 instruments, although sometimes to give a good basis to the section of djembé, each rate can be doubled or tripled by djembistas) 

The first djembé plays a rate base. 

The second djembé touches another pace and combination with the first one gives a peculiarity to polirritmia (at the level of djembés) 

The third djembé is the soloist. When not improvise maintains and strengthens one of the djembés companions. 


Second section: dunams (3 instruments) 

The Kinkeny given time with a simple rhythm. 

The sangbang overlaps the accompanying base with the first djembé also a phrase bell. It is also each dunum both soloist. 

The dunumba touches more serious notes, also a phrase bell. The mixture of the three dunams gives its particularity to polirritmia (at the level of dunams). 

The characteristics of each polirritmia then depend on three factors: the specific nature of the djembé section of the particular section of dunums and overlap of the two sections.