Decorated African vase drum or Djembé

Decorated African vase drum or Djembé

The djembe is a vase drum that mainly comes from West Africa: Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Ivory Coast, et cetera.

Because djembes can produce a sound that can be heard miles away, this drum was traditionally used to communicate quickly with other villages.

The traditional djembe is made by hand. A tree trunk is hollowed out and stretched with a goatskin. This skin is attached to the djembé via a rope stretch.

The tree from which the traditional djembes are made is the Leky.

The djembe can be played sitting or standing. When the player is sitting, he/she holds the djembe between the legs; the bottom is on the floor. The djembe is then tilted slightly forward and held with the knees. This opens the bottom of the drum allowing the sound to escape. If the djembe is played standing up, the djembe hangs from a cord that rests over the player's shoulder. Sometimes the djembe is also played while mounted on a special stand.

The player can achieve different timbres by using both hands and playing with both the fingers and the flat hand.

• Height: 17.5 cm
• Top diameter: 13 cm
• Bottom diameter: 10.5 cm