Djembe

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A Djembe (also jembe, yembe, sanbanyi in Susu) is a kind of drum shaped like a large goblet and meant to be played with bare hands.

As a result of the goblet shape, striking the skin in the center produces a lower pitch sound than striking the skin near the rim. Striking the skin near the center produces a bass note; striking the skin near the rim can produce either a tone or slap note, depending on the technique used. The slap has a higher pitch than the tone.

The djembe first made an impact outside West Africa in the 1950s with the world tours of Les Ballets Africains led by Fodeba Keita of Guinea.

Some consider the djembe female and the ashiko to be male.

The djembe is very popular in drum circles in the US and Europe.

The photos in this BambooWeb article are not true djembes. The models depicted here are meant for sales to tourists. While the drum head on this tourist model of a djembe is roughly 5 to 6 inches in diametre, a true djembe has at least a 12 inch head.