African drum --- Djembe originated from West African tribes and belongs to the traditional musical instruments of indigenous peoples. It is usually hung around the neck and beaten while walking, not on the ground. The most special thing is that this instrument must be struck by hand, adjusting the pitch with one hand and striking the rhythm with the other.
The main feature of African drum performance is that its musical attributes can be widely used in special festivals. For example, Yagba Odienne is a necessary song for concerts, weddings, festivals and celebrations, while Yankadi is a warm welcome melody. Listen to African music with rich rhythm changes, and you will experience the mysterious and special national style!
Drum is a popular musical instrument in black Africa, and it is also called the soul of African traditional music.
The functions and uses of drums are varied in Africa. Besides being used for music, drums are sometimes used as symbols of ethnic groups, tribes or religions, or to convey various information, that is, the so-called "talking drums". African drums have their own national characteristics, and their materials, shapes and playing skills are unique.
Generally speaking, there are dozens of basic drum types and hundreds of drum variants in Africa. Drum, as big as a water tank or as small as a teacup. The shape of the drum body is gyro-shaped, cone-shaped, pillar-shaped and square, as well as various birds and animals, and even human. Some drums are painted with various geometric figures, and flowers, people and animals are carved, which highlights the characteristics of black culture. Drum skins are also varied. Besides cowhide and antelope skin, leopard skin, zebra skin, lizard skin, crocodile skin and even elephant ears are also used. Some devices are often added to African drums to obtain some special effects, such as putting some beads or dried plant seeds in the drum cavity, or putting metal pieces, shells and mottled beads on the edge of the drum. When the drummer hits the drum, it will make a tinkling sound. There are many ways to hold the drum. It is common to put the drum between your legs. Sometimes you put the drum under your arm, or hang it around your neck and carry it over your shoulders. There are also many methods of drumming. People beat the drums with their fists and palms, and even beat the drums with their heels, thus playing different sounds and effects. There are also drums and hammers. In the past, drums and hammers were made of ivory and human bones. There is also a kind of rubbing drum that uses a small stick to rub the drum skin sprayed with some powder and make sound. In Nigeria, there is a small drum played under the arm. With the pressure of the arm on the pimp of the drum, the pitch of the drum can change at any time.
drums can be played in solo, ensemble and ensemble. The rhythm of solo and ensemble drums is complex and changeable, with cadence and sonority. When a group beats a drum or a person beats more than one drum at the same time, the drum sound is magnificent, like a million Ma Benteng, majestic and exciting. In African life, dance is indispensable, and dance is inseparable from drums. In Swahili in East Africa, "drum" and "dance" are the same word. In Togo's song and dance activities, when to play music, when to dance, so that the pace and melody must obey the command of the drum. Female drummers in Mauritania beat drums while dancing. Sometimes they flick their heads with their fingers, like flowing clouds, and sometimes they pound them violently, like rivers rushing. While beating drums, they beat their arms and legs in turn with both hands and made various gestures, which was very touching. Another example is in Burundi, where 1 male dancers have drums on their heads, knocking and playing in a semicircle, and then the actors take off their drums and put them in front of them. Put another big drum in the circle, and the actors will take turns to play. Sometimes they jump in the air, sometimes they spin and dance, accompanied by singing, strong rhythm, intensive drums and warm carnival scenes, which are very wonderful. Drum is often used as a symbol of a country and a nation in Africa. For example, there is a drum in Uganda's national symbol, which shows an ancient tradition. Because before Uganda became a Republic, there were four kingdoms, and the royal family of each kingdom had a set of drums of different sizes, each with a different name and timbre. This drum can only be used on grand occasions such as weddings and funerals of the royal family, the accession of a new king, and the declaration of war. For people of different power levels, the number of drums is regulated. In the original kingdom of Buganda, there were 93 huge ceremonial drums, and chiefs at all levels decreased accordingly, and people or animals had to make sacrifices when changing drum skins. This kind of drum is revered as a sacred object.
African drums are also commonly used to convey information and language. Drummers can make different sounds by tapping different parts of the drum surface with different dynamics, and with different rhythms, they form various drums as a signal language to convey various information. In the quiet hours in the early morning and evening, drums can travel 15 kilometers away, and drummers repeat the drums one after another, so that they can accurately spread the word with amazing speed-a place 1 miles away can be reached in two hours. In the past, when slave traders captured blacks, Africans told people to flee quickly through drums, so that slave traders got nothing. Drum language is also often used to call on people to participate in public welfare work, resist enemy attacks, report fire, etc.
Africans often use encouragement to express things that are inconvenient to express in words. For example, Aken in Ghana, husbands are used to praising their wives with drum language at dances, and drum language can also be used to announce a person's birth, death and marriage.
In many parts of Africa, a rally to select drummers is held every once in a while. At the "Drum Match" held in Ghana, drummers were divided into two groups to beat drums. First, praise the chieftain's virtues and achievements with bright and warm drums, then narrate ancient myths and legends with slow and fresh drums, and then announce the interesting news of the clan with rapid drums. The complex and changeable rhythm of drums expresses people's different feelings, which sometimes makes people feel sad and angry, and sometimes makes people laugh. People hold their breath and are afraid to miss a drum. The climax of "Drum Match" is "Drum Fight". First, a group of drummers ask questions, and the other group must answer with drums and ask rhetorical questions, otherwise it will be lost. The audience gathered around the drummer to help make suggestions, join the war and cheer, and try their best to beat each other.
In short, the most prominent and important factor in African music is rhythm. Drum is the basis of African music rhythm and the most important instrument to express music language. The important position of drum in African people's life is incomparable to any other instrument.
Among all kinds of drums in Africa, the most commonly used one is a medium-sized drum called Damdam, which is usually placed between the legs and beaten by hand, and the performance is often very improvisational. In recent years, African drums have also entered the field of professional music creation. "Mother Nozbo", composed by Zimbabwean composer Domisani Malary in 199, is a new work with African drums and string quartets, which is performed by the world-famous Konos Quartet, and the effect is very good.