Introduction to African percussion instruments
Africa has a variety of musical instruments. Because African music is used in rituals or as a medium for ancestral spirits, shamans pay attention to rhythmic percussion instruments when treating diseases. Mainly, percussion instruments focus on drums, and sometimes priests are also drummers. African drums have a god-like and lofty status among Africans. Detailed string instruments usually appear in entertainment activities such as vocal music and storytelling. It is not common for strings and drums to play in unison. This is a characteristic of the music of East, West, Central and South Africa.
The materials used for drums in Africa are very diverse. Common ones are hollowed logs, large gourds, clay containers, etc. Drums are the most popular musical instrument in Africa. The same type of drum appears in different regions, and different types of drums are also found in the same region. In addition to the common golden shell drum, there is also a magic single double-sided drum that looks like a sand timer, called the Talking Drum. Conical drum. Ashikoh drum, there are two types of drums: beating with palms and holding drums. The large one can be placed on the ground for performances, and can also be hung on the shoulders or placed under the armpits for squeezing. There are single-sided drums or double-sided drums, usually made of goatskin. Some drum heads are nailed, but most are fixed with nylon ropes for easy tuning.
Drums can best express African music full of rhythm and vitality. Shamans use drums to perform incantation rituals in order to obtain supernatural power. Therefore, drums, drummers, and witchcraft are full of taboos, such as the taboo that women are not allowed to play musical instruments, etc., which can be felt in the mysterious witchcraft rituals. Royal or witchcraft drummers need to pass many tests before they are qualified. Therefore, the training of drummers is very strict. Relative drums and drummers have a special place in Africa. ?
Drums in Africa are not only witchcraft, rituals, entertainment, but also an important means of life information. Speaking Drum Trainer can teach drummers to imitate any language. In the 17th century, Portugal captured black people as slaves everywhere in Africa. The talking drum was an important warning tool. It also relied on the drum to convey notifications to the savage beasts and villages.
To explore African culture, music is the best way, and drums are the most important window. Drums must be understood within a larger cultural context in order to appreciate the essence of African culture. West Africa The African countries in West Africa include Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Mauritania, Namibia, Ivory Coast, Ghana and more than ten countries. Music standards in West Africa are generally higher than those in East and South Africa.
The most important drum in West Africa is the Djembe drum. Djembe (Djembe) is pronounced in French, and the local Tu people call it Jem-bay. The reason why it is pronounced in French is that it corresponds to the sound of Djembe in West Africa at that time. It has something to do with France! Jinbei drum, which looks like a holy drum, is not only an asset of various West African tribes such as Senegal, Mali and Guinea, but also the only culturally important historical asset in Africa. The cultural circle of Jinbei drum can trace its roots back to 12 Century Mali dynasty, the territory of the dynasty at that time includes all the countries on the West African coast today! Manika (Mandinka) in southern Mali can be said to be the hometown of Jinbei drum. Due to the endless wars among various tribes, by the 13th century, the Jinbei drum spread throughout West Africa, including Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso, and the Jinbei drum was invincible. ?
Although different tribes or countries in Africa have their own characteristics in appearance or technique, the structure of the drum is similar. In Senegal Wolof, Marimanika (Mnanika), Bamana (Bamana or Bamako), is the leader in Jinbei drum, Jinbei drum base, integrally formed, harvested from the strongest logs in Africa (Lenke or Dugura The goats in Mali are the best animal skins for the Jinbei drum. This is because Mali has the most suitable climate for goats to grow and the pastures that goats love to eat. Of course, the goatskin drums in Mali can play the best. The sound of golden shell drums. ?
Therefore, the drums made by the Mali people are the most popular among Western drummers, and the Mali master who made this golden shell drum has become a hot and respected master.