When I got interested in drumming and
planned to take up few drum lessons at Swansea, Neath, I
wanted to learn about djembe first. This djembe is a goatskin-covered
percussion instrument shaped like a large goblet made to be played with bare hands.
The djembe first appeared, at least, in history, in the 13th century in the
West African empire of Mali. During this time, griots, a West African hybrid of
historians and musicians, used the instruments to produce accompanying music
for their tales, which were usually about the
warrior-founder of the Mali Empire Sundiata (c. 1217 to 1255). Mali's
inhabitants, the Malinke and the Susu, used the drum during the celebration of
sacred and secular events. I also wanted to learn dundun, also called the
talking drum. It is an hourglass-shaped drum with a strap, traditionally slung
over one shoulder while tucked underneath the other and played with a curved
beater. The talking drum is named because of the player's ability to alter its
pitch to mimic language tonality or "talk." The Yoruba people, who
mainly live in present-day Nigeria, invented the dundun. In ancient times, the
talking drum was used for a variety of purposes, from being a musical
instrument during celebrations to a sort of telegram for relaying messages
during times of war or to announce the arrival of a visitor.
I know you must be getting surprised on
my choice of drums but believe me that these ancient drums have a charm of
their own. I have also heard of something called Bata, which is a set of three
drums of different sizes played with either a stick or hands. They are
characterized by having two heads, with one bigger than the other. Another drum
of Yoruba origin, the bata drum is considered the sacred drum of the deity Ana
or Oshun, known as the goddess of love. Bata drums play an important role in
Cuba, where African slaves introduced them. They are used in religious events
as well as in Cuba's genres of music. Similarly there is bougarabouwith origins
in Senegal and Gambia. It is played as a single drum. It is of a tapering
cylindrical shape with one head and traditionally played as a single drum. The
player occasionally wears jangling bracelets to give the performance a richer
percussive sound.
Drumming in itself is such a wonderful
feeling and when you learn to play these ancient drums, this feeling becomes
truly overwhelming!
