Strike the centre of the skin for the deep bass, near the edge for the round tone, right on the edge for the sharp slap. Start a groove with a bass drum and a bell, switch off its djembe part, and play your own over it, the way djembe players learn in a circle.
Djembe playing rests on three strokes and on listening to the other drums. This page gives you both.
The bass is the open palm in the middle of the skin, a deep sound made by the air in the shell. The tone is the flat fingers near the edge, round and singing. The slap is the fingers snapping on the edge, sharp and high. Tap the zones of the drum, or press Z, X and C.
West African drumming moves between four-beat and twelve-eight feels, often at the same time. The four grooves here, written by GOONS, cover both, from a steady walk to a fast dance built on the seven-stroke bell pattern heard across the region.
In West Africa the djembe rarely plays alone. A bass drum, played with a stick and topped by an iron bell, lays down the foundation. The grid shows the three parts, so you see how the djembe fits between the bass drum and the bell.
Press My djembe part and the groove keeps going without its djembe: the bass drum and the bell wait for you. Play the part from the grid, or invent your own, then switch the djembe back on to compare.
Many djembes in Guinea and Mali carry thin metal plates with rings on the rim that buzz with every stroke. Switch on the rattles to hear that shimmering halo around the drum.
On a phone or tablet, tap the skin with two fingers. On a computer, Z X C plays bass, tone and slap with one hand and B N M with the other, so you can alternate hands as djembe players do.
Tap the centre of the skin, or press Z: the deepest sound of the drum is the bass.
Tap near the edge for the tone, right on the edge for the slap; on the keyboard, X and C.
Press Play the groove and follow the grid: djembe, bass drum and bell.
Press My djembe part, then play the djembe line yourself over the bass drum and the bell.
| Type | Djembe (West African goblet drum), playable on this page, free |
|---|---|
| Strokes | Bass (centre), tone (near the edge), slap (on the edge) |
| Grooves | Groove in 4, Call and answer (4/4); Bell circle, Dance (12/8); GOONS originals |
| Parts | Djembe, bass drum (open and muted strokes), iron bell; djembe part can be muted |
| Tempo | 60 to 180 BPM |
| Keyboard | Z X C or B N M (bass, tone, slap); mouse, touch and pen |
| Sound | Drum synthesis, optional rim rattles, room reverb |
| Requirements | Any modern browser with Web Audio - Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari |
The djembe is a goblet-shaped drum carved from a single piece of hardwood, with a goatskin head tightened by a network of ropes. It comes from the Mande peoples of West Africa, in today's Mali, Guinea and their neighbours, where it accompanies dances, celebrations and storytelling. Played with the bare hands, it reaches from a deep bass to a piercing slap, which is why it carries so well in a circle of drums and dancers.
A traditional ensemble combines one or more accompanying djembes, playing short repeated parts, with bass drums called dunun, often three of them, each with its own bell. On top, a lead djembe calls the changes and answers the dancers. The parts interlock, so the music only makes full sense when you hear them together, as the grid of each groove shows.
Play the melody on the balafon, the wooden xylophone of the same region, or the kalimba of southern Africa. For another hand drum, try the darbouka, and find them all on the world music studio map.
Yes. The djembe at the top of this page is free, with no account and nothing to install. It runs in your browser with the Web Audio API.
The three basic djembe strokes. Bass: the flat hand in the centre, deep and open. Tone: the flat fingers near the edge, round and clear. Slap: the fingers snapping on the edge, sharp and high.
No. The four grooves are originals written by GOONS in the style of West African drumming, with a djembe part, a bass drum and a bell. They are made for practising the three strokes and the feel of 4/4 and 12/8.
A seven-stroke pattern over twelve pulses, x . x . x x . x . x . x, heard in many musical traditions of West Africa. It is felt in four slow beats of three, and the other drums lock onto it.
Yes. Press My djembe part to mute the djembe in the groove, then play it yourself with your fingers or the keyboard while the bass drum and the bell keep time.
The djembe is free, with no account. GOONS Studio adds a looper, synths, drum machines and a sequencer that play together - free for 7 days, no card required.
Free on this page, no account. Play the online balafon →