Got to have some drums!

This post on West African Instruments, particularly from the region I’m is strictly for the drum line! I posted previously on the Djembe that everyone is so familiar with, but you got to have some bass. Ever wondered where the bass drum comes from?  Well sit back and check this out and oh yeah, the last drum on this post is called the, “African Telephone”. No, I’m not talking about the drum they call the, “talking drum”. Hold on you’ll see.

Let’s get to shaking……

Djun-djun  (translation – low drum) is the generic name for a family of bass drums that developed in West Africa. Along with the Djembe, the Djun-.Djun (pronounced Joon- Joon although I know some people that call it Doon-Doon) originated in the ninth century Mali Empire among the Mandinka people. Primarily of the region that includes Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Gambia, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, which all have significant Mandé populations. The Djun-Djun is actually a set of three drums

This is just an aside; if you’re keeping up with current events you must have noticed what is going on in Mali. And if you’re keeping up with my post you should’ve noticed that most of these instruments have there beginnings in Mali. What a horrible thing that people that are not from Mali or Africa for that matter are destroying Malian History, forbidding the playing of music and trying to destroy a beautiful culture. Shame on them! Musicians themselves have joined in the fighting to preserve their art, their culture, their history even more so than their lives. OK, I’m off the soapbox. Let’s go on, phew, makes you want to holler!

Each Djun-Djun is made out of the base of a tree then covered on both sides with cow skin (or sometimes goat skin) that is held on with rope or steel rings. This family of double-headed, cylindrical, rope-tension drums consists of the Dundoumba (literally “big Djun-Djun”), which has the lowest tone and is the largest in the series. Next is the mid-tone, medium-sized Sangban and lastly, the high-toned Kenkeni, which is also the smallest. 

Djun-Djuns provide the rhythmic base for the Djembe. There are wide variations on how the Djun-Djun is played throughout West Africa. For example, in Mali they sometimes play with just one Djun-Djun and a bell (Kenken) that is held in the hand. In some regions of Guinea the Djun-Djun is played with no bells, or only two Djun-Djun are played.

There are two primary playing styles for Djun-Djuns. The traditional style has each player using a single drum resting on its side, either on the floor or on a stand. Each player strikes the head with a stick held in one hand and a bell mounted on top with the other. For the other style, known as ballet style as it is used in the National Ballets throughout West Africa, one or more players has command of their own set of three Djun-Djuns standing on the floor. Playing like this allows a more complex arrangement for the dance. A Djun-Djun player is called a Djundjunfola or "one who gives voice to the Djun-Djun." The Djun-Djun, precursor to the bass drum another African Original!

Lastly we have the Kirin is sometimes called the “African telephone” as its distinctive sound can be heard over great distances, and is used to communicate between villages. The Kirin is also said to be a means of communicating with Susu ancestors.

 The Kirin is a slit-log drum, which originated in Basse-Guinée by the Susu tribe and is literally a hollowed-out log. Two slits are cut along the top of the log, and the different thicknesses of these strips create different tones when struck by a pair of wooden sticks. 

While some Kirin are simple in design, others are elaborately carved. They also come in a variety of sizes, from 10” in length upwards - Large kirin can be carved out of entire tree trunks. The larger the log, the louder the sound it creates.


Have a blessed weekend and by GOD's will I'll be back on Monday so we can continue on the journey. Peace and Love!