The bass tone is a deep resonate tone that can shake the ground, traditionally in a full size djembe the fingers are held together the hand flat with a powerful down stroke and a comfortable release . When you get into the rhythm you can let your hand like a bouncing ball, fall and bounce, and fall and bounce. An altered version is to squeeze the knuckles cupping the hand and only allowing the edge of the hand to strike the drum this works particularly well in a situation where you have a smaller head. They are both proper techniques, please find the one that sound best and feels best to you.
