The djembe is a percussion instrument it is a wonderful hand drum that has a long rich history. Traditionally it has been used for ceremony dance festivals bringing community together to create the joys of life. All percussion drums from around the world have unique hand techniques and tones. The djembe primarily incorporates three strokes or tones to create the majority of the African rhythms and sounds.

Sit on the edge of a chair with ankles crossed, the top of the drum fitting neatly between the knees as the base of the drum rests behind the heels. This way the drum is angled away from the player. Sitting up straight with hands resting on the drum's playing surface, the wrists should become flat. This is the position to create the standard djembe sounds. Djembes produce three basic sounds: bass, tone, and slap.

BASS
The bass tone is the deep sound that drives djembe percussion music. With the hand flat and fingers together, place the hand just above the center of the playing surface. Allow the hand to strike and bounce back to the original position above the center.

TONE
This is the high-pitched sound produced by striking the top surface nearest the edge with firmly placed fingers. It has a popping sound and brings djembe music alive with variety.

SLAP
Strike the playing surface's edge first with the heel of the hand, and then allow the fingers to naturally bounce down towards the drum's center.