For those of you who are new to the world of
West African percussion, here's a little intro. A traditional West African Djembe ensemble comprises
Djembes and Dununs. one of which is here. Dununs, that's a collective word for three cylindrical
bass drums. The dununba which is the biggest one; 'Ba' means big in 'Malinke'. The Sangban which is
the heart of any ensemble, the medium-sized drum. And the Kenkeni. Mamady Keita calls the Kenkeni
the 'motor', the driving force of most rhythms. And you'll know why when you experience the
kind of parts that are played on the Kenkeni. The Sangban is the 'heart' of every ensemble.
As you learn more and more West African rhythms, it's the Sangban that differentiates one rhythm
from the other. And the Dununba, Mamady calls the 'Sauce' because sauce makes things tasty, and
that's just what the dununba does. This video series consists of my interpretation of the Dunun
melodies on the kit. The Djembe demonstration in the ensemble videos will give you an idea
of what the rhythm traditionally sounds like….
