Whats the difference between playing djembe vs. other hand drums?
I like the djembe for a number of reasons. Perhaps foremost is that it can be played as part of the body (I strap it from my waist), so that the movement, the life of the music can be felt. Especially if there are dancers–and the history of the djembe is all about a vital connection with dance. I also love the sounds of this drum: the range of notes even if just the basic three (bass, rim, slap). The bass can give a deep resonance similar to the electric bass: the all-important body frequency. Then there’s the double-handed motion: giving equal access to both hands and both sides of the brain as well as body. This balance feeds the creativity of both left and right brains and also helps in the synthesis and integration of the two: resulting in a psychic as well as physical balance, and also in a state we call trance. To go a little further on the subject of choosing the djembe in the context of other instruments… The djembe in my experience has a curious resistance to stock western
