About Konkoni

Konkoni’s Mission:

Konkoni.org has just one mission:

1. To help you play better djembe and dundun – To skip all the glitter and hype around djembe music, and give you what’s been missing for so long: A high-quality, straight-forward djembe learning resourcefull of helpful information for your improvement.

As students of old-style djembe and dundun music, we know there’s an overwhelming amount of misinformation and low-integrity djembe material on youtube and the web.

So we created a quality site based on our personal years of studying and living in Africa. We’ve created this site especially for students like us: Students who are moved by a more rootsy, less modernized style of djembe music.

Who’s Behind Konkoni.org?

Konkoni was started by Aaron David. Aaron loves to help promote old-style djembe music by sharing all the fruits of his adventures with other dedicated students.

Aaron’s Story In Short:

Aaron has been playing and studying drums since he was a child.

Today, he teaches djembe and dundun music to students worldwide, from the U.S. to Japan.

When Aaron first began studying this music, he was drawn to the Malinke sounds of upper Guinea, popularized by such masters as Famoudou Konate.

During that time period, he preferred playing dundun and focused his studies mostly on rhythms from the Hamana region.

Later, Aaron discovered the playing styles of Mali, and the village of Tambacounda (in eastern Senegal). Inspired by his teacher Abdoulaye Diakite, he decided to move to Africa to further his studies of rhythms, culture, and language.

Today Aaron lives part-time in Africa and part-time in the US. He focuses his studies mostly on djembe music from the Bambara-speaking areas of the Mande, and also on Khassonka dundun music from the Kayes region of Mali.

Some Of Aaron’s Experiences:

In his years spent living and studying in West Africa, Aaron has

• played music regularly alongside his masters at traditional ceremonies,
• learned to speak the Bambara language,
• caught malaria 5 times,
• met and married his wife Saly, a Bambara woman from Tambacounda,
• had his drumming aired on Mali’s national TV station (ORTM),
• he has journeyed deep into the bush to live with his teachers and do a profound, intensive study with these old master musicians. For some of Aaron’s teachers, it was the first time they had agreed to take on a foreign apprentice.

How Aaron Likes to Help Other Students:

Aaron’s adventures have given him experiences that allow him to bridge gaps in communication and understanding between Western students and African teachers.

He is gifted at spotting patterns and drawing connections in the music that are rarely discussed. Aaron can help others do the same by explaining these game-changing insights clearly with words.

His time in Africa and understanding of the Bambara language have allowed him to dig deep, ask questions that rarely get asked, and witness countless mind-opening events. He loves to share the findings of his research and clarify things for his fellow students.

Key Features Of Konkoni.org Include: