Tag: Game Changers
The Endangered Three – Oldstyle Djembe
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Think of "Roots" djembe music like Roots Reggae, Classic Rock, or Oldies. It's old-style music from a few generations back. Djembe music is changing. Today, younger people usually play modernized djembe music ...
A Theme-Based Approach to Soloing
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The difference between a phrase-based and theme-based approach to djembe is profound. It may be one of the biggest reasons why many students will never sound like their African teachers - no matter how long or har...
Intro To Active Accompaniment
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"Active Accompaniment" describes a style of advanced dynamic accompaniment playing we hear in Roots Djembe music. It has to do with the presence and priorities of the accompanist. A player who plays Active...
Don’t Force Your Entire Repertoire
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One of the main things you can do to improve the quality of your solo is to decrease the quantity of different solo phrases. Forcing Your Repertoire Many people try to sound better by running through a larg...
Intro to Hand-Over-Hand
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Keep Your Hands Moving Hand-Over-Hand is a technique where you keep your hands moving while you play. Your hands move up and down constantly, alternating back and forth, sometimes even pitter-pattering on...
5 Ways HOH Technique Can Help You
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Adopting Hand Over Hand takes a bit of work, but for us it’s been WELL worth the effort. In the long run, it saves you time and energy, and helps you spot commonalities you might not have noticed before. ...
Solo Meditations
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A solo meditation is a practice exercise in which you focus on one single solo theme, represented by a root solo phrase. Meditations help to develop an intimate relationship with the rhythm. They are an ...
The Soloist’s Progression: Theme-Based Soloing
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The soloists progression is a basic formula for a good solo. It's not to be followed rigidly. In fact, the whole point is to increase fluidity and let your solo progress organically. The concept of the soloist...
How To Play More Fluidly
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Here's an idea: To play more fluidly, try thinking of your role in the music as that of a conduit - not a container. Then work on yourself to become the most conductive conduit you can be. In other word...
Slicing & Building
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Working with "slicing and building" is how we refer to one of the most ancient soloing techniques in djembe music. It's done by taking a basic phrase and extending or shortening it to build and release musical ten...