Tag: Solo
-
Is It My Turn to Solo Yet?
Originally published August 2004 by Jeremy Chevrier on his Djembe Essays Blog. My teacher always emphasizes the value of good accompaniment. Accompaniment is number one. If a djembe player cannot play really good accompaniment solo is not possible. All good soloists have exceptionally good sounding accompaniments. Theoretically one should be able to recognize a Master djembe […]
-
Root Solo Phrases
Root Phrases present a theme for variation, and set the foundation for the rest of your theme-based solo. That’s why in the soloist’s progression, playing a Root Phrase is the first step. Solo Rides (accompaniment style phrases played by the soloist) make good root phrases, but you can use any other basic solo phrase, too. Practicing Root Phrases When it comes to […]
-
Don’t Force Your Entire Repertoire
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 large repertoire of phrases when they solo. In just a few minutes, they play everything they’ve learned for the rhythm, and […]
-
A Theme-Based Approach to Soloing
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 hard they’ve been studying, or how hard they’ve been practicing. If we want to advance leaps and bounds in our djembe playing, […]
-
4 Tips To Round Out Your Djembe Solos
4 Tips For Better Djembe Solos
-
Quickly Improve Your Solo
Broadly speaking, there are two areas of djembe playing that we can always improve on, so that the music just keeps getting better and better all the time: Accompaniment Solo. We discuss accompaniment in another post. Right now, let’s talk about solo. There is a simple mental adjustment you can make to immediately improve your […]
-
Signature Phrases
A Signature Phrases is a phrase that’s associated with very few rhythms (or only one rhythm), so when you hear it played, it’s as if the rhythm is “saying it’s own name.” Many Dundun parts are signature phrases. As we all know, listening to the dundun, you can often identify a rhythm even if there […]
-
Learning Mode vs. Playing Mode
At times, we’re too heady while playing, affecting timing, flow, spontaneity, and the general feeling of the music. What Happens? Deep thought and analysis help us gain a better understanding of djembe music. (When we’re not playing it.) Thinking takes time, so it can become a problem when playing music. Thinking while I play doesn’t help me play any better […]
-
Quickly Improve Your Accompaniment
Broadly speaking, there are two areas of djembe playing that we can always improve on so that the music just keeps getting better and better all the time: Accompaniment Solo. We discuss solo in this other post. Right now, let’s talk about accompaniment. There is a simple mental adjustment you can make to immediately improve your accompaniment, […]
-
How To Anchor Yourself To The Beat
Once you understand where the beat is, then you can move on to apply proper swing to your playing. Did you know there are a couple of musical elements you can easily look to when you want to find and anchor yourself to the beat? Doing this will make it possible to play with swing later. […]
-
The Soloist’s Progression: Theme-Based Soloing
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 soloists progression should be understood, and then used as a guide. Don’t underestimate it’s power. Using the soloists progression will, in […]
-
Solo Rides
Solo Rides are solo phrases that are like accompaniment patterns. In modern ensembles, they sometimes become “accompaniment #2,” “accompaniment #3,” or “accompaniment #4,” but they were originally played by the soloist. There’s history with these phrases. As a soloist, you can relax when you play one, because it’s trusted and familiar, so you don’t have to try too hard; […]
-
Solo Meditations
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. Here’s a great example of one possible Solo Meditation for Madan. They are an incredibly helpful exercise that’s actually very fun to do. Its especially fun if […]
-
Slicing & Building
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 tension. This is usually done by either doubling the length of the phrase, or slicing it in half. In theme-based soloing, slicing & building is one of the […]