Simple Things Played Beautifully

I'm a big fan of simple things played beautifully. Over the years I've learned hundreds of solo phrases with many different djembefolas and I've noticed that certain techniques crop up again and again. I call these 'solo rudiments' and often teach them independently of the solo phrases themselves. Now then, this isn't the way I've been taught so it begs the question: Why teach in a different way to the way I have been taught by West Africans?

The answer is based partly on my own experience of learning solo, and partly on my observation of others. It boils down to the simple fact that it is extremely difficult to remember solo phrases. Often when non-west African djembe students solo they are repeating learned phrases, and that remembering is a lot of work for your poor old brain to do whilst playing! So why do we (non-indigenous djembe students) find it so hard to remember solo?

West Africans are exposed to djembe music from the womb. I believe that this is an absolutely crucial factor. It is often said that djembe is a language. Indeed the Maninka verb 'Ka Fo' means both 'to speak' and 'to play'. So a djembefola is djembe player or djembe speaker. Because they are exposed to djembe and dundun from the womb, even if they don't actually start to play djembe until 15 or 20 they already know the language.

Not so for the non-west African. While some might be lucky enough to be exposed to djembe early on, or, like me, have a background in classical music and play other instruments, we have to learn the language the hard way: as adults. Learning a foreign language when you are not immersed in it can be a painfully slow and baffling process. Unlike for the native speaker rules have to be learned explicitly and vocabulary by repetition.

When djembefolas teach solo phrases it is as if they are teaching sentences when many students do not understand the individual words. In my classes I teach the individual 'solo rudiments'. Because my students have already learned all of the commonly occurring solo techniques, rolls, and pulses, when they encounter a new solo phrase they understand the elements that comprise it. I try to give them the vocabulary, and some rules of how to use it.

Another big advantage of using these 'solo rudiments' is that they free you up to use them in an improvised way. Because they are very simple elements they are easy to remember and allow a much more playful approach to solo.

Here is a video of a lesson I do with all my groups. Even beginners are usually able to do this after a few minutes yet, with good technique, it can create very beautiful and authentic solo. This is important I think. Far from watering it down or creating non-African solo - I have actually heard top West African djembefolas play both of the phrases I demonstrate here:

So the take home message is this: Simple things played well are beautiful. If you have the vocabulary of a 7 year old don't try to write Ulysses...write The Gruffalo!