ta..tata.tututa..tata.tutu AH! That pattern you keep hearing about - yes, definitely one of the most common djembe patterns (or "accompaniments", since the djembes are really accompanying the djuns and the dancers). It's called "passport" because it's so common, it can "get you into" many West African djembe rhythms. Mamady Keita refers to it as "populaire." You certainly get to play this a lot during our classes, and it's one that all djembe players need to be able to pla

The primary focus during our classes continues to be on the FUN of drumming, the joy of it all, and on how good it makes us feel. It has always been my conviction, however, that even more fun can be had when the Djembe sings as it was meant to, and when the melodic aspects of the West African Rhythms can be appreciated. This of course depends on us articulating the three distinct sounds of the Djembe - the base, tone and the slap. When compared to other percussion instrumen