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Djembe playing levels

For many people it is difficult to "grade" themselves, or others, to see how far they have progressed and to judge if a workshop is too simple or too advanced for them. Sometimes when you have lessons, after a year you go to the "advanced" group, but this does not mean that your level of skill is "advanced". There are some web sites that try to define levels of skill. Here is my own definition, based on both what I've seen as required levels for various workshops, as well as what is on web sites. It is important to remember that these playing levels always include the djembe just as much as the doundouns. So if you have never played any doundouns, you cannot be advanced for example.

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1. Starters
You are a starter if you have never played a djembe before or just had a few lessons. If you still need instruction on how to play a tone or slap or bass, how to hold the djembe properly. If you don't knowwhat a call is, what it sounds like and what to do with it.

Workshops at this level are open to anyone, even people without any experience at all. Africans typically present workshops with "I play, you copy". Westerners often will give you more information and theory.

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2. Beginners
You are a beginner if you have played the djembe for some time, like 6 months of lessons or more, and already know some standard simple 4/4 rhythms, for example the Rumba or the Moribayassa. You probably cannot play a clear slap and tone yet but you have been told the difference and can hear the difference. You can make your hands do what you want, you can copy a rhythm that is played slowly for you. You can remember rhythms in some way (memory, words, notation). You can start and stop on time, and you can stay in time without slowing down or speedingup. You have never played the doundouns or maybe just once or twice.

Workshops at this level are a mix of theory and practice, explanations on posture, tone, slap, bass, and simple rhythms to illustrate these things and let you practice. You will learn the basic djembe parts to a single given rhythm. The teacher or his companion play the doundouns. Interesting breaks may be used to liven up the compositions. The teacher may play solo parts.

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3. Semi-advanced
Your tone and slap are becoming more clearly defined. You can easily copy a rhythm that someone else plays for you at just under normal speed. You can play some rhythms fast. You can keep up if the rhythm speeds up after an echauffement. You have learnt some more complicated djembe rhythms, including some simple 6/8 rhythms. You have already been playing the doundouns and know a few parts that you can play well. You have never played traditional djembe solo's yet, or maybejust a few phrases.

Workshops at this level usually concentrate on teaching you a single complete traditional rhythm, with all the doundoun parts, but without the traditional solo's that go with it. It gives you the chance to learn the doundoun or to learn more complicated djembe parts. Free-form solo playing may be allowed once the rhythm can be played by all. If there are more advanced players present, solo phrases in the form of question and answer may be presented by the teacher to copy.

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4. Advanced
Your tone and slap are easily distinquishable by ear to others. You know a decent amount of rhythms, including 6/8 rhythms, completely, that is all the djembe and doundoun parts. You can easily pick up new rhythms because you have enough experience to recognise patterns that are similar to patterns you already know. You have already mastered some solo patterns and are working on rolls and other advancedtechniques.

Workshops at this level usually teach you a single complete rhythm quickly, with all the djembe and doundoun parts, and then concentrate most of the time on teaching you introductions, breaks and solo phrases. These will be the traditional solo phrases that go with the traditional dance steps to the rhythm. Everyone will learn all the parts, so who plays what, will rotate during the class. Solo's will be played by the group as one. If there are beginners or semi-advanced players in the same class, they will play the accompanying djembe parts or the simple doundoun parts.

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5. Master class
A Master class may contain more cultural information and the song that goes with a rhythm in order to round off your knowledge of the tradition. Because to an African the "rhythm" is the complete piece of music, all the parts, the song, the folklore behind it, the dance steps, the knowledge of when the rhythm is played and where it comes from and so on. A griot, a keeper of the tradition, does not need to be a brilliant player, but he must know all theinformation and be able to teach players and dancers equally well.
The rhythms presented may be more difficult than those of an advanced workshop. For example, off-beat 6/8 rhythms. But the general format is the same - you will learn a complete rhythm with all djembe anddoundoun parts, all introductions, breaks and traditional solo phrases.

Workshops at this level are similar to advanced workshops, but the actual rhythm or the solo phrases may be more difficult or off-beat. More cultural information may be presented. Solo playing may be really solo, 1 player at a time.


 

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