All About Jembe: Everything You Need to Know to Start Playing Now!
Everything You Need to Know to Start Playing Now!
By Kalani
Item: 00-PB-0002201
$17.95
Pickup currently not available
Description
In-depth coverage of popular percussion instruments, including history, tuning, maintenance, techniques, exercises, ensembles, and more, from a world-renowned educator and performer, Kalani. Each book comes with online media featuring additional content, including demonstrations of all rhythms and techniques and tuning instructions.
All About Jembe: Everything You Need to Know to Start Playing Now! isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.
Request This Title
Tell us you want it.
Start Your Free Trial
Explore everything that's ready to play right now.
Sample Audio
No sample audio found.
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series:
Alfred's World Percussion Series
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
28
SKU:
00-PB-0002201
More about this title
About the Composer: Kalani
Kalani stands among the most prolific percussion educators working today. His output spans instructional videos covering congas, bongos, djembe, and hand percussion; published method books through Alfred Music Publishing; and the founding of Drumlesson.com, a learning platform that earned recognition from the New York Times and CNN. He directs Drum Camp, a residential summer program dedicated to diverse drumming traditions, and serves as a primary clinician for Toca percussion instruments.
His influence extends across academia and the professional percussion community. Kalani has presented clinics and workshops at universities including USC, UCLA, UMKC, and LSU, as well as at major festivals like the International Percussion Festival in Belgium and multiple Percussive Arts Society conventions. DRUM! Magazine has repeatedly honored his work in world percussion, clinician excellence, and drum circle facilitation. He currently chairs the Percussive Arts Society's Recreational Drumming Committee and serves as percussion education coordinator for Peripole-Bergerault educational instruments.
Why we love this
Kalani distills decades of hands-on teaching and performance into a format that meets students exactly where they are. The combination of written instruction, online video demonstrations of every technique and tuning procedure, and progressive exercises makes this the rare method book that actually functions as a complete learning system rather than a reference gathering dust on a shelf.
What to expect
The djembe invites you into a tradition of rhythm that feels both ancient and immediate. Under your hands, the drum becomes conversational: high tones snap with clarity, bass notes resonate with warmth, and the full range of the instrument opens up through focused practice.
Who it's for
Students of any age picking up djembe for the first time, as well as experienced percussionists looking to formalize their world percussion knowledge. Band and orchestra directors integrating world percussion into their programs will find this resource invaluable for guiding student learners through proper technique and instrument care.
How to get the most out of it
- Watch the online tuning demonstrations before your first practice session; proper drum preparation eliminates half the frustration beginners encounter and immediately improves tone quality.
- Start with the foundational techniques shown in the video content rather than jumping to the ensemble sections; muscle memory for grip and stroke develops faster when built on solid fundamentals.
- Return to the maintenance section regularly; djembe care directly impacts how the instrument responds under your hands and the durability of the drum itself.
How to use it
Assign this book to students who have chosen djembe as an elective or as part of a world percussion exploration unit. The 28-page format makes it manageable to work through over a semester alongside ensemble rehearsals, and the video content supports independent learning outside of class time.
Skills your students will build
- djembe grip techniques (standard, open hand, and variations)
- tone production and muting on a single-headed drum
- tuning and basic drum maintenance
- foundational West African djembe rhythms and patterns
- reading rhythm notation specific to world percussion
- ensemble playing within a percussion section