Djansa / Intermediate-Beg
🎉 Welcome to the Djansa Course
Awaken Your Rhythm • Deepen Your Connection • Express
🌍 Course Overview
This course is designed for intermediate beginners — students who’ve built a strong rhythmic foundation and are ready to step into one of West Africa’s most joyful and energetic rhythms: Djansa.
You’ll explore rhythm as both a musical art form and a wellness practice — cultivating clarity, expression, timing, and group awareness while deepening your presence and joy through drumming.
📚 What to Expect
The course is divided into three chapters, each one building toward greater rhythm fluency, ensemble confidence, and personal expression.
🥁 Chapter 1: Rudiments, Djembe Accompaniments & the Basic Break — Building the Groove
We begin by strengthening your hands, ears, and body awareness through focused rudiments. These daily tone and slap exercises build sound clarity, control, and rhythmic precision.
From there, you’ll learn the 3 djembe accompaniments that form the rhythmic backbone of Djansa. Each part teaches how to support the groove with balance and feel — essential for ensemble cohesion.
You’ll also learn the basic break — a 4-beat cue phrase used to:
Start and end rhythms
Signal dancer transitions
Cue ensemble shifts or accents in class and performance
Wellness Focus: Grounding, breath-aligned timing, rhythmic awareness
🔊 Chapter 2: Accompaniment Solo & Phrase-Based Solo — Finding Your Voice
This chapter invites you into rhythmic self-expression within structured form.
You’ll learn:
6 accompaniment solos — short, 2-beat variations based on Accompaniment #1
5 solo phrases — longer, 8-beat statements that add texture, articulation, and intention
These solo forms help you evolve from repetition to storytelling — from holding rhythm to shaping it.
Wellness Focus: Confidence, creativity, emotional clarity through rhythm
🤝 Chapter 3: Unison Break & Dun Dun Accompaniments — Moving as One
Now we turn to ensemble coordination and the deeper pulse of the rhythm.
You’ll learn the unison break (ensemble break) — a bold, shared phrase used to:
Launch the rhythm (intro)
Conclude it (outro)
Cue dynamic shifts mid-flow (audible form)
You’ll also study 3 dun dun accompaniments:
Traditional style — laid on their sides, played with stick and bell
Wellness Focus: Synchronization, group timing, energy awareness
💡 What You’ll Gain
✔️ Refined tone and slap technique through daily rudiments
✔️ 3 strong djembe accompaniments for ensemble play
✔️ 6 accompaniment solos rooted in groove
✔️ 5 expressive phrase solos for energy and contrast
✔️ 3 Traditional dun dun accompaniments
✔️ Breaks to lead, transition, and perform confidently
✔️ A rhythm practice that builds awareness, clarity, and presence
🌟 Modern Djansa: A Rhythm Loved Across West Africa
Djansa is widely played today in West African celebrations, dance classes, festivals, and drum ensembles. It’s:
Uplifting
Groove-driven
Highly adaptable
In modern settings, Djansa is typically played on djembe and dun duns, often accompanied by shekeres, dancers, and improvisational solos. The rhythm we teach here is just one movement of a much larger suite — perfect for learning and growing from.
🎓 Honoring the Roots: Djeli Dundun & the Original Ensemble
Djansa originates from Kita, Mali, and in its traditional form, it was not played on djembe.
It was performed using the Djeli Dundun (or Kasonké Dundun), a soloistic, expressive drum.
About the Djeli Dundun:
Constructed from metal drums (often 30gal oil cans)
Skinned with treated goat hide
Played slung over one shoulder
One hand uses a curved stick, while the other holds a conical bell
A metal ring on the thumb strikes the bell in sync with the rhythm
This is a talkative, lead instrument, traditionally played in groups alongside other percussion — and without djembe. The Djansa taught here is adapted from that tradition, presented in a form that honors the root while allowing for modern expression.
Wellness Focus: Cultural awareness, lineage respect, embodied listening
✨ Djansa: A Rhythm You Can Live
Djansa is more than a pattern — it’s a pulse you can follow, a language you can speak, and a path you can walk through rhythm, joy, and connection.
Whether you’re here to perform, reflect, grow, or heal — Djansa offers something powerful and timeless.
Let it settle in your hands.
Let it anchor your breath.
Let it move your life.
Welcome to Djansa.
Let’s begin.
-
-
Break and Djembe Accompaniments 1-3
Call and Connection
In djembe music, the call (or break) and the accompaniments offer more than musical form — they invite presence and connection.
The call is a short, focused phrase used to start or stop rhythms and unify the group. It cultivates awareness, grounding us in breath and intention.
Accompaniments provide steady, meditative grooves that soothe the nervous system and build deep listening. Together, they create rhythm as a path to healing, unity, and joy.
Call and Connection
In djembe music, the call (or break) and the accompaniments offer more than musical form — they invite presence and connection.
The call is a short, focused phrase used to start or stop rhythms and unify the group. It cultivates awareness, grounding us in breath and intention.
Accompaniments provide steady, meditative grooves that soothe the nervous system and build deep listening. Together, they create rhythm as a path to healing, unity, and joy.
-
Rudiments
Texture, Clarity & Flow
In this section, we focus on refining tone and slap technique to bring texture, variation, and expression into your playing. These daily rudiments are a rhythm ritual — training your ears, hands, and awareness. By exploring tone–slap contrast, your drumming gains nuance and flow. With focus and feel, rhythm shifts from repetition to expression — from something you play to something you live.
Texture, Clarity & Flow
In this section, we focus on refining tone and slap technique to bring texture, variation, and expression into your playing. These daily rudiments are a rhythm ritual — training your ears, hands, and awareness. By exploring tone–slap contrast, your drumming gains nuance and flow. With focus and feel, rhythm shifts from repetition to expression — from something you play to something you live.
-
-
-
Accompaniment Solo
Rooted Expression
The accompaniment solo is a natural next step into expression on the djembe. It grows from repetition — from feeling the groove in your hands and body. As the rhythm settles, new phrasing and accents begin to emerge.
In this chapter, we’ll explore solo variations based on Accompaniment #1. These patterns build vocabulary, control, and awareness — helping you move freely within the groove while staying rooted in rhythm.
Rooted Expression
The accompaniment solo is a natural next step into expression on the djembe. It grows from repetition — from feeling the groove in your hands and body. As the rhythm settles, new phrasing and accents begin to emerge.
In this chapter, we’ll explore solo variations based on Accompaniment #1. These patterns build vocabulary, control, and awareness — helping you move freely within the groove while staying rooted in rhythm.
-
Phrase Based Solo
Precision, Energy, intentional Expression
Phrase-based soloing brings clarity, contrast, and focus to your drumming. These rhythmic statements sharpen timing and control while helping you express with purpose. As your groove awareness deepens, phrase solos give voice to your rhythm — intentional, bold, and clear. This practice builds coordination, confidence, and presence, allowing you to play with energy and awareness.Precision, Energy, intentional Expression
Phrase-based soloing brings clarity, contrast, and focus to your drumming. These rhythmic statements sharpen timing and control while helping you express with purpose. As your groove awareness deepens, phrase solos give voice to your rhythm — intentional, bold, and clear. This practice builds coordination, confidence, and presence, allowing you to play with energy and awareness.
-
-
-
Dun Duns
The Heartbeat
Dundunba, Sangban, and Kenkeni form the foundation of West African djembe music. While the djembe shines with solos, it’s the dunduns that ground the groove. In this lesson we will cover three traditional style rhythms.Dunduns are the roots of the music — steady, deep, and essential. They teach you to listen, feel, and speak rhythm with clarity, purpose, and presence.
The Heartbeat
Dundunba, Sangban, and Kenkeni form the foundation of West African djembe music. While the djembe shines with solos, it’s the dunduns that ground the groove. In this lesson we will cover three traditional style rhythms.Dunduns are the roots of the music — steady, deep, and essential. They teach you to listen, feel, and speak rhythm with clarity, purpose, and presence.
-
Unison Break
Collective Rhythm, Shared Intention
Unison breaks are moments of deep ensemble connection — where every rhythm aligns and the group breathes as one. These transitions bring energy, clarity, and unity. Used at the beginning, middle, or end of a piece, they mark shifts in the rhythm’s flow. Beyond technique, unison breaks foster trust, timing, and shared presence. They’re not just transitions — they’re reminders of the power in moving together with intention.Collective Rhythm, Shared Intention
Unison breaks are moments of deep ensemble connection — where every rhythm aligns and the group breathes as one. These transitions bring energy, clarity, and unity. Used at the beginning, middle, or end of a piece, they mark shifts in the rhythm’s flow. Beyond technique, unison breaks foster trust, timing, and shared presence. They’re not just transitions — they’re reminders of the power in moving together with intention.
-