Wood djembe drum, "Good Energy"

Religious energy flourishes with subtle elegance on this djembe drum by Ernestina Oppong. Gye nyame, a symbol meaning "I am afraid of none but God," rotates like a sleek scythe, while the Nyame biribi wo sor design suggests that good things come from above. Djembes originated in the country of Benin, but the instrument has since been incorporated into the music of neighboring lands.

Oppong combines a passion for carving with music, resulting in traditional instruments with contemporary flair. Tweneboa, a kind of hardwood, provides the body for the drum; its golden tone highlighting the engaging designs. Oppong applies shoe and mansion polish to enhance the wood's smooth, radiant appearance. Iron rod rings are attached to the mouth of the drum and wrapped with cotton to prevent rusting. Through these rings nylon ropes are double-woven, securely fastening the goatskin to the wood.

To play, sit on the edge of a chair with ankles crossed, the top of the drum fitting neatly between the knees as the base of the drum rests behind the heels. This way the drum is angled away from the player. Sitting up straight with hands resting on the drum's playing surface, the wrists should become flat and this is the position to create the standard djembe sounds. Djembes produce three basic sounds: bass, tone, and slap.

BASS: With the hand flat and fingers together, place the hand at the dimension of two fists above the center of the playing surface. Allow the hand to strike and bounce back to the original position above the center.

TONE: This is the high-pitched sound produced by striking the top surface nearest the edge with firmly placed fingers.

SLAP: Strike the playing surface's edge first with the heel of the hand, and then allow the fingers to naturally bounce down towards the drum's center.