In African drumming, the title of master drummer (alternatively called the lead drummer or mother drummer) is given to a drummer who is well known by other masters for their high skill and knowledge. It is a title passed down from a master to their pupil, after they have learned all there is to know about the African drum. In general, a master drummer has given their whole life to the

djembe A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...

and

dunun Dunun (; plural dunun) (also spelled dundun or doundoun) is the generic name for a family of West African drums that have developed alongside the ''djembe'' in the Mande drum ensemble. A dunun is a rope-tuned cylindrical drum with a rawhid ...

. They are able to play any part of any rhythm for their

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

and neighbouring ethnic groups, in any ceremonial situation. They also know the

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

s and

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

s that go with each rhythm. A drummer can play for twenty years before he or she is given the status of 'Master'. Another type of master drummer is a person who leads other drummers in playing drum rhythms, e.g. in the French Caribbean styles, the master drummer may be called "kamande" in French Creole. The master drummer can also lead the other drummers through a well known dance.

List of master drummers

Some well-known master drummers include: *

Bolokada Conde Moussa "Bolokada" Conde is a master drummer from Kissidougou, Guinea, an expert of Malinke or Mandinka rhythms, and one of the world's foremost djembefolas. He joined the Les Percussions de Guinée to replace Noumoudy Keïta as their lead dr ...

* Soungalo Coulibaly * Mare Sanogo *

Babatunde Olatunji Michael Babatunde Olatunji (April 7, 1927 – April 6, 2003) was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist, and recording artist. Early life Olatunji was born in the village of Ajido, near Badagry, Lagos State, in southwestern Nig ...

Abdoulaye Diakité Abdoulaye Diakité (December 15, 1950 – January 8, 2018) was an influential djembe master drummer and teacher from Tambacounda, Senegal. He was the lead djembe player of the National Ballet of Senegal for 18 years before emigrating to the Uni ...

* Yamadu Bani Dunbia * Guem *

Mamady Keïta Mamady Keïta (August 1950 – 21 June 2021) was a drummer from the West African nation of Guinea. He specialized in the ''djembe''. He was also the founder of the ''Tam Tam Mandingue'' school of drumming. He was a member of the Mandinka people ...

* Mustapha Tettey Addy *

Famoudou Konaté Famoudou Konaté is a Malinké master drummer from Guinea. Famoudou Konaté is a virtuoso of the djembe drum and its orchestra. One of only a handful of initiated masters of the Malinké drumming tradition, Famoudou is universally respected as ...

Drissa Kone Drissa Kone (born 1960) is a djembe master drummer from Mali. Early life Drissa Kone was born in 1960 in a village named Kourouba, around south of the capital, Bamako. At an early age, and against the will of his parents, he began drumming in ...

Okyerema Asante Okyerema Asante is a master drummer. Born in Ghana, he is famous for performing all parts of a traditional five-person drum group by himself. He attaches percussion instruments to various parts of his body and simultaneously plays drums, a balaf ...

Doudou N'Diaye Rose Doudou Ndiaye Rose (born Mamadou Ndiaye; 28 July 1930 – 19 August 2015) was a Senegalese drummer, composer and band leader, and was the recognized modern master of Senegal's traditional drum, the sabar. He was the father of a musical dynasty ...

* Sikiru Adepoju * Amadou Kienou

Disambiguation

The term "master drummer" may also refer to an African live composer.

References

{{reflist Drummers African drums