In the world of music, drums hold an array of roles ranging from a background beat to the sol tone of the ensemble. Drums haven't had a spotlight roll in western music as we have witnessed in recent years. Due to the nature of drums, they tend to play a supporting role to keep the rhythm. However, in other cultures the drums can be the only instrument in the entire group, using different sizes to create a diversity in tones. For a higher pitch a smaller drum is used and as the drum increases in size, the tone gets lower. This is represented in West African with the mandiani which originated from the djembe orchestra. The instrumental ensemble consists of 2-3 djembe drummers, a principle and a bass drummer (one djun djun, one song na drum and a bell.) The principle holds the same responsibilities as a conductor but uses their drum for breaks and musical cues such as improvisation and dancers. When dancers are introduced it can cause a shift in the musical tone but all of this is still controlled by the principle. The marriage of dancer and instruments in this orchestra, even as intense as it can feel sometimes, holds a social purpose, not a spiritual one. The drum goes even further than what I have stated here, upon further digging you will find a spiritual realm associated with the drums as well.
This video is a djembe ensemble but instead of in Africa they are playing in a Paris subway.
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