Using a Wristband with the Djembe Drum

Using a Wristband with the Djembe Drum

I just showed you why and how I slap on a wristband for djembe—simple trick, massive vibe shift.

Why? It softens the bass stroke, warms it up, makes it organic and less punchy—perfect for quiet grooves or when you need to blend without overpowering a jam.

How? Grab a soft cloth (headband, scarf—nothing too thick), wrap it around your bass hand wrist (mine's the right). Hit the head with your wrist heel instead of palm—boom, muffled magic. Slaps? Unaffected, still crisp. I demoed straight bass, with/without band, then wove it into straight beats and triplets for that subtle layer.

I pull this out mostly at gigs with new guitarists—start with soft bass pulses on unfamiliar songs, then ramp up the complexity as it flows.

It's all about control and feel.

Questions? Fire 'em below. Want to master soft strokes and more? Djembe drum lessons are live at djembemaster.com. Wrap it up and groove on.

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Go through summaries of the most relatable djembe topics. From how to do basic strokes and djembe technique to different tricks to use with your djembe playing. The content of the blog posts are from the Djembe Master YouTube channel.

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