LEARN DJEMBE ONLINE
Get the most important basics and start playing truly practical rhythms!
- 34+ practical video lessons
- 4K quality
- Experienced teacher Ian
- Begin with tilting the djembe, then single strokes for the bass and slap.
- All the exercises are first shown slowly, using many camera angles.
- Learn to play some of the coolest, most practical beats.
- Jam together with other musicians.
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Why Djembe Master
The Djembe Master website and YouTube channel were created to teach people, who ♥️ rhythms, how to play one of the most popular drums in the world together with friends, using beats that actually work.
The courses are displayed on this website and are accessed via username and password (auto-generated upon purchase). You can edit your password by logging in after the payment. The courses are with lifetime access. You can view unlocked lessons by going COURSES (top of website) and clicking SELECT COURSE on the course you purchased.
1. How to tilt the djembe
2. Bass stroke
3. Slap stroke
4. Slap stroke one by one
5. Bass and slap
6. Bass and two slap strokes
7. Bass and three slap strokes
8. Quiet slap stroke
9. Bass, quiet, loud, quiet one by one
10. Bass, quiet, loud, quiet right hand only
11. Straight beat
12. Beat with two bass strokes
13. Beat with two bars
14. 332 beat
15. Triplets
16. Triplets beat
17. Beat with fourth stroke loud slap
18. Beat with eighth stroke loud slap
19. Beat with fourth and eighth stroke loud slap
20. Ian’s favorite two bar beat
21. An awesome two bar beat
22. The same two bar beat with more bass
23. 332 beat with two bass strokes
24. 332 beat with two bass strokes followed by 332 main strokes
25. Another awesome two bar beat with two left hand loud slaps
26. Paradiddle with quiet and loud slaps
27. Straight beat using paradiddle
28. Paradiddle beat with right hand bass only
29. 122 with quiet and loud slaps
30. Straight beat using 122
31. 122 beat with right hand bass only
32. 212 with quiet and loud slaps
33. Straight beat using 212
34. 212 beat with right hand bass only
Ian Mikael Kirss is the son of drummer Jaan Kirss. Under his watch, he started learning the drum set in 1999 after entering music school with piano 3 years prior. While the piano lessons were a chore, the kit was a joy. Learning was made fun thanks to the inspiration of American nu-metal band Slipknot and their debut album. For the first 4 years, Ian went all-in with learning to play what the band had recorded.
In 2004, the internationally recognized cymbal and gong company Paiste put together a competition in Tallinn, Estonia. Ian won the main prize, which was a lifetime contract with the company, becoming a Paiste artist at the age of 14. From there on, Ian’s father and sister Helena Victoria put together a family drum show and started performing nationally, as well as internationally.
Ian Mikael joined the rock band House of Games in 2007 and went straight on tour with U.S. rock legends WASP as the warm-up-act, playing 5 major cities in the United Kingdom. As of 2018, he plays drums in the rock band Sounds of September. That same year the band travelled to Netherlands twice, to ultimatelly win the Female Metal Event (FemME).
In 2010, Ian started playing the djembe drum with international musician Tom Walsberg in Estonia, Bali (Indonesia) and Koh Phangan (Thailand). This relationship led to many collaborations with world-travelling troubadours, shamans and musicians. Since then, he has performed with the djembe at events like Bali SpiritFest, Mindvalley University, Shama Retreats in Tenerife and more.
Ian has been a drum teacher since 2005, teaching the drum set, djembe, hand pan, cajon and udu. As of 2022, he is the brand ambassador for Heliton Handcrafts, which creates some of the best handpans in the world.
These days, he is fully commited to growing the Djembe Master brand by regularly creating new YouTube videos and full-length masterclass courses. Ian has customers in 35 countries.
