djembe

noun

1. A large, rope-tuned, skin-covered drum played with the bare hands, used in West African and some fusion music.

   “There are three principal types of traditional drums in Guinean Sousou culture: the djembe, the dundun, and the tama. The djembe is a single-headed goblet-shaped drum with a relatively high-pitched tone.”

   “The djembe is one of the best-known and popular African drums, particular with those in the West who are interested in learning a drumming tradition.”

   “The djembe has become the most recognizable drum from West Africa, with a history that can be traced to the twelfth century Mali Empire and the Mandinka people.”

   “Very few djembes are perfectly round. Most are slightly egg- or triangle-shaped. Lack of roundness is not a problem for sound: many such djembes sound excellent.”