Groups of Three
Each top beam covers three pulses. Count 1-2-3 across four beats — not straight eighth notes.
Djembe ensemble
Sorsornet
Protection, spiritual power, and good fortune
Learn the twelve-pulse Baga cycle — bell, sangban, kenkeni, dununba and three djembe voices in 12/8.
Sorsornet, also called Sornet, is a traditional rhythm and mask ceremony of the Baga people from the Boké region of coastal Guinea. It is closely connected to the sacred Sorsornet mask, which is respected as a powerful protector of the village and a force against evil.
The meaning of the name does not have a widely agreed direct translation, but Sorsornet is strongly associated with:
Protection
Spiritual power
Good fortune
Traditionally, the Sorsornet mask is kept outside the village in the forest and cared for by a special group entrusted with protecting its secrets and traditions. When someone faces a serious hardship — such as illness or childlessness — the guardian of the mask may bring Sorsornet into the village. As the mask moves through the community, the rhythm Sorsornet is played and the people gather for the ceremony.
Today, Sorsornet is also performed as a popular social rhythm enjoyed by both men and women in celebration and dance.
Master djembefolas Mamady Keïta and Famoudou Konaté helped preserve and share Sorsornet with students around the world.
Objectives
- Feel the 12/8 pulse in groups of three
- Play the sangban and kenkeni bell/drum patterns
- Hold the 24-pulse dununba cycle while shorter parts repeat
- Layer djembe 2 and 3 after djembe 1 is steady
Rhythm sequencer
Tracks
SigSignal
D1Djembe 1
D2Djembe 2
DjemDjembe 3
S.BSangban Bell
S.DSangban Drum
K.BKenkeni Bell
K.DKenkeni Drum
DbBDununba Bell
DbDDununba Drum
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Playing Advice
Two-Bar Dundunba
The dununba bell and drum change in the second groove bar — that two-bar span is the cycle anchor.
Djembe 2 Syllables
Think s..stts..stts.. — slap–space–space on beats 1 and 3, slap–tone–tone on beats 2 and 4.
Djembe 3 Accents
Three slap clusters across the bar, ending with four slaps and two tones across beats 3 and 4.
TipThe dununba defines the full cycle — listen for the second bar before adding djembe layers.
Playing notes
- Read in groups of three under each top beam
- Each dundun voice has separate bell and drum rows (sangban, kenkeni, dununba)
- Dununba defines the full 24-pulse cycle — groove bars 1 and 2 differ on dununba only
- Intro bar: Signal plays the call; groove loops bars 1–2 when session loop is on
- Unmute Djembe 2 and 3 when you can hold Djembe 1 steady