|
|
 f you are like any of us that have been around the ethnic or world drumming and music scene for many years, then you may have experienced some hard times trying to learn the drumming, percussion or music from another culture. Please don’t get discouraged if you are trying to learn drumming and are having a hard time. For some of us it never comes easy. And it does take time. When we first hit a drum we thought it was going to be easy! We heard a pleasing sound at once, and we played a rhythm and thought we had it all right then in there. But once you start to study you get to see it is quite involved. [...]
 A few nights ago I was invited to play congas and percussion at a nice sushi and jazz club in Legion, Bali where I am teaching drums, performing and visiting right now. The jazz club is very similar to Yoshi’s in the bay area of San Francisco and Oakland, California (in the USA). I had eaten dinner downstairs before during the day, but never been into the music section of the establishment. [...]
 We are looking for a talented multi disciplined dance teacher for a new world dance , movement and world music center/studio on the beautiful and exotic Koh Samui Island in scenic Thailand. If you can teach salsa, brazilian, west african and more please contact us soon. The center is just forming now. Other dance teachers and people in the movement arts are welcomed to contact us as well. We will also be offering classes [...]
 People often ask me about a training program. What could they do to improve their drumming and or improve more rapidly? I put together the following suggestions based on my own training program that I have followed for many years. Those of you who know me personaly know I am a bit of a fanatic so of course you can tone down the program to suit your own personal needs. So just take a few ideas from here or all of them. “Arai gor dai” as they say in Thailand (“up to you”)! So pick and choose and enjoy your practice and training ritual. remember it’s “playing” and playing is FUN! [...]
 Are you a percussionist, drummer or musician and are ready to go out there into the “real world” and make a go at it as a pro? If so I have some solid suggestions I have learned along the way I can share with you here. If you follow these tips you will be well on your way. One thing I have noticed over the years and a very important life lesson for me has been that it is not usually the most talented or best player that get’s the great gigs, it is the person with the most outgoing personality, the person who networks and get’s out there. It’s an undeniable fact, and one that needs to be acknowledged if you are going to try and be in the music business. [...]
 If you are a gigging drummer or musician and just starting out playing here is some important advice and information. I am going to share some information with you that will help you to never have to suffer the way I have with unreliable people or people that do not understand or respect drumming or drummers. [...]
 I will be teaching an intensive, intermediate to advanced small group djembe and dunun workshop for a limited number of people in Ubud, Bali. We will meet daily and cover some very nice pieces I learned in my travels to Guinee and Mali West Africa such as Mali style Sunu in 4/4 with opening and closing interlude breaks, traditional solo phrases and techniques and dunun arrangements for one or several players. I will be [...]
 When you are buying a djembe there are numerous things to look for to assure you are buying the right drum for your self. Here is a guideline of features to be aware of and look for. When buying a djmebe the first thing you want to look at is the wood shell. Put a towel or something soft (or card board) on the ground and turn the drum upside down. Inspect the inside of the drum carefuly using a flashlight if you have to. Look for cracks that go all the way through the drum. You have to check very carefully as the cracks are often carefully concealed and they may or may not be problematic later on in the drums life. [...]
 Many people have written to me saying, “OK, I agree I need to practice, but where can I practice”? Maybe it is too cold to go out to the park, or you just don’t feel like dragging your drum around? Or maybe someone has complained about “noise”?
I do not know how many times I have had noise complaints from my neighbors about “strange sounds both night and day”! The drums can definitely bring out [...]
Injuries while playing drums can happen to anyone from the most beginning player to the most advanced. One of my favorite players and teachers Karmba Diabate for example is constantly in pain. His hands constantly hurt. He get’s amazing sound from his djembe, but at a price. I have seen every player at every level with hand or finger injuries.
proper hand technique
So, what do we do to not [...]
 One of the first most important lessons to learn when we first buy or get given a drum is to respect the instrument as you would any other instrument such as a violin or guitar. The drum is so much fun many of us do not even think of it as an actual musical instrument and frankly in our western culture, many people do not see drums as musical instruments. So lesson one from [...]
 The amazing and beautiful Aga from Poland demonstrates part 2 of the Yang style short form of Tai Chi Chuan [...]
 n this lesson excerpt we look at the Kassa family of rhythms. This is the Saraya variation shown on dununs “down” style also known as “ballet” style. [...]
 It is all about basics and fundamentals. One of the fundamentals of all West African drumming is the clave concept. What is the clave concept?
In Spanish, the clave is the cornerstone on which a wall is built. Musically and for our purposes here, we will talk about the clave not only an instrument (two pieces of wood struck together), but also a musical form and concept.
clave
The clave concept [...]
 Drumming to me, especially drumming from the African diaspora is about learning and always playing basics, or “fundamentals”. If you have ever read any of my articles, you may have noticed me saying, “with out the framework the house will fall down”. Like any other musical instrument you have to practice regularly. No matter what stage you are in in your drumming career or hobby, be it pro or amateur it is always important [...]
 Before coming to a drum circle, drum lesson or class please leave your personal baggage at home. The music scene or drum jam is not the place to bring your personal issues. Please resolve your issues or complaints outside and away from the drums or drum scene.
Many beginners unaware of how beginning they are feel it is their unalienable right to discuss their needs or feelings in the middle of a music session [...]
 If you are walking into an unkonwn situation be it a drum circle, drum jam, party or a dance class here are some general guidelines of etiquette to follow. They may seem pretty simple and you may or may not agree with them. But if you follow them you will have a much more harmonius experience then if you don’t, and you will also make it a lot easier on other drummers or players [...]
 Soloing on any drum especially djembe can be daunting at first. Everyone wants to do it but how do we start? First of all, what is a solo or “lead” as we also say in the drumming world?
Traditionally speaking a solo in West African music, specifically music from Guinee and Mali is a phrase or group of phrases chained together that interact and accent the dance choreography or dancers movements. The solo inspires [...]
 One of the many problems of playing in drum jams, especially on outside or without microphones, is hurting your hands and playing too loud. Just to hear yourself play is often a struggle. The problem is that each person, in his or her own struggle to be heard usually plays as loud as he can. By the time the lead player comes in and plays, the volume is often at ear-rattling levels. It does [...]
“With out strong framework the house will collapse’. In this ‘follow along” video/ conga lesson we will begin to explore how to position your hands and also how to make basic sounds on the conga drum. This is part one. For more info go to: www.michaelpluznick.com
 In this video I am playing the popular and social Kuku rhythm from Guinea (Guinee) West Africa where I lived and studied. These are solo techniques I learned from my various teachers in Africa and the USA including Hawaii, California and the east coast as well. [...]
 In this video I am showing how to play the Mali style Sunu rhythm composition on two drums “ballet” style which means the drums are not sideways, they are standing up vertically. When I studied with my teachers, master drummer Aruna Sidibe and Brulye Doumbia they taught me this way. They can also be played sideways of course. [...]
 In this video I am sharing and showing you the traditional solo patterns or “techniques” as many people call them for the Mali style Sunu rhythm arrangement as I learned it from my teachers Mali Djembe Master Drummer Aruna SIdibe & Brulye Doumbia while I was living and studying in Mali. [...]
 This short “how to play” djembe lesson by Michael Pluznick features the basic Mali Sunu rhythm djembe part in fast, medium and very slow *(breakdown) tempo with a click track so you can see and hear where everything goes against the beat or pulse. [...]
 This is part one of the Kuku solo techniques shown here with the small ensemble with Wade Peterson on ballet style dununs (aka “djundjun” or “dundun”) , Ben Isaacs on support djembe and MIchael Pluznick on lead or solo djembe. [...]
|
About Michael 
Michael Pluznick is a studio musician and recording arts specialist. Read more about Michael.
|
sending...
Popular Posts