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Developing Your Talent On Djembe, Congas And Bongos
I truly believe that talent is something that for may of us can be developed with hard work, love and practice. Sure there are naturals. But many of the people you see on the internet and on Youtube did not pop out of their momma’s womb playing drums or music at a very high level. I… Read More »
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The Djembe Solo And The Accompaniment Parts
In my circles of friends and in the drum scenes I partake or I am involved with I have always noticed a rush for beginners and students, people with out developed skill sets to have an “over infatuation” with soloing. I see it at every level of playing and in every style of drumming I… Read More »
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We Are All Branches Of The Drumming Tree
There are many styles and ways to play hand drums originating from West Africa. Be it traditional drumming, Afro Cuban, Haitian, Brazilian, South American, Trinidadian, (or others) it does not matter as it all comes or originates from the same tree. Even rock music and drum circles have their links, fundamental rhyhtms or branches from… Read More »
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Its All About Your Head
Skin matters! The type of skin, the thickness, consistency and evenness all play an important role in your drums sound. Almost any drum made can indeed be made to sound much much better by carefully choosing and correctly mounting the proper skin to balance the particular drum shells inherent qualities. If the skin is too… Read More »
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The Best Djembes Made
I am now offering the best djembes made on the planet. I source the shell from either Ivory Coast, Guinea or Mali. We then construct and make the drum from scratch, from a log… to your specifications. Everything can be chosen by you from the size to the decoration. The shell is gone over with… Read More »
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The Ultimate Djembe! MP Pro Cassia Wood Guinea Djembe
Many hands went into getting my favourite Guinea sourced Cassia wood djembe drum into the perfect condition and optimum sound tool it is now. The head is from Ryan ‘Manito’ Wendel. I did some initial repairs to the stem. John Felice mounted the rubber bottom. Drumskull Drums mounted the skin, put on new ropes as well as polished the drum… Read More »
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Hand Drumming In The Modern Age
In the Afro Cuban conga drum world and in the traditional based West African hand drumming and performance world there is a huge obsession with speed, rolls and “impressive” licks. This is what I call performance oriented drumming. It is created to impress and to entertain others. It has a certain and strong “wow factor”.… Read More »
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Get Rid Of Ring In Your Old Conga Drums
Get rid of the ring! Did you know that simply replacing the old or stock head on your conga drum with a professional level skin from Manito Percussion can completely eliminate the ring and improve the sound of your drums 100%? The skin plays a very important role in your sound and performance. Using these… Read More »
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What is a hand drum worth?
I am curious why a finely made hand crafted musical instrument like a hand carved djembe drum or artisan made conga drum or bongo should be looked at any differently then a Martin guitar in terms of value or price? I understand anything sold is market driven but I do believe it goes beyond this. No… Read More »
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Drum In The Sun Drum And Dance Camp This Winter Thailand
https://www.facebook.com/druminthesun Come Join US In Thailand! WINTER IN THAILAND~PLAN AHEAD West African Djembe Drum and Dance Camp on Koh Phangan Island in Thailand happens every winter from December through April. Please come and join us for a month, a week or even a day! Instructors Michael Pluznick and Timothy Dabrowski (plus guess teachers) will be… Read More »
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New Wula Drums Are Available Now!
Wula Drum headed by legendary drummer Michael Markus has a dedicated team of drum builders in Guinea, West Africa. They work very hard every season to provide the highest-quality instruments using the best materials. Their djembes are sourced from the best hardwoods in Guinea: Lengue, Khadi, Acajou, Doukie, Koula Koula, as well as Melina Wood for… Read More »
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Ignorance is Bliss, From Drum Circle to Traditional Drumming
Ignorance is bliss Many of my friends and students who used to love and were super rock stars at the drum circles got bored there and started to learn traditional drumming. They got involved and into the west african djembe rhythms but now are having a hard time returning to the drum circle. They are… Read More »
