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It’s all about matching your skin to your conga drum shell
As much as I love exotic, hand made modern or vintage wood conga drums and appreciate the massive amount of work and talent that goes into each individual drum, the fact of the matter is that most people can not afford one. Many people often make the mistake of thinking they need new drums when… Read More »
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Intensive one on one learning experiences and intensive training sessions with Michael Pluznick
An intensive training session, with a one to five day lesson series is a great way to up your game. With two to three sessions per day you can really immerse yourself in the wonderful world of drumming and bring an amazing wealth of knowledge back home with you. In only a few short days… Read More »
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Skype And Facebook Messenger On Line * LIVE* Video Classes Now Available
I am now offering Skype of Facebook Messenger on line live video classes from the comfort of our own homes. All you need is a device with Skype or Messenger in it and a drum. This is an effective way to study with a patient teacher if you do not have one in your area… Read More »
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How to allow drumming to be spiritual practice
The first step in making drumming a spiritual practice is realizing we are not making anything or forcing anything. We are dropping. We leave our ego at the door. What does this mean? It means we have have to drop our egos and come into the room humble and open. When we are humble we… Read More »
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My trip to Cuba in 1985
In 1985 my friend Jerry had found out about a special artists cultural tour expedition to a jazz fest in Veradero Cuba. In those days people had not yet started traveling to Cuba to study. A few had gone but not many. I did not have the money to go and I knew this was… Read More »
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Studying Drumming In Mali Part #2
Part #2 An excerpt from my upcoming book When I was living and studying in Mali I would call a taxi in advance to deliver me and pick me up for my drum and dance classes. This was only partially effective. Often they simply would not show up on the return leg and it was… Read More »
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Drumming with others is like being on a team
“There is no I in team”. Although this is a bit of an over used expression, I still love it. It really fits into my idealism concerning group drumming be it traditional or non traditional. Drumming is a communal experience. And for me, It would be so more of a communal experience if we acted… Read More »
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The 4 Types of Djembe Solos
The djembe solo in the west and in the east. 4 types of djembe solos. In West African djembe music originating out of Mali and Guinea areas there are 2 different types or approaches to solo on the djembe. I am talking about these two regions (Guinea and Mali) because that is where I have… Read More »
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The yin and yang of call and response
The yin and yang of call and response. What does call and response really mean? If we look a West African drumming and any drumming from the West African Diaspora originally, it is a system set up of plus and minus, positive and negative, yin and yang, tension- release and call and response. For me… Read More »
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Learning how to stay in time, practice tips for beginners Part 1
A lot of people ask me how to improve their rhythm when they are drumming or learning to drum. Everyone has to start somewhere and there are definitely things to do that can help us improve. A fun way to play, improve, learn to “lock in” and sit in a groove is to play along… Read More »
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My First Trip To Mali Part #1
My first trip to Mali West Africa happened as a fast last minute decision. I had a good friend living there studying guitar from Maui, Hawaii who had been asking and inviting me to come for quite some time. I had been playing in a music trio in Amsterdam and our time had ended in… Read More »
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Groove and the pocket. The power of simplicity.
Groove and the pocket. The power of simplicity. When you are playing traditional style drumming, especially West African djembe based music you “hold” parts. Everyone is not playing whatever they want constantly. Each djembe player and each dunun player has basic set parts. The parts are part of alchemic formulas from who knows where originally.… Read More »
