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Category: Music Study

  • #6: “African Dance” Young Girls, Young Men & drum teacher dance at Dununba in Conakry, West Africa

    “African Dance”: This video which I made on my study trip to Guinea features young girls (children), dancing at a dununba street party as well as young men, and some old friends and drum teachers (M’Bemba Bangoura) taking their turn dancing as well Djembe masters and djembe drumming! Filmed in HD (high definition). The 2… Read More »

  • How to find the teacher that’s right for you

    How do you find the drum or dance teacher who is right for you? Why do you even need a teacher? With out help, Djembe playing or conga playing can become repetitive and frustrating. Some of us try to learn on our own, from books, on line videos, DVD’s of Mamady Keita and playing to… Read More »

  • Congas: basic hand position and playing techniques

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2sKnSbXkzA “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 Read More »

  • congas to djembe/djembe to congas

    When an established conga player transitions to learn to play djembe he or she has certain advantages and disadvantages. When you play congas, there is much emphasis on pushing in to the drum to make tone. On a goat skin djembe, do to the thin tight skin, you must pull the sound out. Despite this… Read More »

  • Master drummer Brulye shows how to play lead for Diansa (Danza/Djansa)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouhby_UsUsc Master drummer Brulye shows how to play lead for Diansa (Danza/Djansa). Filmed outside Bamako, Mali West Africa. The music for this session is available as a CD on www.earthcds.com. Go to the Mali section and enter”old Masters” or “young Guns”. This is the sister video to my Mali Diansa video on Youtbe. The other… Read More »

  • How to Play African Djembe and Dununs: Konowoulen 1 Sangban

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR-qdijuXrs How to play  djembe and dunun drums by Michael Pluznick, a student of Bolokda Conde.  West African drumming from Guinea, West Africa. “Dununba”: Konolwoulen 1 sangban part with “movement” (eshauffman) Read More »

  • Guinea West African drum lesson:”Sobonikun” sangbam part

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr29lBUH6X0 Excerpts from Guinea West African drum class and djembe lesson by Michael Pluznick. Sobonikun is a mask dance. This is the sangban (dunun) part that was taught to me by master djembe drummer Bolokada Conde (of Les Percussion du Guinea). Different then the Mamady Keita version. Also known as Sogonikun in Mali a mask… Read More »

  • How to Play Shekere (Sekere) Volume#2 “Diansa” excerpts

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJSEuQ6IM7A Danza *(Diansa /Djeansa/Dansa) a west african djmebe drum, dunun and dance piece from Mali and also Guinea is transcribed to Shekere’s by Michael Pluznick. Short exerpts are frpm the up and coming “how to Play Shekere (Sekere) volume #2. Group applications for playing the Shekere or beaded gourd Read More »

  • What is traditional drumming about?

    Traditional drumming part one West Africa What is traditional drumming? Traditional  African drumming usually refers to drumming that has been handed down from generation to generation and comes from a time long ago. Traditional drumming is  organized and systematized drumming or drumming that is part of a musical piece or composition that is used for… Read More »

  • Cambodian music in nature, 3 different types/performances

    3 different groups perform traditional cambodian music styles  in nature outside of the temples and even in a temple in Cambodia. The second group os made up of handicapped or physically disabled musicians. Read More »

  • West African Djembe Drum Class: Senefoli

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLi8nYaj0Ag West African djembe and dunun class and drum lesson taught by percussionist Michael pluznick at Rumpuree in Bangkok, Thailand. This African drum rhythm is from Guinea, West Africa. Read More »

  • “Soko” Guinea Djembe Drum and Dunun class in Bangkok

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uivk2-M_44 Soko rhythm taught by Michael Pluznick at beginers African djembe drum and dunun class in Bangkok, Thailand. For practicality Michael shows both traditional and non traditional, (i.e. ‘ballet”) styles of dunun playing. Ballet style dunun playing is when you play one, two or more dunun drums on the ground with the heads up rather… Read More »

Michael Pluznick