Category: Blog
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Western Instruments vs West African Drums
Why will people put the time, energy and attention into learning how to play a flute, piano or guitar properly but not a drum? It’s because in our western culture this is what we have been taught. So we respect this. People would never think to just strum on a guitar randomly with zero knowledge… Read More »
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Respecting Those That Came Before Us
It’s important to acknowledge and respect those that came before us in any form of musical endeavor we are part of. Be it traditional drumming from Africa, Cuba, Haiti or your local drum circle. If you did not start it, someone or several people put in hard work to lay down the foundation for you… Read More »
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The Djembe Drum And Conga Drum is a real musical instrument and not a toy!
Did you know that in Europe in many places when the percussion masters perform thousands of people pay to come and see them play. Thousands. They are not “sitting in” or playing for free. They are respected. You can see video after video on Youtube. It is amazing. Why not in the USA? Try to… Read More »
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Let’s Drop Discouragement!
Lets drop discouragement When I was at the last Wula Drum And Dance Retreat several people mentioned to me that they felt discouraged after seeing great players blazing at lightening speed. A friend said to me, “I’ll never play that fast”. I said, why do you need to play that fast? For me it’s not… Read More »
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How To Solo On Djembe
Want to learn to solo on your djembe drum? Play accompaniment. It is not a penalty to play accompaniment. Accompaniment is when you hold a part or better said make a repetitive pattern or passport part “groove”. And at the same time it is playing support. Yes, you are playing the same thing over and… Read More »
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The Root System
The Root System. When learning and playing hand drums such as djembe and conga drums, It’s great and very important to specialize and focus. To learn the tradition, technique and skills necessary to play the style and drum type you are learning on. One thing at a time. Step by step. There are always specific… Read More »
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Playing With The Great Armando Peraza in the Haight Ashbury Music Center
Playing with Armando Perrazza 38 years ago I got my dream job which was to be the percussion salesman at the Haight Ashburry Music Center in the famous hippy area of San Francisco. The former store had been named Chickens That Sing Music. When I had first arrived in California around 1976 I was shocked… Read More »
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Crawl before you walk
Crawl before your walk, walk before you run, play slowly before your play fast. In drumming like anything in life its important to take it step by step when starting out. Baby steps are good! Be it playing the drums or building a drum. You have to learn the basics first. The means search out… Read More »
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Here are my “top ten” suggestions for maintaining a wonderful vibe, having fun and just plain surviving when drumming at open or large jam sessions.
Here are my “top ten” suggestions for maintaining a wonderful vibe, having fun and just plain surviving when drumming at open or large jam sessions. 1. Sit in the groove and lay in the pocket. Always be looking for the groove to lock into. Make this a priority and you will have more fun, deeper… Read More »
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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 »