Tag: drum
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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 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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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 »
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Dispelling The Myth Of Talent
Dispelling the myth of talent. More often then not, something we see someone doing looks easier than it is or someone makes something look very easy. In this case let’s talk about hand drumming. When you see most of our drum masters play they are very relaxed and maybe they are smiling. Maybe we don’t… Read More »
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Drumming Is A Shared Experience
When you are drumming there are ways to play besides holding parts. But in a jam, dance class and even a performance when you are indeed holding a part, you are holding the space for others. It’s a shared experience. We have to leave space for each other. We support each other. There is more… Read More »
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Space The Final Frontier
“Space, the final frontier” What is it about space, that makes us want to put stuff in it? When we are playing music and drumming, why do so many of us completely fill the room with notes? If you were to listen back to two identical players playing to the same piece, the one who… Read More »
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Keeping your learning process simple!
Learning by starting simply There is so much amazing and wonderful information being shared online, in apps, youtube, books, Facebook and the wonderful retreats and classes happening such as the recent 20th Annual Wula Drum And Dance Retreat that just happened. When I first started studying drumming there was NO info, so in the last… Read More »
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Tricks of the trade
Tricks of the trade Certain students and players have minds where they can remember what they have learned simply from going to a class. It’s not the everyday person but I know a few. But most of us forget most of whatever happened in the class. Something is happening that we do get just by… Read More »
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crawl before you walk
Crawl before you walk. When studying and playing West African and Afro Cuban drums and rhythms, just like a baby you have to learn to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. If you don’t learn the basics, the fundamentals, handing techniques and the rudiments then you will have no foundation to work off… Read More »
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How To Buy The Best Djembe
How to choose the best djembe. Many people write to me all the time and ask, “what djembe should I buy? And I often get asked, “please help me choose a djembe”. The best djembe is the drum that is perfect for your needs. Everyone needs something a little different and some people do not… Read More »
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The hands of Chief James Hawthorne Bey
Did you know that the system for pulling the drum, the “no hole” roping system using the two rim system was created by and came directly out of the hands of Chief James Hawthorne Bey? He got the idea from conga drums, and first used it on Ashiko drums. 494 Macon Street in Brooklyn New… Read More »