Bongo Drums are a type of world percussion instrument traditionally made up of two different size drums attached to each other. The larger drum is called a hembra (Spanish for female) and the smaller drum is called the macho (Spanish for male). Drumhead sizes vary between 6" & 7" to 7" & 8 1/2". There are even smaller drum sizes for children: Yes, bongos for kids. Those sizes are typically around 5" & 6". During the early half of the 20th century, Afro-Caribbean rhythms had a huge influence on popular dance music and jazz worldwide. This brought bongos into our cultural vocabulary, from Beatniks to Mambo to the current revival of Cuban folkloric music.

The history of bongo drumming can be traced to the Cuban music styles known as Changui and Son. These styles first developed in eastern Cuba (Orient province) in the late 19th century. Initially, bongos had heads that were tacked and tuned with a heat source. By the 1940s, metal-tuning lugs developed to facilitate easier tuning. It is believed that Bongos evolved from the Abakua Drum trio 'Bonko' and its lead drum 'Bonko Enmiwewos'. These drums are still a fundamental part of the Abakua Religion in Cuba. If joined with a wooden peck in the middle, such drums would look much like the bongos we know today.

Bongos are traditionally held between the legs, with the macho up against one thigh and the hembra down against the opposite calf. Most right-handed players place the macho in the upper left position, as the basic "martillo" pattern focuses on the macho. Lefties can do whatever works best for them. Always strike the drums with the pads of your fingertips, never with your knuckles. Striking with the bony joint will make a louder sound at first, but you will injure your hands that way, and risk causing or aggravating arthritis in your fingers. Practice striking with the pads, using a "snappy" wrist motion, and you will develop the crisp loud sound you want.

Labels: beatniks, bongo, bongo.drum, bongos, bongos.for.kids, caribbean.rhythms, cuban.music, drumhead, hand.drum, world.percussion

One of the largest U.S. manufacturers and suppliers of ethnic musical instruments, Mid-East has been family owned and operated for over 33 years (since 1973). They've stayed in business this long because they offer top quality products, and stand 100% behind everything they make.

The inception of Mid-East occurred back in the early 70's when Alice was working as a belly dance instructor. Belly dancing was the rage in the 70's and one of Alice's tasks, as a teacher, was to find the most reasonably priced materials for her students. Enter husband (Steve). At that time Steve worked as a stockbroker dealing with financial numbers all day. When Steve found out what the zills (finger cymbals) were costing he said "I could make them better and for less." And he did. After supplying Alice's students, they began to manufacture and supply zills to a number of dance studios. It wasn't long before their living room was turned into a makeshift factory. All four of their boys helped to count, clean, and bag zills. Within a few years Steve quit his stockbroker job. The family was in business. Customers began to show interest in a number of other instruments, and as they did, Mid-East began to manufacture and import bongos, tambourines, African Djembe's, Dhol's, and more ethnic based instruments from around the world. Today the company is housed in an 18,000 square foot warehouse in West Melbourne, Florida.

Don't be surprised if you have difficulty selecting that one special piece from our Mid-East line of percussion instruments. If you have questions, our knowledgeable staff at X8 Drums is dedicated to providing friendly and helpful service. We want our customers to know that Mid-East makes well crafted instruments at an exceptional value. We only carry the best!!

Labels: african.djembe, bongo, dhol, ethnic.instruments, mid-east, tambourine, world.percussion

Virtually all percussion instruments that are manufactured today are made in Bangkok, Thailand. Bangkok's close proximity to the raw material and skilled labor needed to manufacture percussion instruments make it an ideal location. Brands such as Tycoon, Latin Percussion, Toca, Meinl, and Fat Congas to name a few are all manufactured in Thailand. In fact Latin Percussion and Toca are subsidiaries of Kaman Music. However, only Tycoon owns its own factory in Bangkok. Most other brands rent factory space in Bangkok to manufacture their line of percussion instruments. The factories rented are in many cases generically set-up to produce all sorts of products - not just percussion instruments. That's not to say that these brands aren't quality, it's just the reality.

Because of Tycoon's specialized factory for making percussion instruments, there are some cases where companies commission Tycoon to manufacture their percussion instruments where they are eventually shipped to the states and sold to you under a different brand name.

Tycoon Percussion has been manufacturing high-end percussion instruments in their own factory for 20 plus years and has just recently decided to market the Tycoon Percussion brand in the U.S. market. We decided to carry the Tycoon percussion line because of their excellent reputation and experience in making top quality instruments. The Tycoon Percussion brand name is very well known and respected in Europe and Asia and is now on its way to becoming a top competitor in the U.S market. We're excited to offer these high quality instruments directly to you at the lowest guaranteed prices. Enjoy!!

Labels: bangkok, bongo, conga, djembe, fat.congas, latin.percussion, meinl, percussion.instrument, tambourine, toca, tycoon.percussion

For over 22 years Tycoon Percussion has been manufacturing high-end, top quality, percussion instruments for musicians worldwide. They have over 150 skilled craftsman creating all types of percussion instruments including bongos, congas, djembes, timbales, and cajons to name a few. Tycoon currently produces around 40,000 sets of percussion instruments each year and venture to all the main music exhibitions including NAMM.

Tycoon instruments are known by professional percussionists (such as Virgilio Figueroa, David Stanford, Tamasito Cruz, Inocento Alvarez, and Arnaldo "Arnie" Silva) to deliver pure, crisp sound every time they are played. Additionally, Tycoon percussion is known for creating beautiful sought-after glossy finishes that catch the eye of even the most critical player. They continuously change and develop a unique array of colors and patterns to constantly bring excitement to their line of percussion based instruments.

Tycoon Percussion has consistently been growing since the mid-80's when they first began producing their line of top quality hand drums and percussion instruments. Their percussion products are sold in every major country worldwide and are now finally available in the United States. In 2006, Tycoon established a U.S. distribution center in Reno, NV and most recently opend a new U.S. office in Pasadena, CA.

Tycoon Djembe

Tycoon Bongos

Tycoon Congas

Labels: bongo, cajon, conga, djembe, NAMM, percussion.instrument, timbales, tycoon.percussion, world.percussion

Remo has long been known for building quality drumheads for drumsets. For nearly 50 years, Remo has been consistently breaking new grounds in the drumhead industry leaving all competitors in the dust. Ask any professional drummer what drumheads they use and most will answer Remo. They have roughly 77 patents on drumhead technology and continually lead the industry. Back in the 60's drumhead sizes were of various sizes and there wasn't much consistency in construction and tone. Remo changed all that when they figured out how to standardize drumhead sizes and additionally began investing aggressively into R&D on all things drumming

They eventually segued into World Percussion with same idea. Build top quality drumheads for world percussion based instruments and "they will come." Remo essentially revolutionized hand drumming by bringing modern drumhead technologies and performance to traditional world percussion instruments. Due to the huge diversity of hand drums, Remo eventually developed 12 differently shaped world percussion drumheads using Fiberskyn 3, Sude, and Nuskyn to fit most of today's popular drums. Their drumhead technologies are rugged, have consistency, and are weather resistant. Remo's worldwide collection of hand drums includes: Djembe, Bongo (Bongo drum buying guide), and Conga from countries including Africa, Asia, Brazil, and Cuba.

Remo is the benchmark by which other competitors manufacture their products. Would you believe that Remo heads are found on over 90% of drumsets - it's true I looked it up. I'm talking dw, Pearl, Ludwig and Yamaha. Simply put - they're the best!

Labels: bongo, conga, djembe, drumhead, hand.drum, hand.drumming, remo, remo.world.percussion, world.percussion

A drum circle is any group of people typically playing hand drums and percussion in a circle. It is a rhythm-based event where a diverse group of individuals and instruments are gathered for the common purpose of empowering a community with creative self-expression in a group music making experience. Rhythmical expression is as ancient and unique as man and found throughout the world, represented in art, celebration, meditation, and wellness situations. Drum Circles are commonly used for social gatherings or to promote wellness in populations such as nursing homes, assisted living, at risk youth, mentally or physically challenged, and various community situations. Other instruments and dance can also be incorporated into the drum circle. They are distinct from a drumming group or troupe in that the drum circle is an end in itself rather than preparation for a performance. They can range in size from a handful of players to circles with thousands of participants.

A Community Drum Circle is a place for individuals to express themselves through the use of drums and percussion instruments. These instruments are accessible to a multi-generational and multicultural community. An individual can express himself or herself through the instrument without much skill or technique, becoming a part in the group song. The use of different instruments (drums, shakers, bells, etc.) allows the group to experience a metaphoric relation of the unique individuals involved in creating a diverse spontaneous rhythmic song, fun for the whole group. As the groups' sounds evolve, participants begin to hear the rhythmic interdependent relationships creating the songs. Conversations through rhythmic pulses emerge as the community becomes connected beyond the music produced.

Types of Drum and percussion instruments typically found in a drum circle include:

Ashiko
Bongo
Cluster Drum
Cajon Drum
Conga
Dhol (type of 2-headed drum)
Djembe
Doumbek
Drum Sticks
Jug Drum
Shakers
Tambourine
Timbales (sometimes)

Labels: ashiko, bongo, cluster.drum, conga, dhol, djembe, drum, drum.circle, drum.sticks, drums, hand.drum, percussion, percussion.instrument, tambourine, timbales