Drum Circle

Below are some quick but useful tips on starting a drum circle. Good luck!!

1. There is a lot of information already out there on the web about how to start a drum circle. Google it.

2. Buy a drum - You'll need some sort of hand-drum or percussion instrument in order to start or join in a drum circle. A djembe is a good, reasonably inexpensive and practical choice as a beginner drum, and you may also consider investing in a few small but cheap alternate percussion instruments, such as egg shakers or claves.

2. Advertise - flyers in your local drum stores, used cd stores, used book stores, holistic groceries, massage schools, coffee shops - places where new-age types will hang out.

3. Be patient. It takes time to grow these things. Don't worry if you don't have a lot of people. Get started with just a few and meet once or twice per month. Grow it gradually.

4. Get help. Don't try to do it all on your own. Hold an interest meeting for the first session and get volunteers to help you spread the word and shoulder the responsibility of organizing, advertising, coordinating space, etc.

5. Network with all the other drummers in your area - spend time chatting up the guys working in the drum stores; they'll help you get the word out. Here is an excellent resource in finding and hooking up with other drummers in your area: Drum Circle Meetup.

6. Attend local events and festivals and play outdoors every chance you get. People will ask what you're doing, at which point you can give them more information. Never run out of flyers! I had Kinko's run me little quarter sheet tear off pads. I can leave them on counters in local handouts and easily tear off one to give to anyone interested.

7. Start a Myspace group or a Yahoo group so that you don't have to manage an email list on your own computer. Let it do the work for you.

Always remember to have fun and keep an open invitation to new drummers!

Labels: djembe, Djembe.Buying.Guide, drum, drum.circle, drummers, hand.drum, hand.drumming, percussion.instrument

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

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