What are the differences between a Riq and a tambourine? They tend to resemble each other and seem to be played in a similar style, however there are subtle differences that make each one unique.

The riq (also spelled riqq or rik) is a type of tambourine used as a traditional instrument in Arabic music. It traditionally has a wooden frame (although in the modern era it may also be made of metal), jingles, and a thin, translucent head made of fish skin (or, more recently, a synthetic material). The frame of the riq can be covered on both the inner and outer sides with inlay such as mother-of-pearl, ivory or decorative wood, like apricot or lemon. It has ten pairs of small cymbals (about 4 cm in diameter), mounted in five pairs of slits. The skin of a fish is glued on and tightened over the frame, which is about 6 cm deep. In Egypt the riq is usually 20 cm wide; in Iraq it is slightly larger. The player of the riq plays without singing. The player alternates between striking the membrane and shaking the jingles, as the need for freedom of movement necessitates that they stand up. Students of the instrument are required to master the technical problems imposed by the timbre of the membrane and the jingles, both separately and in combination; aside from developing a virtuoso technique they also need to learn the many rhythmic cycles and the techniques of modifying them through creative invention.

The tambourine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a single drumhead mounted on a ring with pairs of small metal jingles. Most modern tambourines used in western popular music today consist only of the ring and jingles, with no drumhead. The tambourine can be held in the hand or mounted on a stand, and can be played in numerous ways, from stroking or shaking the jingles to striking it sharply with hand or stick or using the tambourine to strike the leg or hip. It is found in many forms of music, classic music, Roman music, Persian music, gospel music, pop music and rock music.

Remo Prizmatic Tambourine

10" Tunable Tambourine

Riq 8"

Glen Velez Riq

Labels: cymbals, drumhead, fish.skin.head, jingles, percussion.instrument, riq, tambourine, world.percussion

X8 Drums announces new hand drum and world percussion online store. Percussionists around the world are enjoying personal expert advice when selecting hand drums and the added benefits of the X8 Drum Circle that includes festival schedules, how-to guides and an artist directory.

Jersey City, NJ -- Specializing in top quality hand drums and world percussion instruments at discount prices, X8 Drums today announced its new online store for artists and all hand drum enthusiasts. In addition to offering the entire line of top hand drum manufacturers; x8drums.com features a drum circle blog on topics such as hand drum news, how-to articles, drum circle events, and instrument care. The site also offers a hand drum artist directory as well as providing expert advice on its extensive offering of hand drums.

Started by artist husband Mark Stancato and his wife Kristin, X8 Drums strives to not only be the premier online store for all things hand drums but more of web portal and destination spot for drummers. "Knowledge of our product, huge selection, informative articles, and our easy-to-use web site are the key ingredients that separate us from our competitors" remarked co-founder, Mark Stancato. "We're not trying to be all things to everyone. We specialize in hand drums, understand the needs of our customers and truly care about the people that buy from us," added Kristin Stancato.

The website's focus of product will be on congas, bongos, djembes, hand-held percussion, cajon drums, frame drums, and kids percussion from top hand drum manufacturers such as Latin Percussion, Tycoon Percussion, Toca Percussion, and Remo. "Unlike many online stores selling instruments, we're not just selling products", said Mark Stancato. "We're truly independent, serve a niche market, and are focused on matching up our customer's needs with the right product. Providing a hassle free online experience complete with accurate information, knowledgeable staff, great selection, and full transparency are at the heart of what we're about."

About X8drums.com
X8 Drums is a premier online store for all things hand drums. It's all about helping artists and hand drum enthusiasts fill their needs with the right gear. X8 Drums is dedicated to becoming the leading online store and destination spot for all hand drum enthusiasts and artists.

LATEST NEWS:

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PS: Feel free to contact us with questions, or if you just want to chat about percussion were here as well. Please note if we don't have what you're looking for we encourage you to drop a line to see if we can get it. Or you can just reach out to tell us your story.

Congas

Djembe

Remo Bongos

Tambourines

Labels: about.x8.drums, bongos, cajon, cajon.drum, cajons, conga, tambourines, world.percussion, x8.drums, x8.drums.history

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

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