X8 Drum Circle Community

Drum Circle Blog

Start a Drum Circle, Success Story

Thanks to the efforts of Moya Moye at the University of South Carolina, many students are enjoying the positive health benefits of hand drumming.

After only a month, his drum circle turnout has grown from one participant to groups of 20-25. All it took to get that far was a single drummer and a sign up form.

The story is inspiring and testimony that drumming plus the energy of drum circles has amazing health benefits for people of all ages.

If you are interested in starting a drum circle, follow these simple steps that have made the drum circle at USC a success:

1. Be your own drum circle.
Moya started his drum circle by playing his drums outside of a local cafe with a sign next to him that read "Sign Up for Drum Circle". As people came over to sign up, he let them know that all types of musicians are welcome and no experience is needed.

2. "The only thing we discriminate against is negativity." - USC drum circle participant
Make sure that you, as the leader, always provide positive feedback to your members. Your attitude and actions will be reflected by the rest of the members.

3. Create a webpage for your drum circle
Moya created a FaceBook profile page for his drum circle so that members can connect online. FaceBook provides an easy interface for you to maintain a schedule of events and locations, upload photos and the ability for members to leave comments (no HTML knowledge is needed). Drum Circle Meetup is also a great place to promote your drum circle online.

Tell us about your drum circle success using the comments link below!

X8 Drums provides special packages to drum circle facilitators. Contact us to dicuss djembe offerings and other hand percussion instruments for your events.

Djembe Buying Guide

7. Compare Djembe Brands

8. Earth Friendly Djembe

9. About African Djembes

10. Djembe Rhythm Samples

11. Djembe Rope. Why Quality Matters.

12. Caring for your Djembe

13. Best Beginner Djembe

1. History of Djembe Drums

2. Which Size is Right for Me?

3. Wood vs. Synthetic Djembe

4. Rope Tuned vs. Key Tuned Djembe

5. Djembe Rope Tuning Demo

6. How to Play a Djembe

Labels: Djembe.Buying.Guide, djembe.drum, drum.circle, drumming, x8.drums

posted by Kristin @ 9:50 AM

Professional Djembe Player for Recording Session

We're looking for a professional djembe player to demo eight new African djembe drums that our shop (X8 Drums) is having custom designed and imported from Bali. We will be setting up in a recording studio in Manhattan and will be recording the sounds from each drum and video taping the session. The video sessions and audio will be published on our e-commerce website and used for other marketing purposes. The session will take place in one day.

We're looking for someone who is not only a very good player but is a good teacher as well. You will need to be able to effectively communicate into the camera and be personable. Also, there will be a segment where you will need to walk through the various steps on tuning and detuning a rope-based djembe. Knowing how to repair African djembes, including changing drumheads, would also be beneficial although not a requirement for this particular gig.

Ruby Pro Djembe

This is a paid job! Rates will be discussed over the phone and will be based on professionalism and experience. Please only apply if you are properly trained as a djembe player and have years of experience doing so. You must have proper technique and understand the fundamentals of playing this drum and as I mentioned be able to communicate effectively.

To be considered, please have a resume readily available and be able to send audio or video samples of you playing a djembe drum. Sending samples of you playing other hand drums or a drum kit is not acceptable. Also, you will need to live close to New York City. References are a plus.

Thanks, Mark

Labels: djembe, djembe.drum, x8.djembes, x8.drums

posted by Kristin @ 10:46 AM

Hand Drum Specialty Store Aims to Please Percussion Enthusiasts

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.