X8 Drums Blog

Ever pondered on playing an instrument like the djembe or a guitar, but thought it was not worth your time? Think again! Music is beneficial to everybody. There are thousands of reasons to convince yourself that playing an instrument is worth every minute. Several studies show that playing music helps develop the cognitive skills of children and adolescents. It also instills self-discipline, builds confidence, increases productivity and socially connects kids and teens with their peers. Mus …

Drumming can be therapeutic, healing, invigorating or just fun for one person, or an entire group. Many drummers begin drumming and develop a relationship of sorts with their drum, giving it a name or defining its personality that comes out during play. Some drummers take this connection a step further by creating their own drum from basic materials, pouring their hearts, souls and talent into the construction of an instrument that becomes an instant treasure.If you have ev …

Learn your first (or a new) Djembe Rhythm! In this digital djembe video lesson, Michael Pluznick will teach you how to play a rhythm called Calypso with Caribbean roots from Trinidad. While this isn't a traditional djembe rhythm, it is very useful to learn as your first rhythm. Features: Learn how to keep the pulse of the djembe rhythm with your left hand using a light foot tap as a guide Right hand leads the tone Understand how to enter the rhythm …

In this lesson Michael Pluznick will show you how to play the traditional Konowulen Rhythm on Dununba. The lesson runs just over 17 minutes and shows how to play the dununba ballet style so that you can play it with less players while still getting the full sound spectrum. In this video: How to play all the djembe accompaniment parts Solo technique Exercise for learning the feel of this rhythm How to play the dununs ballet style and one at a time Slow mot …

In this lesson Michael Pluznick will show you how to take the traditional Kakilambe Rhythm arrangement and play it on one drum. You will learn three different parts of the Kakilambe rhythm that can be played on djembe. In this video: Introduction to Kakilambe Rhythm with three djembe players Breakdown of the rhythm parts Kakilambe Call/Break Kakilambe accompaniment part 1 Kakilambe dundunba part on djembe Combination of the traditional djembe part wit …

In this video djembe lesson, Michael Pluznick shows the basics of how to do a six stroke roll, which is very useful in soloing. A six stroke roll refers to the number of beats or hits your hand makes per phrase when making a roll. The drum roll starts on "the one" or first down beat and and ends before the second downbeat. In this video: Rear view of the basic phrase. Watch Michael's left leg it is holding the four count or beat. The next section shows the phrase in sl …

How do I learn how to play djembe? At first, the djembe seems easy to play. The first time you hit it, it feels good! It is so exciting to make your first sounds! But for 99% of us, it gets boring pretty fast playing the same one sound and rhythm. And many djembes end up becoming furniture. So how do we really learn to play? Learning to play your djembe is like learning to play any other instrument. It takes a little time and energy and what you put into it will co …

Percussionist Michael Pluznick shares a few exercises from yoga and other sources for limbering up before playing djembe. These exercises also help with increased dexterity, flexibility and also to avoid injuries. You can try these before or after drumming or when you have a break. They are also useful if you are on the computer a lot. In this video Hand and Finger Stretch Back Stretch Arm/Upper Body Stretch --------------- by Michael Pluzn …

When you first sit down to play your drum, you have to start at the root, also known as the Root System. The "root" for djembe playing starts at the feet. You want your feet planted flat. Moving up the body, now focus on the drum position. You want it between your legs with the bowl resting comfortably in the middle of your inner thighs. The drum is on a slight tilt so that the bass and tone can escape from the bottom of the drum as you play. Next, focus on you …

One of the most frequently asked questions from beginner to intermediate level djembe players is How Do I Solo on My Djembe? Today I'd like to show you a fom I've developed that will help you learn to solo, to have more fun and to play in an organized way that will be pleasing to yourself as well as others. In this video we are going to play a solo for the rhythm Diansa however it will work for any rhythm. Today's format will be in 4/4 and what we're going to d …