X8 Drums Blog

The rhythm we're going to do on this 10" Djembe today is called Sinte. Sinte is a rhythm that is used traditionally with young ladies for celebration, sometimes for initiation purposes. In the United States the rhythm is usually used for celebration. Sinte is like a Lamba feel or a 4/4 type of feel. The break begins the rhythm, changes the dancers and ends the rhythm. For this particular song, it is a different kind of break, so watch the break. [RHYTHM PERFORM …

Djembe Buying Guide: Part 8, Tuning Your Djembe Learn how to tune your rope tuned djembe. In this lesson you will get step by step instructions on how to create diamonds with the extra rope on your drum in order to tighten the drum head. Understand what a tuned djembe should sound like and get advanced instructions on how to create a second row of diamonds for drums that need extra tightening. Lastly you will learn how to wrap the extra rope around your drum once you …

Music therapy has shown significant improvements for those with disabilities and impairments that affect daily living. From newborn babies to the elderly, music reaches places within the mind that ordinary medicine or therapies cannot touch. Schools may be the easiest system to expose children to the benefits of music and drumming therapy. Research has shown that drumming is an effective way to increase the access of music therapy for children, citing the ease with which children a …

The sound of your cajon is very adjustable. There's a bass tone in the middle area, and on the edge there's a slap or a crack. With this guide, you will learn how to adjust the corner crack tone. Start with a far corner of the faceplate - furthest from the body of the cajon. When the plate is less taught, the drum gives a slow dynamic and a rather pronounced crack. That sound might be too much for some people. To adjust the response, take a Phillips Head screwdriver and very gentl …

The cajon is believed to have originated in Peru when the African slaves, brought to Peru from Angola, began using fruit crates as percussion instruments. Displaced from their homeland, the African slaves substituted cod shipping crates for their native drums. In Cuba, small dresser drawers were used for the same purpose. The instrument was refined and became an important part of Cuban and Peruvian music. Early usage of the Peruvian cajon was to accompany Tondero and Zamacueca (old vers …

Four awesome Cajon players are Mario Cortes, Mike Meadows, Nina Rodriguez, and Stephan Maass. A cajon is a type of percussion instrument, or drum that is typically in the form of a box that is slapped on the front face with the hand. While each of these famous players uses a cajon, the way in which they play and how they have used their fame to endorse new cajons show off their personal style. Mario Cortes is one of the most recognized cajon players known for the LP Cajon. The LP Cajon …

Cajon drums are rapidly increasing their unique sound and style in all types of music today. These drums can be found in all venues and recording studios, replacing the need, at times, for a standard drum set and giving the acoustic sound of drums a unique flavor that only serves to add to the overall tone and presentation of a song. For such a seemingly simple instrument, the Cajon drum is a powerful force in the world of music and rhythm today. Cajon drums …

Drum circles are an entertaining and expressive way to join together people from all walks of life. The intention behind a drum circle may vary, whether for charity, health and wellness, fun or strengthening community bonds, and regardless of the drum circle purpose, its overall benefit affects all who participate. Facilitating a drum circle is another step in the life of the drum circle enthusiast. It requires leadership, organization and a willingness to provide an atmosphere th …

Many times when we are playing djembe with our friends or by ourselves, there is no dundun available. There are three dunduns in the dundun family; Kenkeni which is the smallest, Sangban and the Dundunba. The drum is traditionally played with a stick on one side and often a dundun bell on top or in Mali sometimes they use a bell that hangs like a ring on your thumb. In this video we are going to show you how to play a dundun part within the djembe context. That typically …

The Meinl Snare Cajon and Toca Snare Cajon come with a fully adjustable snare on the inside that is in contact with the faceplate. To control the cajon snare effect, tighten or loosen the knob and adjust the snare levels or turn it all the way off. When the snare is in light contact, the snare effect is the strongest. And if you want the snare off, back the knob off and retighten it in position and the snare effect will be gone. If you take the faceplate off of the caj …