The djembe is a type of hand drum – it originated in Mali, West Africa and possibly dates back to the 12th century AD. There is a legend in West Africa that a djinn (usually considered to be a malevolent sprite) gave a hollowed out tree to a blacksmith and taught him how to shape it and turn it into a djembe. These drums are believed to house three spirits – one from the tree that forms the body of the drum, one from the animal which provided its skin for the drum, and the spirit of the person who crafted the drum.

The body of the drum is generally carved from a single chunk of timber, preferably from a hollow tree. The drum body is then much stronger than one made from laminating many pieces of wood together. It is usually formed in the shape of a goblet with strings or ropes running up and down the body of the drum which hold on the skin. A tight drum skin produces a better quality sound, but because there are so many ropes holding on the skin, tuning a djembe is a rather tricky process and best left to a professional!

A traditional djembe skin comes from a goat. The central African country of Mali is believed to produce the best goat skins and, therefore, the best djembes. Because they live a harsh existence, their skin is thought to be tougher than goatskin from other parts of the world, so makes a more robust drum skin.

Although commonly thought to be member of the bongo drum family, they are in fact a different type of drum to the bongo. Whereas a bongo usually consists of two drums joined together, the djembe is a single drum. It is a membraphone, which means that it consists of a body topped with a tight skin or membrane.

The djembe is capable of producing a variety of sounds which are generally grouped into three types – the bass, the tone and the slap. The bass tone is made by hitting the drum in the centre. The tone is played with the fingers and hands in a relaxed pose towards the edge of the drum and the slap – as its name suggests – is a sharp sound. The slap is produced by hitting the middle of your hand onto the edge of the drum, and it is a distinctive sound that has a very tribal ring to it.

Labels: african drums, djembe, hand drum

There are two types of drum sets - electronic and acoustic. Each of them requires different drum set accessories that will help produce quality sound as well as maintain the condition of the drums. Drum set accessories include the survival drum kit, damper, anchor, floor, etc. Below are the drum accessories that a player needs according to the type of drum set he uses.

Acoustic Drum Accessories

1. Subkick
Subkick is a low-frequency device that picks up 100Hz to 2000Hz low frequencies that cannot be picked up by a normal microphone. The kick drum creates a jaw-dropping, monstrous bass drum sound when used as a combination with the normal internal kick microphone.

2. Groove and Cascara Wedges
These are interchangeable wedges that are ideal to play with Hip Hop and Latin music. They are available in three models - the Cascara Wedge, Jingle edge and Groove Wedge.

3. Vintage Wood Hoops
These accessories are crafted from selected maple. They are specially coated with urethane in order to provide maximum durability.

Other acoustic drum accessories include a steel snare, tune key, ring mute and many more.


Electronic Drum Accessories

1. Hi-Hat Controllers
Hi-Hat controllers are used for playing techniques such as half open, fully open, fully closed and foot splashes.

2. Kick Pads
These are used to accommodate a double foot pedal set up. It is also used to play with a realistic feel.

3. Triggers
These are used to transmit signal to the drum trigger module. They are attached to the head or shell of an acoustic drum.

Other electronic drum accessories include cymbal pads and attachment, monitor amps, and DTX-PAD Trigger Pads. Trigger pads are optional for electronic drum sets. They are typically used with acoustic drum sets. You can incorporate stereo satellite speakers and sub-woofers to the monitor amps.

Labels: add ons, drum accessories, Drum Sets

Music is something that everyone enjoys. People have different tastes in the music they enjoy, but there are some types of music that interests almost everyone. One of the most popular types of music today involves the sounds that were developed in Latin American counties. They are known for the beats that the music creates and the key instrument behind the beats of Latin American music is the Brazilian drums.

Brazilian drums are used in samba music, but they can be used to play any type of music from rock to reggae. There are several types of Brazilian drums. Each drum creates its own unique sound and has a different use in the music that is played. You can find many different outlets that sell both new and used drums. A person can find them at a traditional music store, or they can find excellent outlets on the internet. The cost of the drums depends on the quality of the instrument. Some of the drums will cost only $100 while others will cost several hundred dollars. You should make sure you choose a set of Brazilian drums that fits your budget.

Once the decision is made to buy some Brazilian drums, the hard part will begin. You will have to learn how to play them. There are some people who have a natural musical talent that allows them to learn to play instruments on their own. They have a great ear for music and a sense of rhythm and can learn to play instruments without any difficulty. If you are one of those people, enjoy your Brazilian drums after you buy them. If you are like most people, it’s going to take a little time to learn this new instrument.

It takes time and patience to learn how to play a new instrument and the Brazilian drums are no different. It can be very helpful to take lessons to learn how to play the drums. This can be done with the help of a music teacher or there are videos and books that you can turn to that can help you learn how to play.

Some people are afraid to get a set of Brazilian drums because they think they are too unique in sound. When you take the time to learn how to play the drums well, the sound that they create is something that is fun and fantastic to listen to. Take the time to learn how to play music with the Brazilian drums rather than just making some noise.

Labels: brazilian, Drums, Latin America, music, samba

When one starts out in the world of music it can be very difficult due to the expense. Good musical instruments are neither the easiest nor the most affordable items to come by. When making a decision as to what to buy one needs to be educated and up to date with the best names in instruments in the music industry.

It is recommended that any beginner begin with what is called a starter set. This can be the same with any instrument including the drums. A starter drum set can be the best thing you could ever buy if you have even the slightest interest in playing the drums. The benefit of a starter drum set is that virtually every company makes them, so one has a wide selection of starter drum sets to choose from. This also means prices (and quality) can easily vary from set to set depending on manufacturer.

Your typical starter set starts with three pieces and they work their way up. The more pieces you have in a drum set the more advanced the set is. A standard starter drum set has a main drum, a snare, a throne, and a set of cymbals. This is all anyone needs to learn how to play the drums well.

The cheapest starter drum set starts around one hundred and sixty dollars. These sets can run all the way up to as high as six hundred dollars. The price increases with the more pieces included with the drum set. There are two well known names in starter drum sets and they are Pearl and Percussion Plus. These two names have been around for a long time and have been known to produce top quality drum sets including the quality of their starter drum sets.

The problem with most other companies is they do not put a large amount of quality or care into their drum sets aimed at younger musicians using their starter drum sets. It can be rough learning to play the drums so to ease this you will want to make sure that you have some of the best pieces of equipment that you can afford for starting out on.

Anyone will tell you that talent and ability are just half the equation and the other half is the quality in which you play on. Quality will always affect the sound of your music and how you play. So if you’re going to start out in the world of musical percussion then start right with a decent starter drum set.

Labels: ddrums, junior set, kids drum set, starter kit

Latin percussion is one of the largest in the family of percussion instruments. There is such a wide variety of music, sound and even instruments from this family. Some of the instruments in the Latin percussion family are the bongo, conga, clave, cowbell, timbales, shaker and maracas, to name a few.

The roots of Latin Percussion can be found in African tribal music which shares not only the sound but also many of the same instruments. Also one of the world’s largest manufacturers of the Latin instruments is called Latin Percussion. Latin Percussion has become a huge name in this style of music. It was in 1956 that Latin Percussion began, started by a man named Martin Cohen who had just walked into a Latin Jazz club in downtown New York City. Martin became so enthralled with the music he wanted to learn more, however because of the trade embargo the United States had with Cuba at the time made finding top quality Latin instruments very difficult. Martin set out to design his own set of bongos which failed miserably.

However as with anything else, time and plenty of practice does indeed make perfect as Martin Cohen found his niche and began manufacturing Latin instruments, thus Latin Percussion was born. Since then Latin Percussion has become a name in the jazz and Latin American music scene being known for making top quality and authentic Latin instruments.

Latin Percussion makes all manners of instruments and is well known for their cowbells which was one of Martin Cohen’s first contracted instruments. The bongos and congas are made with a fine fiberglass design for the body and a fine rawhide top which is stretched over the body and secured by an overhang along the top and around the diameter of the body. These drums are designed with such precise craftsmanship that they can withstand just about any and all abuse which musicians place on their drums.

You can find any of the drums from Latin Percussion to be made from gold, brass and even chrome. The metals which wrap around the base and top of the drum are made from the highest quality of metallurgic materials that anyone can find today. Most musicians comment on the high quality of sound the drums of Latin Percussion make. You can find Latin Percussion instruments online at any good music dealer site that knows quality percussion instruments.

Labels: bongo, clave, conga, Latin Percussion, martin cohen

There are a lot of drum sets out there in the market; more brands and companies than you can shake a drumstick at. This is why one needs to be kept aware of who makes some of the best products in the world of percussion instruments - and none get better than the Gretsch signature series.

In 1863 Friedrich Gretsch opened a music shop in New York City. Since then, the small corner music shop has flourished into worldwide production of some of the most well known drums today. Gretsch has an incredible lineup of awesome drum sets and models. With over twenty main drum sets between their regular lineup and their Gretsch Signature Series, you have more than enough options to choose from. Some of the sets include the Blackhawk, the Blackhawk 23, Renegade, Energy, Renown, New Classic and the Brooklyn Series.

Gretsch also has one of the most noticeable and well known badges in percussion music; a badge that has changed throughout the years still signifies a standard of excellence in the world of drums. These drums start at a nice small sum of almost four hundred dollars - some of the cheapest prices in the drum market - however Gretsch drum sets can go all the way up as far as four thousand dollars. These drum sets are designed with a thin wooden wrap which can be found on all of the drums produced by Gretsch but oak is only used on higher priced sets. The drum shells are held in shape by stainless steel rods which run all around the drum shell. Even the percussion covers which are stretched over the drum shell are made of fine leather which can stand up to constant abuse and use from drum sticks and hands. Most Gretsch drum sets require minimal upkeep and replacement of parts.

When you go to a music concert, almost fifty percent of the drum sets seen on stage are that of Gretsch model designs. The only drawback to this is that Gretsch does not make a true beginner model of drum set; they are designed for the most skilled soloist in music. So if you are looking for a starter Gretsch model drum set remember you should have probably have already practiced and learned on a cheaper set. When you work your way up to a Gretsch drum set you will all the skill and talent to take the set sound fantastic.

Labels: best drum set, catalina, Gretsch

One of the best names in percussion drum sets is Pearl. Pearl drum sets have been around for a while now; the Pearl Company was founded back in 1952 in Japan. The original purpose of the company was to design instruments for children.

They started out manufacturing drums, cymbals, stands, drum kits and a few other accessories. These were all targeted to beginners or children of all ages. It was not until the beginning of the 1970s that Pearl drums and other percussion instruments found their way to America and the North American percussion market.

Pearl is in America an offshoot of the company Gibson Guitars which is how Pearl built a popularity base outside of Japan. In the last thirty or so years Pearl has acquired a power base of five factories worldwide which supplies numerous countries with their products. Today you can find Pearl manufactured equipment all over and on many stages of many professional musical bands.

In the beginner line, Pearl has five drum sets. These brands are as follows; Rhythm Traveler, Target, Sound Check, Forum and Vision. These are six piece sets designed for children and beginners of all ages.

The second line of sets is called the Professional line. These are named the Session Studio Classic, Masters Custom, Masters Premium, Masters Premium Legend, Reference Pure, Reference and Masterworks. These sets are amazing and have a good rating of quality and use. They come complete with varying amounts of equipment depending on which set you purchase.

Pearl even produces a set of electrical drums called ePro Live. These electric drum sets are Pearl’s first attempt to work on something electronic. Pearl also has plans to delve into the line of digital drum equipment using the ePro set as a stepping stone.

Pearl even has a limited edition line of drum sets. These sets include the Redline, the 50th Anniversary set, the Chad Smith, the Joey Jordison, and of course the ever popular Mahogany.

What makes Pearl so popular with musicians is that they have strived for over fifty years to not just manufacture the highest quality of product but to also to evolve and change as the times around them change. Most of these sets made by Pearl rate at four to four and a half stars out of five, making Pearl drum sets one of the most well received sets on the open market today.

Labels: chuck smith, Joey Jordison, pearl drums, redline, rhythm traveler