Drum Circle Blog Informational blog on hand drumming and hand drum instruments including djembe drums, congas, bongos, tambourines, cajons and other world percussion drums. We also cover worldwide drum circle festivals, world percussion instruments in major recordings and hand drum artist features. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 9 1325

Articles from Drum Circle Blog

Toca Conga Maintenance 2007-04-30 17:34:00 Properly maintaining your Toca congas will help keep them sounding and looking great for years to come. After reading this blog you should have a good understanding of how to maintain your Toca conga drums. It is a good idea to slightly loosen your heads after playing. Going in a circular motion, give each tension nut a half turn clockwise to loosen. Do this, working your way completely around ...

Tuning Conga Drums 2007-04-24 10:51:00 Conga tuning is a really up to the player. There is not a specific tone that any one drum should be tuned to, but there are some guidelines. When playing with harmonic instruments, they may be tuned to specific notes. Generally conga drums are tuned using the open tone. The open tone is played with the four fingers near the rim of the head, producing a clear resonant tone with a distinct pitch. ...

Difference Between Fiberglass and Wood Congas 2007-04-16 13:06:00 So, you're in the market for a new set of congas, bongos, or some other world-percussion drum but not sure if you should go with fiberglass or wood. Well, you've stumbled onto the right site. Shopping for world percussion instruments can be bit overwhelming. There are such a wide variety of choices and features that sometimes you lose sight of what you want. Hopefully after reading this blog ...

Latin Percussion Brands Explained 2007-04-12 12:47:00 What began forty years ago with a simple set of bongos, has evolved into the most complete collection of percussion instruments available today. The Latin Percussion collection of products is available in multiple brands, each with their own purpose to suit different types of players. To assist you with making the correct purchase we have provided the following breakdown with descriptions of the ...

The Healing Power of the Drum: Book Review 2007-04-10 11:46:00 New York psychotherapist and drum facilitator Robert Lawrence Friedman, writes in his 2000 soft-cover book, "The Healing Power of the Drum: A Psychotherapist Explores the Healing Power of Rhythm," how individuals through drumming can attain psychological, physiological and spiritual wellbeing. Clocking in at 208 pages, the book is both a personal account and an introductory guide to the subject ...

Riq vs. Tambourine 2007-04-05 12:02:00 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 ...

How To Start A Drum Circle 2007-04-03 13:14:00 Below are some quick but useful tips on starting a drum circle. Good luck!! 1. There is a lot of information already out there on the web about how to start a drum circle. Google it. 2. Buy a drum - You'll need some sort of hand-drum or percussion instrument in order to start or join in a drum circle. A djembe is a good, reasonably inexpensive and practical choice as a beginner drum, and you ...

Drumhead Replacement - A 'How To' Guide 2007-03-28 13:44:00 Below is a step-by-step guide in replacing drumheads. After reading the information, you will be able to replace drumheads on frame (ex: tambourine, african djembe) and ceramic drums. 1. You will need: masking tape, yellow wood glue, a straight edge (i.e. yardstick, etc), a utility knife and a clamp, along with your drum and the replacement goatskin head. An extended hose clamp works well. A ...

African Djembe Drums - Rope Djembe 2007-03-19 16:51:00 African Djembe, Rama SitaThe African djembe (also jembe, jenbe, yembe, sanbanyi in Susu; pronounced "ZHEM-bay") is a goatskin covered drum shaped like a large goblet and meant to be played with bare hands. Traditionally crafted djembe drums are carved in one single piece from hollowed out hardwood trees. Specific types of wood depend upon the forests accessible to the drum makers. Some West ...

Hand Drum Specialty Store Aims to Please Percussion Enthusiasts 2007-03-18 13:34:00 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. ...

Tuning Conga Drums 2007-03-12 15:14:00 Congas, being percussive instruments, do not have to be tuned to any particular note in purely percussive settings. They are tunable to different notes. However, when playing with harmonic instruments, they may be tuned to specific notes. Generally congas are tuned using the open tone. The original drums were tuned by adjusting knots and tension ropes on the drumhead, or, where the drumheads were ...

The Women Master Drummers of Guinea 2007-03-09 12:32:00 The following is an unbelievable story I recently read regarding women in Africa who are literally being disowned by family members for playing the drums. That's what many members of the Amazones (The Women Master Drummers of Guinea) have to deal with in their native African homeland of Guinea. The instrument of choice in The Amazones performance is the djembe. Traditionally played by men in ...

History of the Bongo Drum 2007-03-07 12:32:00 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 ... History

Mid-East Mfg: World Percussion Supplier 2007-03-02 13:46:00 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 ...

The Tycoon Percussion Difference 2007-02-28 18:35:00 Virtually all percussion instruments that are manufactured today are made in Bangkok, Thailand. Bangkok's close proximity to the raw material and skilled labor needed to manufacture percussion instruments make it an ideal location. Brands such as Tycoon, Latin Percussion, Toca, Meinl, and Fat Congas to name a few are all manufactured in Thailand. In fact Latin Percussion and Toca are ...