oh wow, didnt know about this forum! what hand drums do ya have?
- Thread starter fluxtah
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djbaniak
Guest
I been playing congas for... oh... 2 months now. I wanna join in on some drum circles around the area, there's one coming up on Friday I think in a town about 5 miles from here.
Do you guys do drum circles? I think they get a bad rap as being the domain of "smelly dreadlocked hippies" (no offense to hippies... I can be pretty smelly myself, and had dreadlocks once...) and that pisses me off... as far as a communal musical experience goes drum circles can't be beat (no pun intended)... for christ sakes, they've probably been around for longer than any other music...
No... I don't play the doumbek... are those the drums that are made of clay... and go "bawooomp"?
How do you guys play? Do you learn beats on your hand drums, and then join in on that beat? or do you improvise? I try to find a series of evolving, but steady beats, that complement other rhythms... I don't really have the confidence to improvise on congas yet.
(BTW I usually play saxophone.)
Do you guys do drum circles? I think they get a bad rap as being the domain of "smelly dreadlocked hippies" (no offense to hippies... I can be pretty smelly myself, and had dreadlocks once...) and that pisses me off... as far as a communal musical experience goes drum circles can't be beat (no pun intended)... for christ sakes, they've probably been around for longer than any other music...
No... I don't play the doumbek... are those the drums that are made of clay... and go "bawooomp"?
How do you guys play? Do you learn beats on your hand drums, and then join in on that beat? or do you improvise? I try to find a series of evolving, but steady beats, that complement other rhythms... I don't really have the confidence to improvise on congas yet.
(BTW I usually play saxophone.)
ive been bashing my drums for about a year, the djembe is fairly recent one, I think the REMO djembe is great for festivals cos its so robust it can be thrown around but its in no way a traditional djembe.
the doumbek? Ive seen and listen to a few african live acts so ive probably hear one. i dont play one though.
i would love to have a talking drum or tabla, they sound so lovely!
I just play it and try to play along to stuff, ive never jammed with anyone really, i would like too! As I say i havent had any pro tution so i just try to immitate what i hear and see. I could do with a few usefull pointers and learning tips.
fluxtah
the doumbek? Ive seen and listen to a few african live acts so ive probably hear one. i dont play one though.
i would love to have a talking drum or tabla, they sound so lovely!
I just play it and try to play along to stuff, ive never jammed with anyone really, i would like too! As I say i havent had any pro tution so i just try to immitate what i hear and see. I could do with a few usefull pointers and learning tips.
fluxtah
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Yo dj baniak...
Methinks that the drum you're thinking about (bawoomp) is the udu, I mentioned it in another post. It's an instrument whose origins reside in Nigeria... it's basically a modified clay pot, with an extra hole in the middle. They don't lend themselves well to drum circles, though, because they're so quiet. To clarify, the doumbek is gourd-shaped, like the djembe, but has a flat top head, and is traditionally played underneath the arm of the performer.
As far as drum circles go... yes, there are dirty smelly hippies... that's not just a stereotype... but you're right, nothing beats the communal experience. Generally, drum circles will evolve from one beat, started by one performer, and end up being a completely different entity, as more people add and subtract their musical input. Depending on how many people attend, and how hardcore they are, it might just be a constant, ever-evolving rhythm that lasts for hours.
To improve your hand-drum proficiency (this is an extreme generalization) the key is creativity and a sense of rhythm. Usually, in local drum circles, no one cares about your technique; it's all about what you can contribute to the group. You can practice for hours getting your strokes to a lighting fast pace, but what good is that when you're jamming with friends in the circle? Listen to all types of rhythm-based music, whether that be hiphop, classical, or post-rock, whatever moves you, and just transfer that feeling to your drum. You'll be a master of styles in no time
The_Kid
Methinks that the drum you're thinking about (bawoomp) is the udu, I mentioned it in another post. It's an instrument whose origins reside in Nigeria... it's basically a modified clay pot, with an extra hole in the middle. They don't lend themselves well to drum circles, though, because they're so quiet. To clarify, the doumbek is gourd-shaped, like the djembe, but has a flat top head, and is traditionally played underneath the arm of the performer.
As far as drum circles go... yes, there are dirty smelly hippies... that's not just a stereotype... but you're right, nothing beats the communal experience. Generally, drum circles will evolve from one beat, started by one performer, and end up being a completely different entity, as more people add and subtract their musical input. Depending on how many people attend, and how hardcore they are, it might just be a constant, ever-evolving rhythm that lasts for hours.
To improve your hand-drum proficiency (this is an extreme generalization) the key is creativity and a sense of rhythm. Usually, in local drum circles, no one cares about your technique; it's all about what you can contribute to the group. You can practice for hours getting your strokes to a lighting fast pace, but what good is that when you're jamming with friends in the circle? Listen to all types of rhythm-based music, whether that be hiphop, classical, or post-rock, whatever moves you, and just transfer that feeling to your drum. You'll be a master of styles in no time
The_Kid
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djbaniak
Guest
Hey,
Cool... thanks for the encouragement... I think that I'll start jamming along to some of my favorite music pretty soon... I have some pretty eclectic (not necessarily odd, just wide ranging) tastes... so maybe I'll be able to pick up alot of rhythms...
yeah... thanks...
Cool... thanks for the encouragement... I think that I'll start jamming along to some of my favorite music pretty soon... I have some pretty eclectic (not necessarily odd, just wide ranging) tastes... so maybe I'll be able to pick up alot of rhythms...
yeah... thanks...
One of my favourit things is putting on a CD and drumming aong to it. I'm pretty bad, but as somebody was saying you dont actually have to be brilliantly fast to contribute something when playing along with other music or in a circle. It's more about what you can add to the rhythm. one or two good whacks per bar can really change the feel of a whole piece.
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nullex
Guest
yeah, that's a very good point. the same goes for beat boxing (sorry to go off topic a little), which my friends and i do also. the best members of any sort of percussive circle are those that realize they don't have to be the center of the beat and can add little high-lights that make the circle better discretely. i love drum circles.
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fishi
Guest
Elo.
I've been toIndia a month ago and bought 3 different drums. The best one is called MRDANGA. It's originaly made of clay and has that BAWOOMP sound you're talking about. I bought a fiberglass version because of the transport. It sounds very good although its plastic. It has two sides - a bass sound (bawoomp) and a high sound. It sounds very similar to tabla, but has more sharp edge and can also be played seriously loud! I play it all the time, yeah, It rocks! The other drum I bought is called DHOLAK, and it is a wooden drum. It also has two sides - bass and high sound, but is tuneable, so you can make a sound that you like. It is not so big though, and therefore not really loud. I gave it to my friend as a gift, becaus mrdanga is so much better. The third drum reminds me on a snare drum. It looks like an 8 inch clay pot with a cow skin mounted on it. It has a seriously loud, high and sharp sound and it's played with thin wooden sticks. The way you play it is similar to playing a snare drum. It sounds fantastic and fits great in house or techno music. I've been performing with it along with a DJ in few clubs and it was great. I forgot the name of this drum, though. Next time I'll buy one with a bigger diameter, so I'll be able to play two different tones. ql.
peace.
I've been toIndia a month ago and bought 3 different drums. The best one is called MRDANGA. It's originaly made of clay and has that BAWOOMP sound you're talking about. I bought a fiberglass version because of the transport. It sounds very good although its plastic. It has two sides - a bass sound (bawoomp) and a high sound. It sounds very similar to tabla, but has more sharp edge and can also be played seriously loud! I play it all the time, yeah, It rocks! The other drum I bought is called DHOLAK, and it is a wooden drum. It also has two sides - bass and high sound, but is tuneable, so you can make a sound that you like. It is not so big though, and therefore not really loud. I gave it to my friend as a gift, becaus mrdanga is so much better. The third drum reminds me on a snare drum. It looks like an 8 inch clay pot with a cow skin mounted on it. It has a seriously loud, high and sharp sound and it's played with thin wooden sticks. The way you play it is similar to playing a snare drum. It sounds fantastic and fits great in house or techno music. I've been performing with it along with a DJ in few clubs and it was great. I forgot the name of this drum, though. Next time I'll buy one with a bigger diameter, so I'll be able to play two different tones. ql.
peace.