Hand drums?

[BoneDigger]

I realize this forum is for stringed instruments, but I just picked up a few hand drums (congas, djembes, etc.) and I'm starting to really enjoy them. Anyone here into these and have any tips? Also, any forums specialize in these?

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[Steve DeRosa]

My wife amassed a fairly substantial collection (congas, bongos, djembe, ashiko, talking drum, doumbek, dharbuka, muzhar, timbales, Native American hand drums, as well as assorted small percussion) over the years, and was a pretty good conguera until carpal tunnel set in, so I'm familiar with most of what's involved; since I don't think you're going to find an Afro-Latin percussion teacher too easily in Tyler, about the best solution I can suggest is to order a few books, watch some YouTube vids covering the fundamentals of the different instruments (FYI there are specialized techniques for each - if you're playing them correctly), and dig out all your old Santana recordings to see how each one fills a role in an ensemble setting - that should get you started...

I'd also start with the djembe (IME it's the closest thing to an all-purpose hand drum) and approach it as you would a new guitar: work slowly, listen carefully, and get acquainted with the different tones you can achieve at different places on the head and with different techniques. Since you have some banjo experience, eventually you might want to experiment with head tension, or even materials if you're not a strict traditionalist; FYI Remo makes synthetic heads for many varieties of hand percussion, which have the advantages of smoother texture vs. rawhide, more dynamic capability, and far more stable tuning (think guitarists have humidification issues...?), albeit at the cost of richness of tone in the eyes of some hide-bound (pun intended) older percussionists - think the ongoing debate over synthetic/steel vs. gut strings among upright bass players and you'll get the idea...

Finally, even a first-grader can be taught to lay down a simple rhythm; treat it as an expressive instrument, and the rhythmic anchor of an acoustic ensemble; don't be tempted to just bang away aimlessly - unless, of course, you and Todd Rundgren have the same supervisor...

Good luck...

[BoneDigger]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

My wife amassed a fairly substantial collection (congas, bongos, djembe, ashiko, talking drum, doumbek, dharbuka, muzhar, timbales, Native American hand drums, as well as assorted small percussion) over the years, and was a pretty good conguera until carpal tunnel set in, so I'm familiar with most of what's involved; since I don't think you're going to find an Afro-Latin percussion teacher too easily in Tyler, about the best solution I can suggest is to order a few books, watch some YouTube vids covering the fundamentals of the different instruments (FYI there are specialized techniques for each - if you're playing them correctly), and dig out all your old Santana recordings to see how each one fills a role in an ensemble setting - that should get you started...

I'd also start with the djembe (IME it's the closest thing to an all-purpose hand drum) and approach it as you would a new guitar: work slowly, listen carefully, and get acquainted with the different tones you can achieve at different places on the head and with different techniques. Since you have some banjo experience, eventually you might want to experiment with head tension, or even materials if you're not a strict traditionalist; FYI Remo makes synthetic heads for many varieties of hand percussion, which have the advantages of smoother texture vs. rawhide, more dynamic capability, and far more stable tuning (think guitarists have humidification issues...?), albeit at the cost of richness of tone in the eyes of some hide-bound (pun intended) older percussionists - think the ongoing debate over synthetic/steel vs. gut strings among upright bass players and you'll get the idea...

Finally, even a first-grader can be taught to lay down a simple rhythm; treat it as an expressive instrument, and the rhythmic anchor of an acoustic ensemble; don't be tempted to just bang away aimlessly - unless, of course, you and Todd Rundgren have the same supervisor...

Good luck...

Thanks Steve! I appreciate it. I have several djembes, a set of congas, a Bodhran, and some bongos. I think I'll do some research on basic playing styles.

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[tdq]

I played djembe for many years and played quite a bit of kenkene and dun-duns too (larger drums with sticks and bells) For those instruments it was really worth playing with some teachers (group lessons are a great way to start) to get the techniques down, and then to learn some rhythms - it took me a good year before you could hear the difference between my tone and slap (and I don't think I ever really got it down).

[ctgagnon]

You might try Googling "drum circles" and see if there are any that meet regularly in your area. Great place to start. There will be folks there willing to give basic technique and probably extra drums for you to use.

[JCook1]

I play a bit of djembe, and I took a drum class locally where I live with a great drummer who gave us technique in djembe, congas, and other hand percussion instruments. A class like that is excellent because you get not only the particular technique for each drum, but you also learn about different rhythms in different cultures and styles of music. He also taught us how to tune the drum, which is important. There are quite a few videos online that are pretty good, but there's nothing like a class.

The teacher also told us about the idea that hand drumming is beneficial for the immune system. I don't have proof of that, but drumming, like all music is very good for the soul and the mind. He ran a drum circle also, which I've attended a number of times, and I can say that after drumming with a bunch of people for an hour and a half I felt much less stressed and anxious about things in life. It's a good thing to do.

Jack

[H2O]

I've played djembe for several years. As with all things, just keep practicing and you will progress.

[Kerbie]

I've played percussion almost all my life, so I've played a lot of hand drums. I tend to prefer the djembes and usually those made by Remo. I think their sound is rich and full. I find djembes more interesting than bongos or congas, although I've owned those too.

Even before I played in bands, I remember the hand drums of Brasil '66 and later, Santana. I always found those Latin rhythms very interesting.

[Gitarre]

Djembe and congas reside at my house. Thoroughly enjoy playing them.