X8 Drums Presents: Sela Cajons!

X8 Drums is proud to announce its newest line of drums: Sela cajons. Sela is a German company that has produced high quality instruments for more than ten years. Founded and developed by Mark Westenberger, the company prides itself on taking customer suggestions and desires into consideration when developing cajons. Because of this, Sela cajons rival Schlagwerk in quality, but ship flat, allowing accessible price levels. A Sela drum is assembled by the customer unless the individual pays $19.99 to have it assembled.


Since Sela cajons are built by the customer, costs are lower than you would expect from such a quality drum. There are two, basic models available: the snare cajon kit and the CaSela professional snare cajon. The professional snare comes in three wood finishes, offering different looks and sounds to suit different drummer personalities. Sela’s basic snare cajon has a boxier frame, but still offers a wonderful playing experience. The professional varieties have rounded corners for a more updated look and both types offer adjustable snares.


The Sela snare cajon kit comes with everything you need to put your cajon together and begin playing. Its playing surface is poplar veneer and the body is made of eleven layers of birch. With one adjustable snare, it measures 47x30x30 cm and weighs about 6 kg. It comes with rubber, non-slip feet so that you can lose yourself in the warm bass this Sela cajon produces. Everything you need to assemble this cajon is included in the box, with the exception of a cordless screwdriver. This cajon kit uses glue and should be ready to play about three hours after assembling.


Sela’s CaSela professional cajons boast an eleven-layer birch body with rounded, maple corners. Their snare system is removable, offering an opportunity to play with a more traditional sound if desired. The playing surfaces are veneer and exchangeable, with choices in Satin Nut, Tineo, and Zebrano. With a cordless screwdriver and a hammer, these Sela cajons can be assembled in about thirty minutes. The dimensions of these professional cajons are the same as the basic kit. The Satin Nut model is designed for enhanced bass performance, while the Tineo has more snare effect and a higher pitch.




The world of cajons is constantly expanding. Sela cajons offer top-quality production and German engineering for an extremely reasonable price. Because these cajons are put together by you, shipping and production costs are lower. Sela is known for quality design and materials and ensuring that value is not compromised for the sake of convenience. If you are in the market for a cajon, Sela is sure to delight.

Eddie Tuduri Turns Tragedy into Triumph

People know Eddie Tuduri as the drummer for The Beach Boys, but they may not be aware that he was in an accident that left him paralyzed. Fifteen years ago, Eddie was in a surfing accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. According to an interview with NBC affiliate WMC, Eddie thought he would never be able to drum again. But, by starting with small percussion instruments, he eventually regained his abilities. It was during that time that The Rhythmic Arts Project began, too. The goal of the Project is to teach life skills to people with intellectual and developmental differences. Read more here: Beach Boys drummer teaches 'life skills' in Memphis class

Djembe Crash Course, Part 1

Michael Pluznick demonstrates a wide variety of basic accompaniment parts for djembe. Performance tips for both beginner and pro drummers!



Free 13 minute djembe lesson featuring the MP Eco Pro wood djembe that covers a wide variety of basic accompaniment parts.

Accompaniment parts are the structure that hold traditional West African djembe and dunun arrangements together. By learning many different accompaniment parts, you'll be able to jump in and play in a lot of different settings.

We'll start with the basic passport accompaniment rhythms. After you learn the basics, you'll be shown variations of the basics to add to your bag of djembe tricks.

The lesson is instructed using a click track so you can easily understand where the downbeat hits in the various rhythms.

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by Michael Pluznick
Internationally-recognized musical djembe drummer and percussionist, Michael Pluznick has introduced his new Signature Eco-Pro Djembe Drums and Instructional DVD for Djembe Players now available at X8Drums.com.

Drums and Fitness: the Perfect Combination

If your gym offered drumming, would you attend? An Ohio fitness club is betting so. The club recently began offering a Drums Alive class, where participants drum up fun and fitness at the same time. Ohio’s Hudson Hub Times reports that the drumming exercise consists of taking a drum stick and beating a propped up exercise ball for about twenty minutes. The class is an hour long and the remaining time is spent cross training. The fitness club reports that people really notice the difference after that time spent drumming. The class aims to help both brain and body. Read more here: LIFECENTER PLUS OFFERS NEW FITNESS CLASS

Inspirational Quotes by and about Drummers

Creative people thrive upon inspiration. We can find it in the most unusual and unsuspecting places and moments. One thing that is great, though, is finding inspiration from people who do what you do. Finding inspirational quotes by and about drummers is not as easy as it sounds. Drummers are often quoted, but not always for saying the most inspirational stuff. And, yes, drummers get talked about, but maybe in more ways than we know. Drummers are the essence of creativity, taking a natural rhythm and turning it into something amazing to behold while keeping a song together, or an entire drum circle intertwined in the act of creation. It is these moments that lead to the inspiration we all crave, and give drummers the insight to say the following:

“I was a beginner again. I practiced hard and used to listen very closely to recordings of American jazz drummers such as Tony Williams and Kenny Clarke.” Jaime Muir

Jaime Muir was the drummer for King Crimson, an English rock band formed in the late 1960s. He began his musical career playing jazz on the trombone and switched to percussion.

“You only get better by playing.” Buddy Rich

Buddy was also a jazz drummer, often dubbed “the world’s greatest drummer”. He was self-taught and playing for audiences by 18 months of age.

“There are a lot of guys out there with skills who have not contributed to the evolution of the instrument. It's about more than that...it's an emotive language, an aesthetic. Skill is an aspect, but it's what you do with that skill, or say with that skill, that matters.” - Vinnie Colaiuta

Vinnie has been drumming since his youth and has played with a lot of people, including Frank Zappa. His technical skill and versatility are two things that make him stand out among drummers.

“I get to be a dozen different drummers on every album... I don't know of another drummer who has a gig like that. It's always fun and often a genuine challenge. Al's made me play parts I didn't know how to play. I need to thank him for that.” Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz

As “Weird Al” Yankovic’s drummer, Jon Schwartz has had an interesting career. He began designing websites in the mid-90s, as well.




“A good groove releases adrenaline in your body. You feel uplifted, you feel centered, you feel calm, you feel powerful. You feel that energy. That's what good drumming is all about.” Mickey Hart

Mickey is likely best known for his days as a one of the two drummers for the Grateful Dead. He is also a musicologist and seems to have drumming in his genetics, as his father was a champion rudimental drummer.

And, last but not least:

“Drummers are better bangers.” Unknown

A Real, Live Music Man

How many instruments can you play? Well, Raghav Sachar can play thirty-three and shows no signs of stopping there. The musician, composer, and vocalist was recently interviewed for The Times of India and shared that he can sing in both female and male vocals; not an easy feat. His dog, Tenor, is also an accomplished singer in his own right. He’s been featured on the news. Raghav began his interesting musical path when he was four years old and his father agreed to buy him a new instrument for every birthday. Beginning with the harmonica, Raghav has become extremely musical. Read more here: I find music in everything: Raghav Sachar 

Should We Pay to Sing "Happy Birthday?"

Warner Music Group thinks you should pay to sing the Happy Birthday song. For many years, the company has been charging people $1500 to use the song in their artistic endeavors, but now they are being sued for it. A documentary filmmaker is claiming that the company only has rights to a specific piano arrangement of the song and only that specific arrangement. The Hindu Business Line reports that the company has not responded to the lawsuit, but has always claimed rights to the song since purchasing Birchtree Lts. in 1988. Birchtree Lts. claimed ownership of the song before Warner. Read more here: Warner Music sued over Happy Birthday copyright

Music Therapy Benefits Ohio Children

Music therapy is being offered at a children’s hospital in Ohio. Since Akron Children’s Hospital added music therapy to its list of amenities in 2011, patients have had positive experiences. This supportive service is free to patients and offered through the Emily Cooper Welty Expressive Therapy Center. The hospital pays for these types of services through grants and donations, as insurance companies have not opted to support holistic healing programs such as this. The Akron Beacon Journal Online interviewed the hospital’s music therapist, Sarah Tobias, who loves offering music as a way for patients to receive counseling and express themselves. Read more here: Therapist offers music to patients at Akron Children’s Hospital

Late Show Host Pops the Big Drummer Question

For what seems like forever, David Letterman, host of the Late Show, has been asking drummers if they played their own drums or rented a kit for his show. After the band finishes performing, David goes over to shake hands and chat up the performers a bit. Leave it to the Los Angeles Times to drum up awareness of a video montage of those questioning moments. The video is about two and a half minutes long and features David asking, again and again, “Are those your drums?” Being a drummer, himself, this is likely an important question for David and drum fans alike. Read more here: David Letterman to musicians: 'Are those your drums?'