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.
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
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.
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
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 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
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?'
One thing people who are considering taking up the bass drum in a marching band may not think about is the importance of a strong core. Good posture is vital to being able to belt out the sounds so many look forward to hearing while watching a band march across a field or down a street. Bass drum playing in the marching band requires good upper body strength for both beating the drum and looking professional in between drum beatings. So much of how good the bass sounds during play will depend upon how the drummer’s body is being held and whether or not the drumming is coming from a place of strength within the drummer.
When practicing a performance piece, it is important for the bass drummer to be able to play the entire part. This helps with timing and also makes it easier to play the part well. Before splitting the part up among the bass line, make sure everyone knows how to play the whole piece using proper mallet heights. The sound created by the bass drum playing in the marching band will be significantly impacted by mallet handling. The drummer needs to know how to hold the mallet and strike the drum with it in order to produce the desired look and sound.
The bass drum should be struck at a right angle in the center of the head. Make sure to give a powerful beating. This is what everyone has been waiting for! The bass drum produces a wonderfully resonant sound when played well. However, make sure to keep with the rest of the band. The bass drum should not dominate the performance. Keep in tune with the ensemble, when playing splits. If there is an error in the drum line, remain on the timing of the ensemble. Bass drum playing in the marching band is about the entire band, not just the bass drum line.
When you are not playing, make sure your hands are at rest in the set position. This helps to keep the bass line looking professional. This is where that arm strength may become more noticeable. When you’re playing, play with some aggression. It’s a bass drum; it can take it. To do that, you need to be aware that you are playing with your arm, not just your hands. Be confident, play powerfully, and you may find that bass drum playing in the marching band is one rewarding experience.
Michael Pluznick demonstrates La Mano Secreta using various heel-tip rolls. He then shows how to incorporate these rolls with within the Tumbao rhythm on congas.
This video demonstration show four variations of La Mano Secreta on conga. The first variation is a 4-stroke roll using a heel-tip. The remaining variations will be the same roll with 5 strokes, 6 strokes and 7 strokes.
The demonstration then shows you the application of using the La Mano Secreta variations within the conga rhythm called Tumbao.
This video features double-sided La Mano Secreta played on right and left sides. Exercises on 1, 2 and 3 conga drums.
by Michael Pluznick