The Beach Dream
I haven’t had the dream in years, but I still remember it: I would be somewhere not out of the ordinary (in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, where I grew up) doing general dream business, and I would somehow come across a small trail of sand. This small trail would lead to a larger trail, which […]
Blergh #4: Drum Stands and Straps
Blergh #4: How to Attach a Djembe Strap, and Stands Drum Stands: There are a lot of Djembe stands on the market and many of them will do the job just fine. One of the brands we highly recommend is Gibraltar. We have had a lot of good luck with them over the years. They […]
Blergh #3: Practising Slaps
Blergh #2: Practicing Slaps Much like with our last exercise on tones, practicing slaps can help build stamina and rhythm. When practicing slaps, you’re going to follow the same basic steps as you did in the tone practice. You can refer to that exercise for more information. So what makes a good slap? These are the […]
Blergh #2: Practising Tones
Blergh #2: Practising Tones It’s time to practice your tones. Before you get started, there are a few things to remember when learning or practising your technique to ensure all the parts are correct: 1. Bring Your Hand back. Make sure you are starting in the proper position with your hand flat, fingers straight, and […]
Blergh #1: Starting off and Stamina
Blergh# 1: Tricks for Drumming Practice and Stamina Part of learning to drum is picking up on all the little tips and tricks that make your practice sessions easier and more effective. We’ve outlined a few tricks to get you started on your first couple of practice sessions. 1. Volume Control If you live in […]
African Drumming Online Blergh #1
Tips for Drumming Practice and Stamina Welcome to the African Drumming Online Blergh – a series of videos with some practice tips, new ideas, and more. This is a summary of the first episode of the Blergh, which can be found by logging in to African Drumming Online, and clicking on the Blergh link, or […]
West African Independence from Colonialism
In case you aren’t aware of how the nations of West Africa came to be, we put together a brief summary of how de-colonisation happened in the area, focusing on Ghana as the first decolonised country. The decolonisation period is one of the most important aspects of contemporary African history. During the 19thcentury Scramble and […]
What is 12/8 Time? – Video Summary
HI! In this post, we’re going to revisit our Introduction to 12/8 Time video, which is our attempt to explain what the term ’12/8 time’ means, and how it relates to African drumming – you can find this video in the Technique > Rhythmic Concepts section of African Drumming Online: https://africandrummingonline.com/technique/rhythmic-concepts/ If you haven’t already watched our Introduction […]