X8 Drums Blog

Drums of one sort or another have always been a major part of celebrations. In Southeast China, a festival called “drumming of spring cattle for New Year greetings” is held annually to help ensure a good food supply. Since cows are used for plowing in the spring, cattle warrant special notice on the first day of the lunar calendar. China Daily reported on the city of Zhouzhuang’s spring cattle festival, which attracted visitors foreign and domestic. During the parade, men carry cattle representi …

Towns in West Virginia are experiencing African drumming first-hand, due to the interest and dedication of fifteen young ladies. The girls are all students at West Virginia’s Greenbrier Academy for Girls and they take African drumming lessons as part of their daily curriculum. According to The Register-Herald, the audience at a theater in Beckley was impressed by the fast-paced performance. The young ladies gave various reasons for their interest in drumming, centering around how drumming helped …

A hidden alley in India is a surprising home to successful drum-selling businesses. The Indian Express reports that in an old part of Budwar Perth are two lanes of percussion merchants and sales are going well. A third-generation drum maker and his sons construct by hand a variety of percussive instruments in the alley, while other shop owners hold workshops. The alley boasts over a dozen of these small, family-owned drum businesses. With the gaining popularity of Western music, these Indian sho …

USA Today reports that Andre Drummond, center for the Detroit Pistons, has temporarily traded thebasketball for a set of bongos. Playing the bongos is part of Drummond’s rehabilitation program, as hehas back problems that are keeping him off the court for four to six weeks. The team’s strength andconditioning coach, Arnie Kander, says that playing drums requires good posture and so it strengthensthe body’s core. Since both drummers and professional athletes have to mentally prepare for playing,D …

These days, it seems like everyone and their mama has a drumming video on the internet. People record their drumming sessions for a variety of reasons. Many people simply love covering songs and after recording themselves, wish to share their covers with others. The internet is the easiest way to do that. There are also folks who wish to help others learn how to improve their drumming and that is their intention when sharing videos online. A few people may also put videos online simply because t …

At NAMM this year, Tycoon Percussion is celebrating their 30th anniversary and have released their anniversary series congas, bongos, cajon and djembe made of American Ash wood in a unique black stain with black drum heads.Tycoon 30th Anniversary Celebration SeriesIt is always a treat to visit the Tycoon monster drum that is the greeting post of their booth. Just add some drummers on stilts and you'll really have a show!fgThe new Tycoon Signature Pearl Series Congas are a stunning sight. They ha …

We want to hear from you! Please use the comments area to tell us what you think of this lesson and other lessons you'd like to see us produce. We love helping our friends become better players!Post your CommentsAdd some foot percussion to your cajon performance! When you explore adding percussion to your cajon playing with foot percussion instruments, you will quickly find out that there are endless possibilities for tones and patterns.One of the most important things about playing foot percuss …

What makes drumming fun? There are so many different types of drums available in the world and a lot of the fun of drumming can be had just by learning about the varieties and choosing a drum to learn to play. Do you want to be a rocker or would you rather learn some international beats? Which of the many types of African drums would you like to play? There are so many possibilities for fun just in picking a drum that many percussionists end up with a large collection of drums, learning to pla …

If you’ve ever picked up a guitar and just started strumming or sat in front of a piano and began plucking keys, then you probably understand how calming those actions can be. Strumming may lead to some humming and before you know it, you are feeling more relaxed and peaceful than you have all day. Or maybe plucking those few keys dusted off some long-dormant urges and you find yourself energized and making up a song. We can never predict exactly how music will affect us, but it always affects …

The bougarabou is a big drum with a big sound. Similar in look to the djembe, it is larger and has a deeper resonance. It comes to us from West Africa, specifically from the Jola peoples in Casamance, Senegal and the Gambia. Traditionally, it is played with just one drum, but in recent times bougarabou drummers have taken to playing up to four drums at once.The bougarabou drum is sometimes referred to as the conga drum of Africa. This is due to similar tonal qualities the two drums share. Howeve …