X8 Drums Blog

I grew up in the 50s & 60s thinking "drums" meant a “5 piece Ludwig set," (Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts, etc.). Then, in college, I happened to take a course in African History and was exposed to Burundi music. Wow! One day I decided to take the plunge and spent my textbook money on a small cheap conga. I sounded terrible! My dorm mates threatened to burn it if I played it when they were present. I couldn't blame them. Determined to find my African Groove, I went …

People are often surprised when they hear I'm taking up drumming. They say, "You're getting older. Do you feel behind?" Well, I'm pretty sure drumming opportunities won't expire like a hot day spa Groupon. True, I didn't start as a teen. I didn't geek out on a drum kit for 6 hours a day during summer break. And I likely won't be the next Neal Peart or Buddy Rich. I drum because it moves me. It moves my body - literally feeling the groove push my limbs to stomp and sway and pop. It mov …

After growing tired of several years playing in guitar bands I spent quite a while looking for a new musical project to involve myself with. I needed something different to what I had previously done, something which would keep me interested, be fun, sociable and also fun for all involved. On a family shopping trip in the UK last summer, I came across a group of street musicians playing many different types of hand drums/percussion. They caught my attention right away, and I spent the …

I am retired from many diverse occupations and now, as a tension release, I beat on a Djembe. I tried to keep up with the lessons on CDs and although I like them, I really like to just play along with music CDs when no one is around. I haven’t played in a while, but at 66 all things are okay. I love my drum. I like to play along with Rodrigo y Gabriela or mellow out with Ottmar Liebert. Marc Antoine and Johannes Linstead are pretty mellow too. Amik and Strunz & Farah are cool too. …

I became interested in drumming for two reasons. One, it looked like a fun thing to do with others of like interests. Two, I thought that my elementary school students would really like to do it too. I found a couple of drum circles that met in the Houston area including one on the beach in Galveston! And I decide to see how I could include drumming in music curriculum my elementary students. Looking on the internet, I found music educators who were using drumming in educationa …

I began my journey with hand drumming in 2007. I walked into Guitar Center and saw a Djembe sitting on the staircase and thought it looked so cool. I bought it without knowing how to play it at all. It sat around for a year and a half while I told myself "I should take lessons." when I would spontaneously try to play it. I suddenly got inspired (not sure where from) and felt it was time to take lessons. I began taking Djembe lessons and from there the world of hand drumming was …

I play a 14" rope-tuned djembe and have been playing in drum circles for approximately 6 years. I was introduced to circles through my years of travel with the Grateful Dead. I always enjoyed listening to the drumming circles and often danced, but never participated in the actual drumming although I feel that I still reaped the benefits of the community and the music. I purchased my drum about a year after getting a youth drum for my son (from X8drums.com) who was participating i …

“Why we drum” We drum to belong to the past, our earth, our people, and the animals who we share the earth. We have been drumming since the Stone Age. Drumming ties us to our ancestors who have drummed before us. Every culture has drums. By drumming, we recognize we belong to one earth. When we come together and drum, we belong to the people in our circle. Drumming is so fundamental to us that our very heart beats. We drum to connect to our own heart beat. We dr …

I found my Remo Adinkra key-tuned 12" Djembe at a garage sale for $40 around three years ago, and bought it on a whim thinking I could play along with my husband on his ukulele. Well, living in Austin it's not surprising that we have a few friends who are musicians and we started jamming with them and learning a few songs. Also, while poking around on the internet one day, I found a girl called The Djembabe - Melanie Howe - and she is an awesome percussionist and an inspiration to me. …

For me, drumming came into my life at a time when I needed it most. I had always played music and loved the spirit of creating music together as a community. And I missed that in my life. My experience with djembe was limited, I had played in some drum circles casually, yet didn't fully have the knowledge of the djembe that I wanted to have. At this time, I was introduced to a local instructor who was just beginning group classes and so I jumped right in. I fell in love immediately, as I …