X8 Drums Blog

The second week of November has been designated, “Dear Santa Letter Week,” by the people who plan our calendars and remind us that the holiday season is happening right now… as if the holiday decorations in stores after Labor Day weren’t enough of a clue. There is a bright side to this week of gluttony, though; even if you’re not a Christmas person, this is a really good time to get your priorities straight and demand what you want out of life – especially the drums and hand percussion ins …

As adults, we want to be sure that our children are given the best tools for success in life. We watch, eagerly (and, maybe cringe a little) as those little minds and bodies develop their own interests, opinions and voices that are such important parts of the personalities we have pledged to love, no matter what. Then, one day, those little hands start slapping or tapping on a bucket, a pot or even on our own drums. In that moment, we realize, life has come full circle. My kid is …

Even the most organized gift-giver runs into problems during the holidays, right before a birthday or even before a wedding or other milestone that requires a present. Usually, that problem is forgetting to get a gift, or that need to have one more item to make the experience of giving just that much more incredible. Now, imagine you need one of those gifts for a drummer. A drummer who probably already has everything he or she wants, because picking drums and percussion instrument …

Not that we would ever encourage “drum envy,” but, have you ever noticed that some djembe drums have a little more going on than the rest? We’re not talking the hand-carved djembes (although, those are pretty great) or the djembes that come directly from Mali, Senegal or Ivory Coast.We mean the djembe drums that include a bit more style and flair than the rest… the djembes that seem to know they’re the boss of all drums, the warrior-styled djembe drums that take no prisoners.The djembe drum …

Busking is a pretty familiar sight around the globe. It can be a representation of the need to “busk a move” when the music hits, or, a way to earn a little extra cash. Some people busk because they just can’t help but feel the music, or love the adoring crowds that street performing (especially drumming!) can pull together. Whatever your reasons are for jumping into busking, there are always good and bad ways to go about it. First, if you’re going to be a street drummer or a busker, you n …

Everyone loves a good cajon drum. They’re like the ninjas of the drum world, really. Sneaky little boxes that are full of rhythmic surprises for all. Cajon drums have a long-standing history in Afro-Peruvian music and are especially present in Flamenco… but, they are also pretty great in all other types of music, too. That’s how they keep up their ninja skills, they just sneak up on the beat in all their boxy glory, and as soon as you try to get a better look, they pretend to be ordinary ( …

From the dawn of time, people have been called into the life of drumming and rhythm-making, as if heeding the directives of ancestors and rock gods from around the planet, and perhaps beyond. In order to drum, however, these people have needed to make their own drums or percussion instruments, giving us all plenty of modern incarnations of drums to happily use in our own devotion to the groove within. With all of the options available to drummers and percussionists today, there are stil …

As fans of Middle Eastern music and the belly dancers who inspire the “doum-tekka-tek” in our hearts, we’ve often been asked what kind of drum is best to learn these nuanced rhythms and help keep the shimmies going long into the night. The answer? The doumbek drum. The other answer? The darbuka drum. There are never simple answers in drumming. Ever. Darbuka drums, doumbek drums and even djembe drums are all very similar instruments in terms of the construction, shape and materials …

Drumming is a lot more than just picking up two drum sticks and hitting a drum. There are nuances to drumming that the rest of the world knows little about, which lend to the stereotype of a drummer being, well, not entirely vital to the overall epic nature of music. When you got your first drum, or discovered your love of drumming and rhythm, you probably did just pick up a pair of drum sticks and start hitting a drum. It’s a pretty natural action, no different than picking up a guit …

If you’re one of those music fans who scour the backside of album covers or the sleeve of a CD, you probably noticed that some artists are given credit for being a drummer, while others are labeled as a percussionist. You may even see both titles next to an artist’s name, causing you to once again question everything you ever knew about the world of music, rhythm, drums and percussion instruments. We feel your pain. There are legendary drummers who would never once say they’r …