Musical Instruments

According to Moongold.me.uk, the tung, tongue or slit drum is a traditional African musical instrument usually made out of a log with a slit in it, which is hit with mallets to produce a tone. The...

A drum rack is an excellent system for setting up a drum set. It increases the portability of your kit and allows for a level of adjustability and customization simply out of reach with other...

Your band is about to go on tour, and you can't wait. The shows have been booked, the hotel arrangements have been made, and your fans are eagerly waiting. There's just one small problem: your...

So you want to learn to play drums, but don't know where to start. Start here. Starting to play a drum set can be intimidating, but with work and repetition you can be playing in no time.

The conga drum is a percussion instrument popular throughout the world. There is conflicting evidence as to the origins of the design, although most researchers believe it comes from an African...

Whether you take lessons or are learning the drums on your own, you need to incorporate intermediate lesson plans into your everyday practice schedule. If you do not slowly challenge yourself with...

Standard drum sets include a snare drum, bass drum, cymbals and toms. A drum set's sound depends on the materials used.

Drum tuning can be one of the more frustrating aspects of being a drummer. Even the most seasoned drummer can have trouble getting the right sound. The Drum Dial will not automatically perfect...

Making a drum that emulates the sounds of the ocean is an easy task. All you need is a few basic materials and a little time. You can use your drum by itself to create oceanic sound effects for a...

Cleaning a bodhran drum is best done using plain water, as using any other substance risks altering the sound of the drum. Spray down both sides of the skin and wipe clean with help from the...

It is easiest to play a bodhran while sitting, which allows the less dominant hand to move across the underside of the drum when it is struck. Discover how to play the bodhran drum with help from...

After playing your djembe for an extended number of months, you'll probably need to replace the head. Djembe heads wear at varying rates, depending on the material they're made of, the amount of...

The Boss DR-670 is one of the best values available in a full-featured drum machine available today. With rich drum sounds and the ability to play bass along with any pattern, the DR-670 has user...

The tongue drum is one of the world's oldest known musical instrument. Originating from Africa, the tongue drum was first built from hollowed-out trees and had many different functions in African...

A tongue drum is a percussion instrument for use in recording or in a drum circle. The box is made of a soft maple and the top from a hard wood. It is played with a mallet on the sound fingers on...

A tabla is a pair of drums that are used in Indian music. The smaller drum is called a dayan and the larger drum is called a bayan. The smaller drum, the dayan, is made from wood, most commonly...

The quilting hoop drum is a small circular drum that is easy to build and play, and can be used to provide children with an early introduction to the elements of rhythm. The instrument's Native...

Traditionally built conga drums are made from narrow pieces of wedge-shaped wood, fitted together in a round shape that tapers toward the bottom. If you have a damaged conga drum rescued from a...

The beautiful, varied tones of the tongue drum are a distinctive addition to any occasion. Interestingly, these drums can be made at home with a minimum of woodworking skill and an inexpensive...

Few companies can claim as rich and varied a history in the story of the drum as the Ludwig Drum Company. Ludwig has been synonymous with quality drums for more than 100 years at this point, and...

Whether you are a seasoned professional drummer or just starting off, you need to practice. Diligence and discipline will allow you to advance on your instrument, and you must set aside ample time...

The Irish drum, called a "bodhran," (pronounced bow-ran) is loosely based on an ancient African design. Similar drums made their way to the Middle East and Central Asia, finally landing in Ireland...

The Ludwig Drum Company is a well-known drum manufacturer, started in 1909 by brothers William and Theo Ludwig in Chicago. The company, originally called Ludwig & Ludwig, began manufacturing...

Building your own djembe is not an easy task. It requires patience, practice, and of course, the right tools. Playing a djembe that you have built by hand, however, is a very rewarding experience....

For such a simple looking instrument there are numerous techniques that can be adopted when playing a bodhran. Starting with the most simple of playing methods, play can grow more complex when...

The grip you use as a drummer is an often-overlooked facet of your playing technique. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned professional, you must master at least one of the techniques for...

Drum manufacturers will consider several factors when choosing a species of wood for their shells. For entry-level drums, price is obviously a factor, and cheaper woods such as eucalyptus,...

The djembe is a unique percussion instrument native to Africa. Instead of using sticks or mallets, djembe players use different parts of their hands to strike the instrument's head. Djembes are...

The tabla is a traditional Indian percussion instrument. While the name is singular, the tabla actually consists of two separate drums, the dayan, a narrower drum which produces a higher pitch,...

The key principle to this pattern is being able to break up the press roll and play a pattern around the press roll using the 2 and 4, accenting off the hi-hat and snare. This is a groove I...

Depending on your strengths, writing drum music can be a lot easier than writing the parts for the rest of band. Plotting out drum parts requires a good sense of rhythm and a solid understanding...

If you own an unsightly drum set, you might be interested in stripping the paint and lacquer from the drums to return them to their natural wooden finish. This process must be done carefully,...

Many drummers have moved from traditional acoustic drum sets to electronic drum sets due to their versatility and portability. An electronic drum set is set up essentially the same way as an...

For centuries, people have been making music and communicating by beating rhythms on practically any object that would resonate a sound. It is possible to make drum heads inexpensively that can be...

The drum set is the foundation upon which most modern music is performed. From jazz to metal to folk to traditional rock and roll, the drums are the primary rhythmic driver of music and, combined...

There are Pearl drum sets available for beginners as well as professionals. Beginner drum sets rely on less expensive shell material and less durable hardware to cut down on overall costs. In many...

A lot of drummers never learn to read drum music notation, preferring to play by ear. Some serious drummers opt to take their musical skills to another level by learning to read drum music. It...

Certain drumheads are more likely to give a drum a certain sound. Selecting the right drum heads are essential to getting the sound you want from your drums. In a few steps, you'll have the...

Music has been an integral part of culture since man first walked on this planet. It has been used to share stories, pass down knowledge and to entertain. As early as 6,000 B.C., people were...

Timpani (known as timpano in singular form) are percussion instruments consisting of a piece of skin placed over a large drum usually made of copper and played with a specialized stick called a...

Chances are you've got a long road to your first drum company endorsement, but you've got to start somewhere. It's important to understand the different components of that shiny new drum set you...

The djembe (JEM-bay) drum is a wooden drum that is played with the bare hand hitting the skin-head with an open palm. The drum originates with the Bamana people in Mali, Africa, and the name means...

A properly tuned drum kit is important for getting a good drum tone. Tuning a drum can be a difficult, time-consuming process. The process and goal are quite straight-forward. The level of ear...

Learn to build a low cost electronic drum trigger that lasts.

Often, when a person thinks of Jamaican music, they will identify it with the vibrant sounds of the steel drum. Steel drums or pans are actually instruments that originated in Trinidad. ...

Playing drums can be rewarding, but putting a set together can seem like a daunting task. By following these simple steps, you will have your set put up like a pro and ready to deliver a pounding....

The heel and toe muscles are the most important muscles in playing bass drum. These muscles must be worked out regularly through practice of the heel down technique in order to build the speed...

Conga drums are the backbone of Latin salsa music and require a myriad of different techniques to play interesting beats. There are three sizes of congas: the quinto, conga and the tumba. While...

The vast majority of drummers who use drum racks have the same configuration--the T-square or rounded T-square. There are practically an infinite number of possibilities, however, and you can do...

Acoustic drum triggers allow drummers using an acoustic set to have all the convenience and flexibility that electronic drum set users possess, while still maintaining the essential sound and feel...