Times are especially difficult for musicians, and artists these days, so I try to help out a little bit where I can. There are quite a few free downloadable drum circle jam mp3’s, as well as a dozen djembe ringtones for your phone you can enjoy for free. No registering or signing up for anything is required. There is a tab “free drum circle mp3’s” on the left sidebar, or scroll to the bottom of the page to find them.
http://www.drumcircles.net
Check out some of my earlier blog posts I’ve written here over the last few years. There are lots of helpful hints, ideas, suggestions, stories, drumming tips, drum rhythm notations, and much more to help to you get into the groove, as well as get more enjoyment from hand drumming. Drum circles are fun, they bring people from all paths together, and we need that more than ever these days.
I’ve been attending, and facilitating drum circles for over 30 years. If you're looking to buy a drum, it's important to try and find THE drum that's right for you. I went through a lot of them before I found the one that was right for me. I don't really get into selling drums, nor do I endorse any drum manufactures, or companies. I'm always happy to offer an opinion, or suggest a few places to you that I've bought some of mine from, and been pleased.
In the past, I’ve bought many of my drums used, as I like giving a drum another life. Check places like Ebay, Craig’s List, and if you attend drum circles in your area, there are often people looking to sell one. With some brands of drums you pretty much know what it’s going to sound like. (ie: Remo, LP, etc) You can save a lot of money that way. With handmade drums I like to try them out before I buy them, because you can’t really tell the quality of them until you do. If you need to locate a drum circle to attend, try looking up your area at drum circle finder page:
http://www.drumcircles.net/circlelist.html
If you are a bit new to hand drumming, or drum circles, choosing that first drum can be a bit daunting. If you need an opinion on anything that is drum circle, or hand drumming related, feel free to ask me. It may take me a day or two to get back to you, but I will.
Some of the past topics on this blog include: Picking that first djembe drum. Improving your drum circle facilitating or hosting style on a budget. Ways to get the word out and promote your drum circle. Trying to earn a living hosting, or facilitating drum circles. What that first drum circle was really like. Various ways to notate, vocalize, and start a drum circle rhythm. Reading written drum music. A long list of notated rhythms to try out in different styles. Drumming via webcam, & with special needs kids. The 3 lyric version of Fanga. How to start up a drum circle. Some of the social, physical & mental benefits of drum circles. Choosing a first drum for your child. Various ways to get free drum circle facilitation experience. Tips for drumming in the Winter, and Summer. Tuning a lug tuned djembe, conga, or doumbek, and replacing a drum head. Ways to mark, (identify) your drum. Finding a good doumbek drum on a budget, and various ways to tell their quality. Advice on sitting in with bands, drumming groups, and ways to learn playing by ear.
I hope some of these topics are helpful to you. Many of these posts are excerpts from my book, “A Practical Guide To Hand Drumming And Drum Circles”. It’s 300 pages, and it’s $8 on Kindle, or Nook. Physical copies are available at my website drumcircles.net or at Amazon. I include a facilitated drum circle jam CD if purchase from my site, (but not purchases on Amazon.)
http://www.drumcircles.net/drumcirclebook.html
Having a body of drum circle rhythms at the ready helps to keep your drum circle fresh and interesting. Playing the same beat over and over is okay for a while, because you can find things to play within it, but it gets a bit old after awhile. I have a 2 hour DVD titled, “101 Drum Circle Rhythms” for $17. I include a free drum circle jam CD if it’s purchased direct from me at my website:
http://www.drumcircles.net/101drumcirclerhythmsDVD.html
You can check out a video with a few drum rhythm samples there. My DVD is also available at Amazon for a few bucks more, or as a digital download for $14. Just search on the title to find it.(But again, no free CD, unless purchased from my site.)
I have some 2 CD sets of drum circle music for $10, and they are also available at most mp3 retailers, (iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby.com, etc) Again, you can listen to a variety of live drum circle jams at my site, and download a number of them free. Offering a good value for the money to fellow musicians, is what I’m all about.
Resources for hand drummers, and drum circles, provided by an independent experienced musician. Please visit my website www.drumcircles.net It’s a sole proprietorship owned by Shannon Ratigan.
Drum Some!
Copyright © Shannon Ratigan All Rights Reserved.
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