Drummer Cafe Community Forum

Any suggestions on brands, sources, learning materials for the djembe, congas and bodhran?  Cost isn't an issue, but I don't want something expensive if something cheaper would be acceptable for moderate use.  Thanks!

--David

You will get different answers because eveybody has there own personal favorites. It all comes down to what sounds good to your ear and what you want to spend.

As for congas I have used LP and Meinl. For cost and quality I went with LP. There Matador line is a good in-between set. Stay away from the cheaper lines like the Aspire's. There ok for a beginner but you will find yourself buying up later anyway. LP's Classic line is a step up from the Matadors if you want to spend a little more for some more features. There are a lot of good videos out there for conga, but one book that I found very good is "Conga Drumming" by Alan Dworsky & Betsy Sansby. Easy to read and comes with a CD.

Djembe..Remos are good to start out with. One thing about them is they will hold up to a good beating and not effected by the weather. Negatives: not a traditional sound, nothing beats natural heads. There are some nice traditional Djembes out there. Some that I like, and I hope this is ok to say here, I like the Sageman Drums. Hand made from a solid piece of mahogany, good heads, nice carvings.

Bodhran..Lots of choices out there that are all about the same. It all comes down again to the quality of the skins, are they tunable, what wood is it made of. A good all around size is to start with is the 18". Have a price range and shop around, stay away from the cheap ones for the obvious. You shoule be able to find a decent one for around $70-100. The tuff choice comes in the tipper, different shapes, sizes, weights. This will be where you should spend some time trying different ones, see what you like and what feels good in you hand.

I don't have any videos for the Djembe or Bodhran I had a teacher so I can't help you there. I'm sure somwone else will have some recommendations.

If you have never played the bodhran, a starter for around $100 I guess is OK. If you go any further:
 google -
Alfonso bodhrans
Metloef bodrans
and others...

A great site for information on bodhrans and playing:   www.bodojo.com

ENJOY!

Thanks for the feedback!  I'll check out the items mentioned...

--David

http://www.wrighthanddrums.com/
http://www.americanmusical.com/sort--Latin-and-Hand-Drum--k-APL11--m-0906.html

i just got a $200 toca djembe for $30 bucks....

http://pertout.customer.netspace.net.au/lessons.htm

good link with lessons.
wish you luck.

JOSIP

For the djembe, highly reccomended are Mamady Keita's DVDs: Rhythmes of the Mandeng (http://www.djemb-e-shop.com/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&products_id=46&language=en) (overall the BEST!!!).
See at www.djemb-e-shop.com (http://www.djemb-e-shop.com/index.php?main_page=index&language=en)

Bye