- Get 25% off African Djembes, Duns & Dougarabous.
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- Use code BOX25 at checkout.
You did such great job wrapping presents for everyone else, now it’s time to get a gift for yourself!
You did such great job wrapping presents for everyone else, now it’s time to get a gift for yourself!
Do you know all of these Hand Drums?
Bougarabou are a cousin of the djembe, with a very distinct and mellow soundscape. V line shape skinned cow hide with rich, deep sounds.
Highly addictive goblet shaped drum of the Mandé Empire. A djembe or jembe is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe comes from the saying “Anke djé, anke bé” which translates to “everyone gather together in peace” and defines the drum’s purpose.
Ewe drumming is very diverse and is played in many slightly different ways. For example, an Ewe musician from Togo may play a piece or instrument slightly differently from the way a Ewe from Ghana does. The Fon people of Benin are another example of this variation. They construct their villages, towns, and cities on water, and because of this, they do not play the same upright drums other Ewe play. Instead, they place large gourds on water as drums.
A traditional instrument of the Ga people of Greater Accra (Ghana), Kpanlogo are traditionally played by an ensemble of drummers, often in sets of six Kpanlogo drums of varying size. In contemporary ensembles, djembes, dunun, shakers and bells also accompany the Kpanlogo.
The Sabar, which originated with the Serer people, is a traditional drum from Senegal (also played in the Gambia). It is generally played with one hand and one stick and is a very loud drum. A Sabar ensemble is an impressive sound, and the music and dance is often played at a frenetic speed.
You can check out drums and loads more on our online shop.
There is no greater gift than giving!
Add some extra musicality to those Christmas jingles this year.
Here is a few fun gift ideas for the kids…
We’ve hand picked some of the best instruments to stuff into the little ones’ stockings this Christmas. They’re guaranteed to be a hit!
Kids Djembe Pack
Start the little music in your life off on their musical journey with this great pack, featuring a 40cm junior djbeme.
Ping Pong Shaker
Producing a shofter, sandy sound – These vibrant and colourful shakers are hand painted and loads of fun!
Mini Djembe Pack
A wonderful range of percussion for kids to explore the rhythmic world, featuring our 30cm mini djembe & shakers
Afro Fun Pack:
We’ll select an awesome hand carved drum from our Ghana Range and the perfect Cloth Bag to match (let us know at checkout if you have a colour preference and we’ll do our best to match it). We’ve also thrown in our rhythm bible, a collection of rhythms with accompanying information, songs, cultural background, practical arrangement tips, and more.
Check out our Christmas collection and bring some festive vibrations to the holidays and keep an eye on our stories for our 12 days of specials.
Shamanic Frame Drum:
The Frame Drum is reputed by some to be the first skin drum to exist. They are used across the world on all kinds of ceremonies and other occasions.
Our shamanic frame drums (also knows as medicine drums) are constructed using a ring and rope system on a sturdy, wooden frame made from teak wood and meranti wood. Available in three sizes.
Check out our Christmas collection and bring some festive vibrations to the holidays and keep an eye on our stories for our 12 days of specials.
Percussion Pack includes:
Bongo Bag
Large Shekere
Set Clave
2 x Large Kiss Kass
Medium Agogo Bell and striker
Egg shaker
Check out our Christmas collection and bring some festive vibrations to the holidays and keep an eye on our stories for our 12 days of specials.
The Teen Smasher Pack includes:
Your choice of a 60cm Classic Djembe or 60cm Classic Plus Djembe
1 x 12″ Zip Bag
1 x Practice cover – protects the djembe head and can be used to muffle the sound for a neighbour-friendly practice.
1 x Student handbook
Wellness Pack
Includes:
Happy Drum
Shaman Drum (Medium)
Ankle Bell (Medium)
Pair Ankle Shakers
Vegan Kids Air Djembe
About the Shell
-Made from a plastic polymer and coming in at 1.8kg,
-Mechanical tuning, easy to adjust tension
-Super light weight drum if ever there was one!
About the Skin
Weather resistant Synthetic skins are made from a low-stretch synthetic compound.
Happy Steel Drum
Our happy steel tongue drum boasts long sustain and beautiful harmonies. They have a similar feel to handpans and other mystical instruments. They are made from heavy gauge steel.
You can play the drum using the rubber mallets provided, or try using your fingers for a totally different style!
Each also comes in its own protective carry bag with adjustable strap.
Vegan Kids Pack
Darbukas
Kids Djembe Starter Pack
Ideal for: ages 4 – 10 years. The pack includes:
Your choice of 1 x 40cm Junior Djembe or 40cm Plus Junior Djembe
1 x Tambourine
2 x Small Kiss Kass shakers
Every day we share your videos with our community of over 500,000 followers across our social media accounts and we love doing it!
It’s just one way that we can continue to celebrate West African drumming and culture.
Sometimes these videos go viral with millions of views and thousand of re-shares.
We now have a new submission form which makes it easier for you submit your videos for us to hopefully share.
So if you have an impressive video of djembe drumming, dunun drummers, percussionists, African dancing, West African culture, conga & bongo players, African singing or drum making, then we want to see it!
The more creative and vibrant, the better.
Simply click on the link at the bottom of this post, enter as much information as you can about your video and then we will do the rest.
Hopefully we will be able to share your video across our social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram & TikTok).
We can’t wait to see your amazing videos!
We all want to get better and improve our drumming skills and everyone knows that to do this we need to practice.
So why don’t we practice more?
The main reason is because it’s not a habit. We tell ourselves we need to practice 5 times a week for 30 minutes. Great! But that’s not enough. Without habits and cues, our brain won’t know when it’s time to practice, and before we know it, it’s Sunday night and we haven’t touched our drum once. The trick is to give our brain cues for when we want to practice.
Here are two easy ways to do this…
Tip #1 – Proximity 👀
Place your djembe somewhere at home that you walk past often, and every time you go past it – you have to play it. Sometimes you might only play two notes, and sometimes you might sit down and play it for 20 minutes. Either way, this is a great trick to remind yourself to practice.
Tip #2 – Train your brain 🧠
Set up your drum practice time right before or right after something you’re already in the habit of doing, like – Before I brush my teeth at night I’ll play the djembe for 10 minutes. This way, your brain knows exactly when to remember to practice, because you’ve attached it to a current habit.
Using these tips, you’ll soon find yourself practicing the djembe every day. Once practicing is a habit, you can work on increasing the length of time of the practice, but you’d already have the first important step covered – consistency.
For more inspiration, be sure to follow us on facebook.
Happy drumming!
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Introducing a new instrument in our range called the Seperewa 🎶 This 12 string seperewa was hand made in Ghana from a resonating calabash, goat skin, wood and with nylon strings which produce a mellow, bluesy sound. It has well made guitar tuning keys too for easy adjustable tuning. The Seperewa, also known as Sanku, is a Ghanaian harp-lute.
Dating back to at least the 17th century, when the newly established Ashanti Empire integrated elements of its predecessor state Bonoman into its musical culture. King Osei Tutu, the mythical founder of the Ashanti empire, was said to have loved the instrument so much that his successor Opoku Ware ordered a replica of it to be made in his memory. It was wrapped in gold leaves, and placed among the items of the Golden Stool, which Osei Tutu named ‘the soul of the Ashanti nation‘. The Seperewa was used to entertain kings, and was also played at palm wine bars and at funerals.
Features of the seperewa:
🎵 100% handcrafted in Ghana by the master strings instrument maker Louis Afriki
🎵 12 stringed box resonator with soulful sounds emanating from the ancient Ashanti Empire
🎵 Mansonia wood neck
🎵 Khadi wood handles, bridge and bridge plate and the darker wooden bridge plate is made of ebony
🎵 Sound box is high quality plywood from recycled cargo box
🎵 Bamboo string support pins
🎵 Water based satin finish to seal the wood.
Find out more here https://bit.ly/3aAMi59
Calling all handpan players!✋🎶 Want to know the best way to care and maintain your beautiful handpan for years to come? Here are a few tips to protect your handpan from rusting and other damage:
♪ Sweat may deposit salts to the surface, which contribute to rust formation. Before playing, wash and dry your hands.
♪ Don’t play the handpan if it’s hot (for example, if it’s been in the sun).
♪ Handpans should only be played gently and with one finger at a time: No hands, fists, or mallets.
♪ After each play, wipe down the instrument with a soft, clean, dry cloth (preferably microfibre).
♪ Clean your handpan every 6 – 12 months to remove dirt & oils: Use isopropyl alcohol, or a more gentle rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol or ethanol based of 50-75%, diluted with water). Use a soft cloth on both sides, the rim, and the inside.
If your handpan has oil on it, you’ll need to re-apply it since the cleaning will remove the oil.
♪ Store your handpan in a cool place, and out of direct sunlight, ideally outside the case in a safe place. If stored inside the case, leave the zip 1/4 open to release the moisture from the case. Check that the foam in the case doesn’t get damp.
♪ Apply Phoenix oil every 2 weeks – 2 months. Make sure to only use appropriate oil/wax for this process. You can get Phoenix oil here.
Would you like more advice on how to deal with rust or would like to ask another question? Feel free to contact us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to guide you. Find out more about handpans here.