Beautifully carved rosewood doumbek. They look and sound wonderful. Bolt tuned for easy adjustments. And the heads can easily be replaced if needed.
Fun drum! Great bass snare drum. From Ghana, similar to Nigerian Djun Djuns. They are lightweight and made from a single piece of hardwood carved thin and headed with goatskin. Traditionally played in the same position as a talking drum, in the armpit, and comes with the traditional curved stick. The brekete has a rawhide or string snare on each head which can be pulled loose when not wanted. Typically the drum is covered with African cloth. The brekete can be very easily tuned by adjusting the leather “tuning lace” on each pair of main laces. Comes with shoulder strap and curved stick.
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These drums are hand carved from solid logs of paduc wood in Eastern Nigeria. By leaving one wall of the log a little thicker when carving, they create two different tones on either side of the slit. This is traditionally a “talking” instrument, capable of transmitting messages by sound over long distances. In modern times, these log drums are used mostly for music. Each drum has a few “sweet spots” which produce especially nice tones. It is possible to get more tones by hitting the drums away from the sweet spots, also.
Great sounding wood bongos. Nice, simple wood finish. Easily bolt tunable.
Made from shea trees with gourd resonators, these are the “real deal”. Large instruments – Perfect sound!
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The shekere or Axatse rattle is a gourd covered in netting with seeds attached to rattle against the hard side of the gourd. The shekere often plays variations on the rhythm played by the bell.
The cabasa is constructed using endless loops of steel bead chain wrapped around a specially textured stainless steel cylinder. Wooden flanges enclose the cylinder and a wooden handle is attached to the bottom. This instrument works well in a drum circle and is fairly robust. It was designed to create rhythmic scraping sounds and patterns. The beads can be manipulated against the textured steel or the instrument can be spun or shaken for varying sounds.
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Styles of Africa dance music
Anyako Atsia
This popular circle dance from the Ewes of Anyako features songs about morality, community, character, and pride. The event is primarily social, and a chance for people to express themselves (and even flirt a bit) through dance & song.
Kpanlogo.
A fairly recent (1940s?) highlife dance form. Dancing is high-spirited and the songs are fresh and lively. The drums are conga-like and played with hands.
Sogba.
Social dance music, probably heard more than any other style because it allows for relaxed social fellowship and song.
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African dance rhythms
Dance music which originated in Ghana in the early twentieth century, a fusion of traditional rhythms and European influences, including military brass band music, church hymns, and sea shanties.
Juju music evolved from the traditional music of the Yoruba tribe combined with international influences including Christian church hymns and Latin American rhythms. Modernized juju, which may include synthesizers, is called Yo-Pop.
Soukous, a combination of Cuba rumba and Congolese rhythms, arose in the 1950s. It issometimes refered to as Lingala music as the lyrics were sung in Lingala, the interethnic trading language. The style became popular in London and Paris in the 1980s.
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