Bookman

Over in Media and Pop Culture, we've been discussing our favorite drummers, which got me to thinking "who here plays percussion?"

I used to play and left it behind for many years. Recently, I've become interested in Middle Eastern drumming with a hand drum called a dumbek (or doumbek).

Just curious if anyone around here has a similar hobby.

Bookman

Viti

Hiya Bookman! I don't play, but my husband does and has for over 20 years. Our garage has been converted to a studio. He has recently become interested in World Rythms and likes having to actually think about what he's playing.

beastmaster

Apparently, Vespertine is a percussionist -- you might want to PM him/her.

Mad Lion

Me! I've been a drummer/percussionist for 10 years now, since I started band in middle school.

<brag mode = "on">I was all mid-state every year I tried out, and I was the first pick for all-state my senior year. I was captain of the drumline for a couple years, both of which our indoor line one the southeast regional championships. My senior year we also made the finals at the world championships. Whee!</brag mode>

AquaVita

I've played drums for a good 6 years now and enjoy it quite a bit. Though my music career has turned the way of the record producer at this point, I couldn't be happier. I could never be in another band...ever.

Kilted Canuck

I've played the Highland snare drum for about 6 years now. I'm a grade 3 solo competitor, but I haven't won many things. After learning the HSD, I found that other types of drums were just plain easy in comparison. I learned how to play the drum kit it 4 days, and I can also play most orchestral percussion, plus the african Djembes(sp?)

scarmig

I've been learning to play the bodhran (celtic frame drum) over the past few months. Easy to learn and a lot of fun. I've toyed with dumbeks but haven't purchased one yet.

Sakpo

I'm nothing special but I can hold my own behind a drum kit. I'm primarily a guitarist though and don't usually tell people I can play drums because then I get stuck playing them (which I usually find sort of stressful).

Cutter

Hmm, maybe you guys can answer a question for me I've been wondering about on and off for a while.

My question is with regards to cross-handed drumming (right arm crossed over the left for righties, vice versa for lefties) vs. open-handed drumming (hands not crossed, natch! ). Is there any particular advantage to one technique over the other? Or is it simply a matter of personal preference and/or how someone's been taught to drum?

And is it just me or are there way more cross-handeds than open-handeds. I know I've seen open-handed drumming but I'm damned if I can remeber by whom.

Jackalope

I started out as a highland pipe band drummer. First as a tenor drummer (the folks who whirl their mallets as they play), then as a side (snare) drummer. I also learned irish stepdance, where many of the same rhythms occur.

I had a very unusual teacher who wasn't stuck on just doing feissana (stepdancing competitions). So she also taught the more traditional style she'd learned from her parents. One of the major things she pounded into us was "think like a drummer." Instead of dancing a pre-constructed set of steps, we were supposed to pick steps we knew that fit the particular tune being played. Okay, we were also unusual in that there was actually live music instead of recordings. About half of us at the school were musicians anyway.

When I was in high school, I ended up being the tympani player, because the other "dumbers" couldn't read bass clef notation. They were mostly rock band wannabes and the idea of actually learning to read music...or of practicing fundamentals, or actually keeping time instead of looking cool were all alien concepts to that crew. I escaped being section head because the band director wanted me to play clarinet for at least part of the time. I screwed up and let slip that I'd played other instruments before. And that I still owned my clarinet, which was a halfway decent one. I did end up being the drum sergeant for marching, simply because the other drummers had never actually done marching drill before.

Let's see...I also have played bodhran, and I have an incredibly obnoxious childrens' drum called a "Lollipop drum" that's essentially a frame drum on a stick. I've pulled that out and played it with a tipper before, which really freaks out the audience. I've also played tambourines that way (which isn't actually that weird, I've got recordings from the 1930s that have "riddle drums" with zils on them).

I also learned to play zagat (hand cymbals or zils) in a fairly traditional turkish style. In fact, the little bit of belly dancing I did, I found that I got too involved playing syncopations and forgot to dance.

I think that's all the percussion I do. My hands are pretty thrashed, so I don't drum much anymore. I play fife and pennywhistle, banjo-ukulele, a little bit of melodeon, and I just pulled out my old practice keyboard. I'm considering buying a used piano keyboard (not a synth, I want the weighted keys and room to play with both hands). Someone I know is building a blower-driven calliopie and I'd just love to play something that's accoustic and can still blow away the disco trucks full of PA gear. In fact, my dead keyboard may end up as part of this beast...