This book will teach any musician, step by step, how to play the conga drum using authentic Afro-Cuban rhythms: calypso, bomba, conga, rumba and bembe. The clear text, life-like illustrations and simple charts make learning to play these beats easy, even for non-musicians. The player can hear all 175 rhythms in the book on the included CD.

Conga Drumming: A Beginner's Guide to Playing With Time W/ CD

Arts & Photography

Dworsky, Alan

Music

Dancing Hands Music

CONGA DRUMMING (video)

Last, First

A musician's guide to understanding and improvising with rhythm. This book is a road map to rhythm for any musician. It's for guitar players intrigued by the rhythms of world music. It's for keyboard players who've studied scales and chords and now want to study rhythm in a systematic way. It's for drummers, bass players, and sax players who want to groove and solo with a deeper understanding of rhythmic structure. Whatever your instrument, if you want to play funkier and don't mind using your head to do it, this book is for you. This step- by-step comprehensive course includes: hundreds of patterns drawn from African and Afro-Cuban rhythms explained and organized according to their structures; Rhythmic concepts and techniques you can use to create your own patterns; Bite-sized lessons arranged in order of difficulty; Easy-to-read charts that even non-musicians can under- stand; A CD that creates a realistic, three-dimensional rhythmic context for you to practice in; Exercises to reinforce your under- standing and help you build on what you're learning; and a chapter on rhythm walking--a fun way to create rhythms with your whole body while you walk.

A RHYTHMIC VOCABULARY

Literature & Fiction

World-Beat & Funk Grooves: Playing a Drumset the Easy Way

Unlike any other how-to-play book available, this book's method is based on a style of playing called "linear drumming," which means playing one note at a time. Instead of having to learn separate parts for hands and feet and then layering them on top of each other, the student only needs to learn a single pattern that moves note by note from limb to limb.

Sansby, Betsy

This book is a complete, step-by-step, user friendly course on how to play djembe. Right from the start, in addition to learning how to make all the basic strokes, you'll be learning interlocking parts for some of the most popular West African rhythms; Kuku, Djole, Kassa, Madan, Suku, Sunguru Bani and Thiba. After working through only a few lessons, you'll be able to put the parts together and start playing these irresistible rhythms with your friends. The rhythms are written in simple charts, so no music reading is required. The CD that comes with the book gives you a chance to hear how each part sounds separately and how the parts for each rhythm fit together. It was recorded by John Camara, a master drummer from Bamako, Mali. Each rhythm lasts at least five minutes, so you'll have plenty of time to play along. And when John solos during the final three minutes of each track, you'll feel the thrill of playing your part along with an ensemble and lead drummer.

How to Play Djembe (Book/CD set)

Alan L. Dworsky & Betsy Sansby

All you need is one drum. It can be a Djembe, a conga, or anything else you can get both your hands on. Whether your goal is to play in a band, jam in the park, or just drum along with your favorite CD's, this book will show you how, step by step. This book is filled with great dance grooves. Many of them are adapted from drumset patterns used in rock, pop, and funk music. Others are based on traditional African or Afro-Cuban rhythms. You can play all these grooves in a wide variety of musical styles and settings, and you can hear how each one sounds on the CD that comes with the book.

Hip Grooves for Hand Drums: How to Play Funk, Rock & World-Beat Patterns on Any Drum

Alan L. Dworsky

Betsy Sansby

Alan Dworsky

Jay Kendell

Kendell, Jay

This book is for advanced hand drummers who want to play complex solos using simple sequences of hand strokes. Whether you play Djembe, conga, or ashiko, the practical hand-pattern strategies explained here will help you get the most out of your hands with the least amount of effort. And whether you want to solo in a traditional African or Afro-Cuban ensemble, in a drum circle, in a band, or in your living room along with your favorite CDs, Secrets of the Hand will help you take your playing to the next level. The book is organized into two main sections. The first covers the five basic hand-pattern strategies and the second covers five strategies for creating the illusion of speed. Each new strategy builds on the ones before it. And while you're learning the strategies, you'll also be learning over a hundred patterns that should be a fountain of ideas for you when you solo.

Secrets of the Hand:: Soloing Strategies for Hand Drummers

Alan Dworsky & Betsy Sansby

Alan Dworsky, Alan

Slap Happy turns drum rhythms into body rhythms you can step, clap, and slap with a buddy. Right from the start, you'll be learning how to slap traditional rhythms from West Africa and the Caribbean; Kuku from Guinea; Sunguru Bani from mali, Kpegisu from Ghana, Bomba from Puerto Rico, and Conga from Cuba. And you can hear how every pattern sounds on the slap-along CD that comes with the book. You can do Slap Happy in pairs or in groups, indoors or out, at home or at school. The rhythms are written in easy-to-read charts requiring no knowledge of music. If you're a parent, it's a great way to do something fun and educational with your kids that doesn't require any previous musical training. If you're a music teacher, you can use Slap Happy to give your students a hands-on experience of world rhythms without having to buy any instruments. It's physical, it's funky, and it's fun!

Slap Happy: How to Play World-Beat Rhythms with Just Your Body and a Buddy

Children's Books

Betty Sansby

Sansby, Betty

Arts, Music & Photography

In The Joy of Six, Dworsky adapts African and Afro-Cuban polyrhythms to the keyboard in a world-beat classical style. At the heart of the book are four beautiful solo pieces designed to teach different rhythms. Each piece is covered in a separate lesson, where it's broken down into bite-sized patterns that start easy and gradually get more difficult, designed to lead you step-by-step into the magical world of 6/8 time. As you work through the patterns, Dworsky will be with you every step of the way, anticipating your questions and pointing out whatever will make your journey easier. His clear writing makes rhythmic concepts easily understandable, while his conversational tone creates the feel of private lessons. And the CD that comes with the book contains a recording of every pattern and piece, making The Joy of Six a complete self-instruction package.

The Joy of Six for Solo Piano or Keyboard: A Polyrhythmic Journey in 6/8 Time

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Books by Dancing Hands Music