Recommended Videos

| drum set | African | Carribean | Brazilian | jazz videos

Videos are often more useful than books or CDs to those without a teacher. You can see exactly what movements are being done to get the sounds..We are not just recommending these because they are available, but we have actually seen and worked with them, and know them to be good products....

For Congas:

These are the best two videos to start with. Bobby knows what he's talking bout. As you develop, classic and very useful videos are Conga Virtuoso - by Giovanni Hidalgo, and  Conga Masters, a short series of duets with Giovanni Hidalgo and Changuito. If you've never seen these gentlemen play, it will give you an idea of what can be done on the instrument.

Anga Mania!
Percussion Video of the Year - DRUM! Magazine Readers Poll 2000!

Featuring the young lion, Cuban percussionist Miguel "Anga" Diaz of the AfroCuban AllStars, Irakere, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Ruben Gonzales, Roy Hargrove, Steve Coleman, Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, Orishas... Known for his explosive soloing and ground-breaking style, Cuban born Anga represents the future of conga playing. Now you can learn his techniques from this unique video-masterclass!

For Doumbek:

By far the best doumbek video, recently released, is 
the Doumbek Video - Arabic Techniques and Rhythms, by Johnathan Kessler.  

For Frame Drum:

Top priority: You need The Art & Joy of Hand Drumming  by John Bergamo. This video will open your eyes to a new world of possibilities, not just for frame drums, but for anything that produces sound..

Layne Redmond's video
Rhythmic Wisdom is another good choice, although it cannot replace the Bergamo vid. This one has a bit more cultural info, history, etc., whereas Bergamo more or less opens up the world of finger technique to a wide array of instruments and situations. I guess you've noticed, we're big Bergamo fans around here. For more on John, check out the Hands OnSemble page, here at rhythmweb.