I was just wondering what cool percussion instruments anyone knows of/plays. I play bones and spoons, and I’m looking for some other instruments, especially that have really unique sounds.
Had a guy playing a washboard at one of our monster sessions. It was odd to find an instrument that even the bodhran players didn’t like.
I took one of these drums to a session, but nobody seemed to like it.
They must have liked the outfit though?
David Holt has a good video on Homespun Tapes on percussion. Bones, Spoons, Hambone, Washboard and Paper Bag. David is the worlds leading paper bag player and you can get a lot of hot tips on this important instrument from the video. There is also what you might call electric hambone where he has his body rigged up with drum sensors. I have no financial interest in the millions he rakes in from these enterprises.
Steve
On 2002-06-10 15:33, jmssmh wrote:
They must have liked the outfit though?
Don’t you wear that to sessions?
Good grief!
Have all you thong-obsessed people been so blinded by your sordid sartorial preoccupations that you overlook the incontrovertible evidence that Japan is part of the proto-Celtic world cultural space, as evidenced by the triskel motif on that neat little bonzai bodhrán?
Hey Staten Island, if you are, in fact, located on Staten Island, hit me with an e-mail. I’m just on the other side of the Verrazano (so to speak). I’ll be having a few players over on Monday nights for part of the summer, and a percussionist would be a great way of drowning out some of the whistle players!!
Tom D.
Mark,
If that photo wasn’t reproduced with the express consent of National Taiko Association and Kodo/Ondekoza Productions, then I’m afraid some loincloth wearing, marathon running, big drum beating Japanese fellers are going to go Samurai on your sorry ass…You did get permission, didn’t you?
Loren “Don’t piss off the dudes with the big sticks” B.
I use loads of percussion in my band.
We use bodhran, side drum, drum kit, bongos, udu drums, djembe, congas, spoons, bones, a bass drum, tenor drums, a very old miltary drum, a frog (it’s a big hollow wooden frog with spines like a guiro) and anything else we can get our hands on!
Staten Island.
I have a inexpensive bodhran I’d be glad to sell, if your want to give it a try. I bought it to find out if I’d like bodhran and to determine if it would help my floundering sense of rhythm. It helped; so, I bought a lot better one 6 months later.
I’d seen a number of cheap ones with tingy synthetic heads and cross bars that only a 2 year old could slide a hand under. This one caught my eye because it was under $50, 18" goat skin head and enough cross bar clearance to brace my hand easily against the head to control tone. The finish is simple polyurathane, this is not a pretty drum, but it did get the job done. I’d be glad to pass it on for $35 plus shipping if your interested.
Send me an email if you think you’d like to give this a try; but regardless, always …
Enjoy Your Music,
Lee Marsh
[ This Message was edited by: LeeMarsh on 2002-06-11 10:04 ]
It could be worth listening to some CDs of good percussionists like Tommy Hayes to draw some inspiration from, your man can make anything rattle nicely.
Found myself sitting next to a nice bodhranplayer last sunday, there aren’t any coming to that session normally but this was quite nice as a change, Mind you, he was GOOD.
[ This Message was edited by: Peter Laban on 2002-06-11 10:12 ]
I like the bongos. I’ve gone to my local music store many times just to bang on the bongos. I also love the tambourine so I find myself banging a bongo with one hand and shaking a tambourine with the other.
Speaking of tambourines - has anyone had the idea of an electronic tambourine? I had this idea for one with sound control. Like, I have a tambourine in my room, but it’s far too loud for a rather small space and it drowns out the music. With an electric tambourine, you could turn down the sound in a small room or make it really loud if you’re on stage. Just an idea…
Peace be the journey,
Sara
A ‘shaker-egg’ gives a very cool effect.
In a funny mood I had mine dancing across the table during a jig or two 
I don’t care what anybody says, I think the bodhran is pretty cool. 
Other favorites: My tombu (haitian voodoo drum) which doesn’t sound all that great but looks really scary; the jews harp; and the djembe.
Someday I want to round up some of the Arapahoe Indian drummers/singers around here; those big buffalo hide monsters would sound truly awesome backing up a fast minor key tune on the whistle or GH pipes. I’ll keep you posted if I ever get it done.
I once recorded a song accompanied by a pine cone (scraped with a guitar pick) and a guitar box. Sounded really good. Shrug.
Tom
I made my own cool shaky egg recently by putting lentils in an empty green mints container. It rattles tunefully.