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Glen Caruba’s Brush Beat Cajon Tricks

Nashville percussion whiz Glen Caruba is back with a cool new technique for cajon enthusiasts. In this lesson he show how to expand your sonic palette by combining traditional hand slaps with strokes played with bundle rods, using a traditional grip.

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Jim Donovan: Shiko Independence Builders

Here are some challenging exercises designed to work your four-way independence. I’ve based the patterns for the feet on rhythms from a traditional Liberian piece called Shiko.

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Jim Donovan: Tourareg Rhythms Of Northern Mali

One of my most recent musical finds is a group from the Sahara region of Northern Mali called Tinariwen

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Jim Donovan: Return Of Agbadza

This month, we are going to dig deeper into Agbadza, one of the oldest-known types of music in West Africa.

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Jim Donovan: The ABC’s Of Agbadza

Agbadza music comes from the Ewe people in the Volta region of Ghana. It’s thought to be one of the oldest-known types of music in West Africa.

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Watts & Messersmith: Brazil/Afrobeat

This is another groove we’ve created that is a fusion of different influences.

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Jim Donovan: Mastering 6 Over 4

At the foundation of many West African rhythmic structures is the polyrhythm 6 over 4.

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Jim Donovan: Haitian Voudou Drumming

Enslaved Africans in Haiti were resilient enough to retain their musical heritage while continuing to use it in their struggle to survive.

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Jim Donovan: Independence Builders

Here are some challenging exercises designed to work your four-way independence.

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Jim Donovan: West African War Dance Rhythms

Originally a war dance but now performed mainly for entertainment at community gatherings, Gota hails from the ancient kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa.