From New Jersey to Nebraska

[jzkornbluh]

Hi everybody, my name is Josh and I live in Nebraska. I'm a trained jazz musician on drum set and self-taught on djembe. I joined this website to get feedback on my growing knowledge on the djembe drum, and also to see what other people can do with their drums. So I hope I meet some interesting people on here, and it'd be nice to get some pointers and feedback.

This is the only video I have of myself playing the djembe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aliIra0s9cI

[michi]

Hi Josh,

welcome to the forum! I was really impressed by your video--clearly, you've done a lot of drumming!

A lot of what goes on here in the forum is about traditional djembe drumming, as played by the Malinké people in West Africa. If you browse some of the videos in the media section, you'll quickly get an idea of that style of music. If you find that this style speaks to you, you should try and find a teacher in your area who can show you traditional rhythms and technique. Especially for someone like yourself, who is an accomplished drummer already, that would be a very effective (and fast) way to get under the skin of this music. With your aptitude and feel, you could be an awesome traditional djembe player in fairly short order. And learning about traditional West African rhythms might give you new ideas and input for your jazz music.

Anyway, hang out around here and chime in, and you are sure to learn a lot and get to know lots of interesting people!

Cheers,

Michi.

[bops]

Hey Josh, thanks for joining. I enjoyed your video. You've got a lot of talent, keep at it!

I agree with Michi, you could really go far if you delve into the traditional style. You can still incorporate your innovative technique; you'll get plenty of respect if you show that you can do both. Jembe music is very, very deep! Listen to some of the greats. If it calls to you, follow it.