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Method Book Conga Crocodile (Ages 4-8) By Nicole Rubel
Method Books New Method-Afro-Cuban Drumming
By Jimmy Branly. Book with CD. 31 pages.
The New Method for Afro-Cuban Drumming features Jimmy's unique approach to playing contempoary Latin rhythms on the drumset. The material represents a fusion of his experiences growing up in Cuba and shows how he applied this knowledge when he got to the United States and began performing. Everything in this book has practical applications to many styles of music. Jimmy covers: getting the right sound, bongo bell patterns and the drumset, bass drum variations, and hi-hat variations, and much more. The 65-minute CD includes 97 demonstration tracks.
Method Book Master's Approach to Timbales
By Jose Luis Quintana "Changuito" Written In Collaboration With Chuck Silverman.
This text and CD package teaches timbales as played by the master percussionist Changuito. Topics include set-up, tuning, the clave, fills, independence exercises, listening recommendations, and a glossary of terms. Various styles are studied such as Danzon, Abanico, Cha-Cha-Cha, Mambo, Pilon, Mozambique, Merengsongo, Conga, 6/8 Rhythms, Timba, Songo, Laye, and Afro-Cuban. Examples on the CD are performed by Changuito.
Method Book The Tomas Cruz Conga Method, Volume I
Beginning: Conga Technique as Taught in Cuba. By Tomas Cruz with Kevin Moore, Mike Gerald and Orlando Fiol. For Conga Drums.
Level: Beginning.
In Volume I, Tomasito reveals the time-tested conga method which he himself studied with "Changuito" and other master congueros at the ENA conservatory in Havana. Volume I starts at the absolute beginning and is designed for the person who has never touched the congas, but is also of great value to the advanced player who wishes to understand the foundation and rudiments of the approach that has allowed the ENA and the other Havana conservatories to consistently turn out so many world class congueros each year.
Method Book The Tomas Cruz Conga Method, Volume II Intermediate: Essential Cuban Conga Rhythms. By Tomas Cruz with Kevin Moore, Mike Gerald and Orlando Fiol. For Conga Drums.
Level: Intermediate.
Volume II is aimed at two distinct categories of readers: 1) Intermediate players who are ready for a wider range of rhythms to study and use in live playing situations; and 2) Experienced congueros who have digested Volume I and now seek to understand the roots of the modern Cuban conga style. Having assimilated the material in Volume I, the student should be able to play basic Son Montuno, Salsa, Chachacha, and Bolero.
Volume II moves on to Guaguanco, Iyesa, 6/8, Changui, Afro, Mozambique, Pilon, Songo, Merengue, Bomba, Cumbia and other rhythms that a professional conguero will be expected to know. Each rhythm is accompanied by an article reflecting on its history and role in the "big picture" of Latin music and offering listening recommendations. Like Volume I, it uses the Step by Step DVD Method. A special 8-page appendix explains the often infuriatingly complex subject of "clave" with an unprecedented level of clarity and insight.
Method Book The Tomas Cruz Conga Method, Volume III
Advanced: Timba-Modern Cuban Conga Rhythms. By Tomas Cruz, with Kevin Moore, Mike Gerald and Orlando Fiol. For Conga Drums.
Level: Advanced.
Volume III is the first educational product to tackle the complex subject of Timba, the new musical genre which has been played in Cuba since 1989. Timba represents a quantum leap for all the instruments of the rhythm section and especially the congas. The recordings of Tomas Cruz are considered the most advanced examples of Timba conga-playing and so fascinated the three coauthors that they sought out Tomas Cruz and spent a year and a half studying his style and meticulously documenting it before even considering the idea of publishing it. After many hundreds of hours of passionate research, this "labor of love" eventually reached fruition as Volume III. Volumes II & I were then written to trace the roots of the style and to understand the path Tomas took to arrive at his phenomenal level of technical mastery and rhythmic creativity.
Much more than a collection of patterns or exercises, Volume III analyzes Timba arrangements from beginning to end, explaining the role of the congas in each section, the relationship to the "clave", and Tomasito's creative process, including an exercise which teaches the reader to invent his own Timba conga parts. It was the intricacies of the material of Volume III which inspired the creation of the Step by Step DVD Method, which enables the reader to learn these exciting new rhythms in a fraction of the time it would take working with only written music and audio recordings.
Conversations in Clave: The Ultimate Technical Study of Four-Way Independence in Afro-Cuban Rhythms
Grooves do Brasil (literally Grooves of Brazil) is designed to give drummers a great introduction to the unique flavor of Brazilian music. Renowned drummer Duda Moura introduces each style along with native instrument transcriptions and then shows the reader how to apply these grooves around the drumkit.
All the examples are clearly notated and demonstrated in real time on the accompanying audio CD by Duda and his band. Each track is presented both with and without the drum part so the student can play along with the band!
This book is the perfect companion for drummers looking to expand their current knowledge of Brazilian drumming and a good starting point for those who simply want to know how to play a bossa nova or a samba.
Method Book The Bongo Book
By Trevor Salloum. 64 pages. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc. Level: Beginning-Intermediate.
Here's an entire book devoted to the all too often overlooked Latin instrument, the bongo drums. Trevor Salloum guides you on an inspired informative, and educational musical journey; offering many valuable insights of playing this instrument as well as revealing its colorful history. This text features jazz, rock, Danzon, Mozambique, and bomba patterns with fills, exercises, and performance techniques to get you going in these styles. Maintenance, characteristic rhythmic patterns, and important artists in the evolution of bongo technique are also covered in depth. The companion CD features recordings of the rhythm patterns discussed in the book.
