Choosing a Hand Drum to Use in a Drum Circle

Drum circles have become a popular activity in America today.  Often lauded for their therapeutic effects, drum circles are a great way to get involved with new peer groups and find a community to interact and make music with.

There are a variety of hand drums that can be used in a drum circle. In fact, nearly anything that makes a noise can be employed to add to the unique rhythm. An easy way to figure out the best instrument for you is to decide how much sound you are comfortable with making. 

Drums such as the djembe drum are heavy on the bass, and get heavier as the diameter of the head increases in size—some djembes can have bass that carries for miles (hence their traditional use in African drumming to communicate across the savannas.).  Choosing the djembe will mean your individual strokes on the drum will most likely stand out to some degree above the group.

For persons who are less comfortable with loud sound,  shakers are a great way to go.  Shakers can come in a variety of shapes amd sizes, and often shakers and other hand percussion instruments can add a unique accent layer to the drum circle without being overpowering, meaning they are an excellent choice for beginners and other people who are new to drum circles.

Bongos are another great drum option for drum circles. The bongos have a sharp sound, with each of the two heads creating a distinct contrast to the other. Bongos are often best used by experienced drummers, since their sharp sound stands out and can be used for solos and syncopated rhythms.

Other Latin drums such as the conga are a good middle ground for people who want to be a part of the core rhythm but also don’t want to stand out to the degree that they would while playing a djembe or bongos.  Congas can be played together or individually according to ability.

As stated earlier, virtually anything that makes sound can be used to add to the rhythm of a drum circle.  The most important thing is that the player feels comfortable participating and interacting with the rest of the circle regardless of playing ability! Check out the following link for the latest information on drum circle drums!

http://www.motherrhythm.com