In my opinion - Video is the best teaching aid after having an actual live teacher. You can see and hear what is going on and you can stop and rewind whenever you need to focus on something particular. There are quite a few videos covering Arabic/Mid. East. percussion and here I give you my personal critique and ratings on those I have used . In each review I assume some knowledge on technique and rhythm by the reader, if you are new to Arabic Drumming the conclusions and rating will hopefully guide you to any decisions. To order follow any link provided or just type in the title and author into a search engine to find how you may order them.

I fully recommend you try Aladdin's Cave based in the UK which carries many of these titles - N.B. do contact them direct if you do not see the product you want listed.

click here - ALADDIN'S CAVE

For US customers check DAHLAL INTERNATIONAL

THE DOUMBEK VIDEO

by JONATHAN KESSLER

Running time : 75 mins.

Jonathan is from the U.S. and has taught Doumbek for Santa Barbara's Mid. East. Ensemble. This video covers only the Doumbek. It starts with a look at how to hold the Doumbek the basic playing positions for Dum, Tek and Ka and gives basic exercises for each and together. Next the BELEDI and MAQSUM rhythms are introduced in basic form and then with basic fills and chain and repeats at various tempos for a good length of time to play along with. As tempo increases he puts in more complicated fills which are not explained but good for the Int.student to observe and work out. This pattern of demonstration is repeated for all following rhythms. Then MAQSUM is played by J. with an ensemble of players on OUD, VIOLIN and RIQ covering a classic Arab song. This is a great demonstration in putting the rhythm in context with other instruments and how the Doumbek should accompany melody - all players are very competent and you get a chance to observe the RIQ playing as well as J. playing fast and busy, which he seems most comfortable with. Next AYYUB is covered with basic explanation of time signature and covers the same format as he taught the previous rhythms, then he speeds it up to introduce FALLAHI. Next J. covers TECHNIQUES, specifically : alternate hand rolls and gives tips and practice advice as he does also for HALF TEK or MUTED TEK . Especially well covered are the various POP/SLAP/GRAB techniques as FULL/SOFT and HALF POPS. Then onto CHIFTITELLI and this is also played with the ensemble. Next is MALFUF with explanation on why it is a 3-3-2 feel rhythm, this he morphs into SAUDI / KHALEEGI. Next is KARSLIMAS a 9-Beat rhythm and explanation on how to feel it as ; 12,12,12,123. again as with all rhythms basic fills are explained - more complex ones are not and this one is also given the ensemble treatment and J. does a solo in the middle. Finally ADVANCED CONCEPTS Is a brief look at how to move from one rhythm to another - MALFUF to MAQSUM in this case and then a discussion on playing for dancers and solo's. This is demonstrated again with the ensemble and a belly dancer, again a unique opportunity to observe the interaction of drum with melody and dancer.

All in all this is a very good video and there is an accompanying CD - THE DOUMBEK VIDEO PRACTICE COMPANION ( see CD's ) for further tuition and practice. J. has covered a lot of concepts and rhythms over the two products and his teaching experience have made these a very clear and uncluttered aid to starting to play the Doumbek. Possibly a bit too advanced for the complete and terrified beginner it compresses a lot of information into the 75 mins. which will be of interest to Intermediate and Advanced players too. Unique and huge pluses are the inclusion of the Arabic Ensemble and dancer putting it all into context, the coverage of technique is better than most videos - a shame he doesn't cover finger rolls though. If there are any negatives they would be the issue of tape quality - some owners of this video have noted there copies were very poor - mine was fine and I believe a new print run has ironed out this problem. Production values are fine and sound quality was fine for my copy.

Ideal for BEGS/INT/ADV.

Overall - 9/10

THE FANTASTIC WORLD OF FRAME DRUMS

by GLEN VELEZ

Running Time : 60 mins.

If you are unfamiliar with the astounding virtuosity of this gifted player, then this is a very good place to start. Glen Velez also hails from the States and has been acknowledged as one of the best known frame drummers for some time now. The video starts with a demonstration of Glen playing Mazhar and his No 1 student Layne Redmond on Riq and you instantly get an idea of just how good these two are. Glen then introduces himself and gives a definition of frame drums and the three drums focused on in this video : BODHRAN ( Irish drum but played in M. East. and S. Indian style ) TAR ( A Remo version ) and Riq. First the Bodhran -Glen plays it in the seated style with the drum across the leg. He introduces the playing position for Dom using the thumb/hammer technique, Tak using ring finger and also for Ka, Slap is a soft cupping action and " Brushing " the skin with finger nails or pads. The Snap technique for Tak/Ka in Azerbaijani style for all fingers. Straight away we have plenty of striking styles to work with which are explained very clearly. An unnamed 8-beat pattern is presented which incorporate all the above techniques and he teaches it to a steady beat/count fairly slowly, then breaks it down and reassembles it - this happens again for a second 8-beat pattern which follows the first. He then plays them both at correct speed so you can hear the desired result. He demonstrates the " sliding " technique of moistening the finger tip and pushing it across the drum skin to produce an eerie drone sound. Finally he gives us a demonstration of his own composition played on the Bodhran starting with the sliding drone and overtoning and then on to some frankly mind boggling rhythmic playing. Next is the N. African TAR which is like a snareless Bendir from the Magrheb, made by the Remo company. He demonstrates the holding style and how to use lead hand thumb as a pivot on the side of the drum to aid in the striking tones of Dom - done with ring finger, Tak - also ring and Ka with weaker hand ring finger. An unnamed 7-beat pattern is presented and explained slowly. Now Glen introduces his " hand dance " method of walking on the spot to a regular beat whilst playing the drum. This helps introduce a sense of internal pulse which is very effective - lots of players help themselves by tapping their foot or clicking their tongues to aid time keeping and this method is very good for getting the whole body into the groove. The pulse is explained as quarter notes so you "walk" to this and then play the pattern to this tempo also, then with the walking tempo the same the rhythm is played at double time or eighth notes and on to sixteenth notes - all the while walking at quarter note tempo. It is tricky at first but well worth mastering. Next he introduces Snaps for the Tar - lead hand snap is similar to the Bodhran one shown earlier, Ka snap is little finger coming over the top of ring finger ! Then the snaps are put into the 7-beat pattern and the walking exercises are done again at the different tempos. Finally another impressive demonstration of Glen's own composition is played for us using all the above techniques and others not covered like rolls. The last frame drum is the Riq a fish skin/lemonwood type. He explains how the primary sounds are produced with the lead hand : Dom - forefinger, Tak - ring, Slap - a cupped hand fingertip style. Holding technique for weak hand is given in detail - this style is sometimes referred to as the  " folk " style - pushing your thumb up against a zill and gripping in a vice-grip style between forefinger and thumb. Tic is the term given for striking the zills - the weak hand "Ka" which hits the nearest zill, Tic is also shown being produced by lead hand ring finger. He explains how to produce trills on the zills i.e. 123 done by lead hand and 4 done by weak hand. Next a version of MASMOUDI is given and broken down into two halves with all Doms, Taks and Tics shown. Next he shows how to hold the Riq in the other major playing style - this I have heard referred to as the " Classical " style - Glen refers to it as the Soft style. The Riq is held by both hands between thumb and forefingers, the thumbs going into the back of the drum, the forefingers to the front in a "Y" shape. Dom is produced with lead ring finger and Tak is played with both ring fingers BUT at the same time as the forefingers press on the skin in a dampening style to increase the pitch of Tak. This is tricky and needs a lot of practice. Glen demonstrates how to play the same MASMOUDI rhythm in this style. Finally as before we get the demonstration of Glen playing one of his Riq compositions which is particularly impressive using all the above techniques and plenty more like shakes and rolls. The last section is a demonstration of a composition for two drums - this time on Azerbaijani GAVULS - played by Glen and Layne. This is to demonstrate compositional considerations whilst playing in an ensemble. It is complicated stuff comprising of a ten beat rhythm ( SAMMAI ) played twice followed by a nine beat played once and an eight beat played once which is the whole cycle which is repeated by Layne as Glen solos but he calls Layne often with cues to halt on one rhythm whilst he solos and calls her back to the cycle. Be prepared to not follow this ! Still it is an impressive demonstration leaving you amazed at what frame drums can do in the hands of very experienced players.

So here we have a great video on frame drums played by a great player who demonstrates very good teaching skills - he doesn't waffle and is very succinct and a lot of information is crammed into the 60 mins. The technique information is excellent with a balance of easy to hard strokes to tackle. Glen's method of walking-on-the-spot is a very well explained and useful aid to inner pulse feeling. It is useful for beginners and the rhythms chosen are a good variety for more experienced players to try. The advanced student better be super advanced to work out the demonstrations though. The Riq section is great for the attention to the techniques used for both playing styles but frustratingly short as there are many more to look at e.g. shakes and playing whilst shaking. This general criticism applies to the whole video - no explanation on finger rolls is given anywhere. There are so many other Arabic/N. African/M. East. etc frame drums too with their own particular styles and techniques. Also you only get a handful of rhythms as most time is spent on technique and Glen and Laynes' performances. So it feels a bit like an Introduction and demonstration video which could spawn dozens of follow up editions looking at each drum/region in turn and in more detail which you know Glen would deliver superbly. However this video was done in 1990 and there is no sign of any more. Still for what it does give it is very well done and very clear and therefore probably of use to all players at all abilities. An accompanying 12 page booklet gives exercises for all the techniques described as well as notation for the MASMOUDI ( both versions ) and the Internal Combustion demonstration. All notation is standard musical notation.

Ideal for  BEGS/INT/ADV.

Overall - 9/10

VOICES OF THE DOUMBEK

by ROBIN ADNAN ANDERS

Running Time : 70 mins.

Well there is always one " difficult " one in every group and here it is ! Let me straight away explain my problem with this video. I get very impatient with what I feel is  " New - Agey "  waffley style approach to things and I feel Robin gives us it in bucket loads here - of course you know yourself how you respond to this sort of approach and how you get on with it - so please bear this in mind whilst reading my personal comments on this. This video really addresses playing technique on the Doumbek and features little rhythm information. The video starts with a demonstration of Robin playing a clay/fish doumbek and you can see he is a proficient player. Robin is American and has made his own releases and was once part of the band 3 MUSTAPHAS 3 who if you do not know anything about I suggest you do ! They were great. Next up Robin introduces some preparations for playing and now is when you realize what you are going to get. He has a very slow almost drawl like delivery which is often full of pauses and Ums and Ahs and frankly he seems stoned ! This I found intensely irritating but after all it's the content that matters and not everyone can deliver in a bright, clear, coherent and efficient way. So the first section Preparations are mainly about warming up exercises taken from yoga exercises for wrists, forearms and finger musculature which actually is a very good thing to point out and not many if any of these videos do and if you are going to take learning these drums seriously then they are essential for lengthy periods of play. Next is a section on breathing exercises which yes OK it is important but I can do without real-time breathing exercises on a video - it goes on too long. Next is preparing spiritually - no, not for me thanks.  He talks a bit on playing the drum between the legs but not from any cultural reference more for whatever feels good for you stuff. He refers to a DOURBAKEE which he demonstrates with - I have no idea or heard of what a DOURBAKEE is and so I can't tell you if this really is some specific drum which is traditionally played between legs - any comments/ information on this welcome. Next is Basic Tones and Techniques. Now here's where the information starts getting good - he shows us many different ways of producing the tones ( voices ) of the Doumbek. DUM is shown by using palm method, finger method, a twisting finger tip / hammer method, light finger tip, cupped and double left/right DUM . TEK he starts by using his weaker hand ( the convention is to call this Ka - frustratingly he doesn't and calls another stroke Ka ! ) He tells us about the finger/thumb pinching method to help execute precise ring finger weak hand tek which is very good advice, he then moves to lead hand tek and talks about good wrist action / direction, then a finger tip Tek and flicking finger nails off the thumb on to the skin ( Rawl ? ) and weak hand finger snaps and gives a quick demonstration of them all. Now he moves on to his KAH which is actually muffled / dampened weak hand tek !! he shows muffling with fingertips, back of hand, back of thumb pad, sliding to raise the pitch and a very unique thumb-joint bone muffled tek and gives a brief demo of all. The next section is Special Tones and Techniques - the first is a very interesting technique of dividing the drum by incorporating thumb muffling technique and fanning the fingers to be able to produce Tek at the bottom of the drum as well as using the thumb / hammer Dum technique and finger trilling - all in one position - very hard to describe in words, it is unfortunately explained too briefly and quickly. Next are the SLAPS - fingertip, closed cupped hand, bottom 3 fingers ( not forefinger ) half cupped and whole hand spread finger style. On to FINGERROLLS -he talks about different finger combinations and demonstrates on his  DOURBAKEE and gives the best exercise - the alternate finger roll with accents on different fingers. The next section is a performance on his DOURBAKEE so it is between the legs - it is rather abstract and the poor man looks like he is in a painful trance throughout ! We are now  52 mins. into the video and here comes the first rhythm - 1) WAHDAH SAYIRAH  or  AYUB - He explains the vocal notation of Doum, Tek and Tek/Ka as eighth notes and tries to talk about the " dynamics " of stroke actions which is muddled. He then plays a very basic version of Ayub with no fills at all and is brief and dull sounding. 2) MASMUDI SAGHIR or BALADI - he shows us the basic pattern and turns it into MAQSOUM and adds fills ( interestingly all done as Ka's which is a very much a traditional " Arab " style ) but he gives no explanation to the fills. 3) WADAH KABIRA or CHEFTE TELLI - this a slightly different version to the usual pattern - his is D  TT  DT   D  D  T.  - he puts in fills and rolls again with no explanation. This is it - 10 mins. on rhythms ! He does though move on to Combining Rhythms and puts Baladi, Ayub and Chifti all together in sequence and plays them slowly - good for beginner play along practice - not too much filling but more later on - good demonstration. The end of the video is approaching and the obligatory final demo beckons and lo and behold he delivers a really good solo demonstration, standing style - lots of different rhythms and solos and techniques ( he still looks in pain ) for a good length of time. I'm sure he has been taught fist hand by " traditional " players - he has all the obscure strokes and techniques, plays most fills as Ka, uses correct terms for technique and rhythms and plays standing and has all the traditional " licks " and phrases you hear from Raks Sharki " dancer " drummers " - just such a shame he doesn't deliver the information as well as he can play and understands himself. Production values are fine but uses awful fades and split screen imagery. Accompanying fold out leaflet gives a unique but easy to understand notation guide for the rhythms and combination exercises and in print explains how the tones and techniques are produced.

So this is such a difficult item to rate - it certainly is of no interest to the " Rhythm Collector " it is an exploration of technique mainly and so of course is useful to all levels. So much good information is there but it is such a slow nail-chewing process sitting through it and is often muddled. I would recommend the total beginner starts elsewhere - for all others I suggest get this as a reference ' companion " video to go along side more clearer videos and the player craving all techniques and approaches to the Doumbek better get it sometime too. Please remember I'm not of the " New Age style " and if you are - ignore my negative comments and try it out it might be just for you. Good luck one and all !

Ideal for  BEGS/INT/ADV. ( BUT SEE ABOVE COMMENTS )

Overall - 6/10

How to play Arabic Drum

by Anne Harkin.

N.B. My copy has gone missing and may take a while to replace - for those in a hurry let me say I rate it as the best for the total beginner who wants to be taken through things slowly and clearly.

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"Independent Review of Anne Harkin's video How To Play Arabic Drum

Anne Harkin's video on playing middle eastern rhythm is brilliant. It is clear and easy to understand as Anne takes the student through each rhythm with both verbal and good visual direction. Musicians can follow her translation of the pieces into musical notation, and there is a simple easy-to-follow song for each piece for those who can remember a tune but not read music. Educationally, it's excellent. Great players are not always good teachers. In Anne's case she is both a fine musician and a great teacher. I highly recommend this video." -Dr. Robin Rowland, A.O. - review from author's website.

Worldpercussion 1 - Framedrums

 by David Kuckhermann

2 styles of framedrumming (on the lap and upright).

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Worldpercussion 2 - Riq and Darbuka

 by David Kuckhermann

Both DVDs are in PAL format and country-code free.

features:

• each DVD more than 2 hours of playing time

• detailed demonstration from the very basics to advanced techniques (fingersnapping, rolls, stroke-combinations)

• slowmotion close-up shots from each technique and rhythm

• a collection of oriental dance rhythms

• various short performances

• english, german and spanish language

• on-screen notation

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Finger Cymbal Instructional DVD

by Tobias Roberson

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"Over 2.5 hours including:
Introduction to patterns and basic technique by Tobias Roberson.	Two dynamic compositions for fingers cymbals with drum accompaniment.	Three dances to the compositions by belly dance superstars Rachel Brice and Mardi Love.

Master the art of finger cymbals (zils) with this comprehensive instructional video from renowned percussionist and rhythm teacher Tobias Roberson.

Tobias leads you step-by-step through the basic techniques with close-up angles demonstrating exactly how to get great sound from your zils. A variety of rhythms and patterns are introduced and broken down to give you an extensive set of material with which to build your repertoire.

In the second section Tobias teaches two dynamic compositions for the zils.

First is an easy to play interactive duet for drum and zils. This composition shows how to build an exciting piece from the skills you have already learned. Rachel Brice and Mardi Love then perform a matching choreography that can be used as is or to inspire your own creativity.

The second composition features more advanced possibilities with fast and syncopated technique. For this composition Rachel and Mardi perform separately to show how the composition can be interpreted in different ways."

Product review from author's website

DVD - Modern Percussionist vol. 2  - Frame Drums

by Hakim Ludin

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70 min. deutsch/engl. The fascination of the rahmentrommeln agitates not least from their mirror-image-ritual employment in Mystik and Trancezeremonien. In these DVD strikes Hakim Ludin a bridge between the mystischen tradition and modern rhythms. Thereby different techniques on rahmentrommeln as well as fascinating sound creations and Soli on Pandariq, Freehand Drum and Circle Drum receive intensive attention. A benefit for creative ones! In these DVD shows Hakim Ludin modern Grooves, techniques and sound creations on different representatives of the Frame Drums: Pandariq, Freehand Drum and Circle Drum. Easily understandably with practicing examples regenerated, many suggestions are given to sequels and developing further to. The Special contains the duo of Hakim Ludin and Behnam Samani on Pandariq and Daf. Chapter: 1. about Pandariq 2nd sound on Pandariq 3rd tak tom slap - technique 4th afghan groove: 7/8 Moguli 5th afghan groove: 6/8 Dadra 6th persian daf style: exercises 7th persian trance groove: 2/4 Hayy Allah 8th persian trance groove: 4/4 Zekr e DOV of 9th persian trance groove: 6/4 Maddahy NO-E Avval 10th indian tabla style: exercises 11 indian groove: 4/4 Kehrwa 12th indian groove: 4/4 Kehrwa into Bhangra style 13th rudimental style: exercises 14th rudimental groove into 4/4 15th rudimental groove into 5/8 16th innovative groove: Gitt 17th innovative groove: Hip Hop 18th innovative groove: Nazim 19. Pandariq solo: Hommage tons of Afghan women 20 about Freehand drum 21. Freehand drum: exercises 22. Djembe groove 23. Samba/Hip Hop/Bhangra 24. Drumset Groove 25. Freehand drum solo: Flying of finger 26. Circle drum solo: Down tons earth specials duo Hakim Ludin (Pandariq) and Behnam Samani (Daf): Internal light

Product information from author's site

FINGER DANCE

Frame Drum DVD with Murat Coskun

description of the visual frame drum workshop for Beginners and Advanced
Published : December 2004
Total running time : 104 minutes
 

• All chapters and sections as well as the music tracks can be selected separately.
• The DVD has English subtitles
• 16-page two-language booklet with additional rhythm examples for self study
• Modern Sound Creations
• Fabulous DVD-quality (recorded with three cameras) Content
• Detailed explainings of the various finger techniques of the oriental way of playing
• Innovative strike and roll techniques as well as finger tricks and alternative ways
  of playing for advanced players
• Examples for improvisation with various frame drums
• Rhythm-examples: traditional rhythms from the Balkan, Turkey (such as nine and eleven rhythms), North Africa and also bongo and conga rhythms as well as modern hip hop grooves
• A sophisticated support with vocal notations and an onomatopoeic syllable language, that is slot in the film
• Explanations of the subdivision tricks for exotic rhythms such as 9/8 or 11/16 rhythms
• informative part about diverse frame drum types such as the Bendir, Daire, Gawal and Kanjiriqq
• live examples accompanied by various instrument (such as the piano, guitar, clarinet, bass, double bass and the shawm) in various styles (such as jazz, traditional Turkish music, Nuevo Flamenco, Afro-Style, Funk, Spanische Rumba, ...)
• Specials: solo live recordings of Murat Coskun in the Gobi Desert as well as a session with Aserbaidjanian musicians from a festival in Mongolia (2003).
• Additional DVD-specific Information
  Total running time: 104 min.
  Video system: PAL
  Format: 4:3
  Language: German
  Subtitles: English
  Sound: DD 2.0
  Country Code: 0 (codefree)

DVD Review in the Specialist Magazine Sticks 3/05
Author, Tom Schäfer, Percussionist

" An important DVD for the percussion world with lots of know-how and a careful thematic selection that gives a big boost to the fun you can have playing music as seen by Murat Coskun's unbelievable finger dance..."
" Murat Coskun intensively and thoroughly captivates with his good 100 minutes of instruction on this DVD and abducts his audience into the fantastic world of the frame drums. The visual workshop is aimed at beginners and advanced players as well where the four instructional lessons within their chronology provide a high level of technical knowledge and demand concentration... Murat Coskun, who is the holder of the SWR World Music Prize for 1998 and 2004 and an international lecturer for frame-drum master classes, explains at the beginning in an easily understandable form, the various possibilities offered by the elaborate Oriental finger playing techniques with various bass strikes, open tones, dampened sounds, finger-snapping techniques and effect sounds and lots more. The entirety works with the support of an onomatopoeic syllable language, which express such frame-drum sounds as Dom, Tak, Tik, Ki or Tok etc. from a sound aspect and this is particularly helpful for the combination of those strikes sound needed for the creation of exciting frame-drum grooves. A good method, which also allows those who don't read or use notes, the chance to learn the playing technique."
In the next chapter, base rhythms follow where the practical aspects of playing music predominate. A section is also dedicated to the special strike techniques and there is also an exciting phase where a number of additional frame drum types are introduced such as the Def, Bendir, Riqq, Tar, Kanjira and Bodhran and so forth, which are all presented in their own unique and original form, playing techniques and musical means of expression. You are repeatedly invited to the sonorous playing of extraordinary grooves and you also learn about some exotic rhythms such as Turkish or Bulgarian nines and elevens or even 10/8 and 12/8 rhythms shown in the booklet, where the systems for these do not seem so complicated because of the explanations provided in the tricks subdivision.
" ...thanks to the sophisticated support with vocal notations, even the beginner will find an easy start although the requirements are aimed at a very good level."

DVD Review in the Specialist Magazine Drums & Percussions 12/04
Author, Heinz Kronberger
" ...a perfect instructional DVD, which has not been available on the market before."
" ...in this instructional DVD, Murat Coskun shows himself to be not only a virtuoso percussionist, but also an ideal teacher, who can successfully teach any percussionist who is interested more about the frame drum... The short musical interludes quickly show how extensive Murat Coskun's knowledge and techniques are."
" He gives us an insight into actually everything that you should know about the instrument. What is important here is the detailed explanations about various finger techniques and the developments of sounds on the instrument, which are explained in the finest details..."
" ...100 minutes of comprehensive instruction with great picture and sound quality."
" ...the ideal teacher for anyone who wants to learn more about this instrument. This DVD will even help beginners to develop a good technique."

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION AND REVIEWS FROM AUTHOR'S WEBSITE.

Foundations of Arabic Rhythm Volume I

by Souhail Kaspar

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Learn Egyptian Tabla (Doumbek) and Tambourine (Riqq) With Souhail Kaspar

Souhail Kaspar, internationally renowned Arabic percussion master, has created a unique home study series that places you right at his side. Souhail is a passionate teacher, bridging the discipline of classical Arabic conservatory tradition with Western instructional styles. On this DVD, Souhail clearly and patiently demonstrates the foundations of proper technique with easy-to-learn, essential rhythms. Invaluable for beginners, this volume is also a key resource for experienced drummers who will gain from studying classical technique developing endurance, clarity of tone and precise timing.

• For Beginning Drummers:
  Learn the right way, from the start and get on the path to mastery!

• For Middle East Dancers:
  Gain a rhythmic understanding that will help your dancing style.

• For Experienced Drummers:
  Build your percussion foundation and develop your strength.

Product review from author's site.

The Heartbeat of Bellydance: Rhythms & Belly Dance combinations for Drum Solos

by Raquy Danziger

Product Description
A Bellydance drum solo is actually a duet: Together, a dancer and a drummer create a unique piece of performance art. For the dancer, the drum solo is a uniquely exciting experience demanding a profound understanding of rhythmic patterns and a wide vocabulary of Bellydance moves and accents, all necessary to enable her to interact at will with the music created by the drummer.

RHYTHM WORKSHOP: Raquy breaks apart eight popular Bellydance rhythms: Baladi, Saiddi, Maqsoum, Masmoudi, Ciftetelli, Malfouf, Ayoub, & Semai. Acclaimed as a percussion performer, instructor and composer, Raquy teaches us how to recognize each rhythm. Then Jenna, a star dancer, instructor and choreographer, demonstrates effective dance combinations for each of the 8 rhythms. Accompanied by Raquy and Carmine, Jenna then also demonstrates the unique art of drum solo improvisation including the above rhythms.

CHOREOGRAPHY WORKSHOP: Jenna takes you step-by-step through THREE Bellydance drum solo choreographies; beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Each instructional session takes place before the mirror, enabling you to follow Jenna as if you were right behind her in the studio. On screen, a beat counter accompanies choreographic demonstrations. Choreography breakdown sections separate each dance into numbered combinations, and provide titles naming each move. The "Learn and Practice" section offers a step by-step breakdown of each combination and a presentation of the choreography "from the top" with practice repetitions inserted, so you can follow Jenna and learn the steps in real time.

The DVD also contains a warm-up sequence recommended before learning or practicing, and Jenna's famous Shimmy Drills: the Shimmy Layering Drill, and her 3/4 Shimmy Drill. The drills are fun mini-exercise routines to help you learn and build on the art of the shimmy, one of the most colourful and vibrant Bellydance moves.

Product review from author's site

ShakeEmUp Belly Dance Drum Solos DVD
 

4 Dancers, 3 Drummers, 14 Solos, 40 Minutes of Music and Dance

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"A performance DVD featuring emerging artists from New York City’s dynamic belly dance scene.
Companion audio CD available separately. The drum solo, the traditional finale of a belly dancer’s nightclub show, provides drummers and dancers alike with an opportunity to showcase their technical prowess. Designed with the drummer and dancer in mind, this DVD illustrates a variety of drum solos in live performance, incorporating variations in complexity, composition, and instrumentation. Improvisation by New York City belly dancers Bashirah, Raja, Sarah Skinner, and Autumn Ward brings these drum solos to life, showing Arabic, Turkish, and fusion styles. DVD menus contain information on the rhythms used in the structure each drum solo."- Product review from author's website

REVIEW POSTED ON AUTHOR'S WEBSITE.

TIME ZONE

by Ken Shorley and Marla Leigh

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"TIME ZONE provides exciting practice material for darabuka (doumbek) and frame drum.

For beginners, this DVD provides a solid and clear introduction to two styles of Middle Eastern drumming.

For drummers who are ready to move beyond the basics, TIME ZONE contains a wealth of new material to learn and practice.

Beginner and intermediate techniques on both drums are explained and demonstrated in detail. Two written scores for each duet are included with the purchase of the DVD – using standard Western notation and an easy-to-follow hand drum notation.

And, in addition to the performances of all eight TIME ZONE duets, each darabuka and

frame drum part is presented individually for clarity and play-along ease.

TIME ZONE is an unique collaboration - featuring Canadian East Coast percussionist Ken Shorley on darabuka, and American West Coast percussionist Marla Leigh on frame drum.

Ideal for hand drummers, drumkit players, belly dancers, drum circle facilitators and educators... A must-have for anyone interested in hand drumming!

Fun. Inspiring. Educational."

"...clear footage, closeups and a friendly patient delivery make learning the basic techniques easy." - Modern Drummer

Product review from author's website

Riq Instructional DVD and Book

by Yousif Sheronick

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"Instructional DVD and Book for the Riq (Middle Eastern Tambourine)

Yousif Sheronick guides you from the basics of holding the Riq all the way through playing and embellishing traditional Middle Eastern Rhythms in both Cabaret and Soft positions. Included are technique exercises to develop your tones and build your strength, as well as two spectacular solos played by Sheronick on this amazingly versatile instrument. The accompanying book includes a comprehensive collection of over 50 Middle Eastern Rhythms (many with multiple embellishments) and a scene layout of the DVD."

Product review form author's site.

Dumbek Fever 1

by Raquy Danziger

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Dumbek Fever I - Beginner / Intermediate Levels

Learn the Art of Middle Eastern Drumming!
with Raquy Danziger's Interactive Dumbek Instructional Kit "Dumbek Fever"! 

Included in the Kit:

- Instructional Book
- DVD showing dumbek basics step by step
- CD of rhythms, variation, and solos – you play the lead!
- Photographs of all hand positions
- Traditional Rhythms from all over the Middle East
- Ornamentation and finger rolls
- How to accompany belly dancers
- Transcriptions and recording of dumbek solos and duets
- Bonus audio and video tracks of Raquy and the Cavemen!

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Dumbek Fever 1

by Raquy Danziger

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Dumbek Fever II - Advanced Level

Take Your Dumbek Playing to the Next Level!
with Raquy Danziger's New Advanced Dumbek Instructional Kit ! 

This Interactive Advanced Level Dumbek Instructional Kit includes:

- Instructional DVD, practice CD and book with photographs of hand positions!
- The incredible new Turkish Split Hand Technique!
- Fingernail Snaps, Double-Decker Snaps and Persian-style rolls!
- Double-time, groupings and a peek at Indian rhythmic Tee Hi endings!
- Transcriptions and recordings of belly dance solos, dumbek solos and duets
- Transcriptions of dumbek parts to traditional Middle Eastern songs.  Play along with the melody!
- Bonus video footage of Raquy and the Cavemen, live!
- Notes, recording and video of Raquy’s famous unaccompanied solo, ‘Naked’.

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Doumbek Technique & Rhythms for Arabic Percussion, Bellydance & Drum Circles -

by Amir Naoum

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Learn to play doumbek (dumbek, darbuka) with New York's most beloved Arabic percussionist, the master instructor, the one and only Amir Naoum!

If you are a beginning drummer, this DVD will serve as a very accessible, friendly and solid introduction to the art of Middle Eastern percussion.

If you are a dancer, Amir Naoum's clear introduction to the most popular bellydance rhythms and their more subtle variations will help you learn to recognize the rhythms, even in their most sophisticated forms.

Born in Syria and raised in Lebanon, Amir Naoum has played in NYC Arabic clubs, for family celebrations and bellydance shows for over 30 years. He has contributed generously to the success of most New York star bellydancers and Middle Eastern percussionists. Amir's method of teaching Middle Eastern rhythms and doumbek technique have helped many dancers and drummers take their first steps toward understanding Middle Eastern rhythms, and develop toward higher levels of musicality and doumbek playing technique. Amir is known for his warm, welcoming, encouraging teaching style and for helping dancers at every level of skill do their best in performance.

This program is a beginner-level doumbek instructional course with a lot of beyond-the-basics information and spectacular demonstrations of Middle Eastern drumming and dance rhythms.

FEATURES:

• Syllabic notation is displayed onscreen, progressively changing in real time as the instructor plays the rhythms, rhythm variations, and exercises;

• Extensive chapter selection menus with individual access to each rhythm, exercise, type of sound, etc.

• Onscreen titles identify chapters, names of rhythms, sounds and exercises at all times for easy navigation.

• Detailed instructions of how to hold the doumbek, how to produce the basic doumbek strokes: dum (doum), tek, ka (the secondary hand "tek"), pop (ketem) and slap (sek);

• Introduction to the types of doumbeks: clay doumbeks with fish (goat) skin vs tunable doumbeks with plastic head; soumbati doumbeks;

• 9 exercises to develop finger strength and nimbleness and master the basic sounds and the most typical sound combinations;

• Practice = Play Along - Follow Amir Naoum as he plays the exercises you've just learned;

• Detailed explanation of the most popular Middle Eastern music / dance / bellydance rhythms; demonstration of basic and "filled" versions of the rhythms, ways to play them, demonstrations of rhythms "Arabic-style," comments on what rhythms are modern / traditional / popular among Arab drummers;

Demonstration of the rhythms you've just learned by the two masters of Arabic percussion - Amir Naoum (doumbek) and Aziz Abbas (riq); enjoy the full scale of subtleties and rhythms embellishments and be inspired to play!

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The Art of the Drum Solo

by Sonia & Issam

"Bellydance Superstar Sonia and Master Percussionist Issam Houshan introduces the essential rhythms and techniques used in a live drum solo performance. The chapters include: Warm Up, Rhythm Introduction & Technique, Choreography and Performance. PACKAGE INCLUDES A FREE BONUS MUSIC CD of additional music tracks by Issam Houshan."

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