Music In Different Country

Latin music originated in the Caribbean back in the 18th century. African slaves coming to the Caribbean Islands brought along their instruments like congas, cowbells, djembe and timbales. Originally, they used these instruments as means of communication between different ethnic groups. Cuba became a hot-bed for various instruments. This collection of instruments later became the percussion section of Latin music. The most important thing to remember in Latin music is this: there was no drum set back in the day. With this in mind, contemporary drummers have to merge the style of a drum set with the exotic percussion instruments in the original Latin music instrumentation.

A typical drum set in Latin music merely replaces the percussion instruments that should have been there. For example, toms will simulate the conga pattern while the cymbals will duplicate a timbale’s bell pattern. The bass drum will play along the bass guitar’s line while the snare drum replaces the clave or conga part.

Playing drums in Latin music is beneficial because you learn different beats, melodies and patterns not found in contemporary music scene such as rock and pop. Along with these patterns are the 2-3 Rhumba Clave beat, the 3-2 rumba clave beat, the Son Clave beats, Bossa Nova beats and many more. These beats and patterns are also found in different forms of swings and jazz. But the difference is the percussion they use for making these rhythms.

To get the best out of Latin music, you need to learn authentic Afro-Cuban instruments. If you can, try your hands on congas, djembes, cowbells, bongos and timbales. Sometimes, a Latin song requires you to get-off your stool and into the percussion section. A typical Latin percussion section consists of congas, tambourines, cowbells and wood blocks. Welcome the challenge of playing these instruments because the knowledge you will gain is very valuable once you get back in your drum kit.

Lastly, listen to different types of Latin music; open up to a different kind of flavor coming from Salsa, Rumba, Bebop, Cumbia and Samba. Get a copy of Santana’s albums and study the techniques of his drummers such as Karl Perazzo and Paul Rekow. Surprisingly, jazz and Latin music have a lot in common. Maybe because of their African roots, both genres share the same patterns and grooves not found in other music such as blues, rock and country.

Latin is a whole new ball game for you. Trying your hands on salsa, rumba and Bossa nova presents opportunity for your development as a musician. What you will learn has a great impact to your development as a drummer and as a musician. Your whole outlook in different instruments, techniques and rhythms will help you in creating your own style.

When you have been hired to do a few courier driving jobs up and down the roads across the States, while racking up the miles you may have to consider ways to stay awake and fully alert as you roll. There are several ways to help you keep your eyes open and your reflexes sharp that don’t require you to drown yourself in strong, truck stop coffee. These methods of staying focused on the asphalt range from listening to the radio to playing various games.

Books on tape – While a big macho man doing courier driving jobs may not like to admit their love for/addiction to books on tape or CD, it’s really quite a good way to keep your mind engaged as the lines in the road all start to blend. Pulling into a truck stop (or some restaurants) and either buying or renting a book on tape is almost guaranteed to keep you awake by engaging with your mind and your ears as you run those courier driving jobs. One note of advice, though, if you are going for a book on tape you may want to avoid the sappy love stories, crying while driving is not only annoying, but can also be a bit unsafe. Instead, go for an action packed adventure or a popular book that has a movie as well. That way after you have stopped for the night, you can watch a bit of the movie and see how it compares with the written story.

Games – Just like when you were a kid riding along with your parents, playing games while on courier driver jobs is a great way to stay awake and keep your mind engaged with what is going on around you on the road. Why not try a music game, where you and your passenger, if you have one, have to guess the song title and artist first? Don’t cheat with a satellite radio that tells you the name and title on a little screen, but go with a local radio station and try your chances on the different parts of the country’s various music styles. Go for a round of 10 or 20, and make things interesting by having the loser buy the winner lunch at your next stop.

Another perennial favorite is the alphabet memory game; perfect for keeping your mind engaged on courier driving jobs. You pick a theme and go through the alphabet one by one, naming an animal or song or whatever you choose within the theme. The next person has to repeat all that was said, before adding something new. For instance, in the list “Ant, Bear, Cat, Dog, Elephant, Frog”, if it is your turn, you must now repeat all those animals before you can add an animal that begins with the letter “G”. The first person that forgets the list loses and then you can start over with a different theme. If you don’t have a passenger and are doing the job on your own, this game can be a little tricky, but actually, sometimes even more fun! See if you can outsmart yourself!