Trip Meter Music

Archive for October, 2009

• African Folk – Music held to be typical of a nation or ethnic group, known to all segments of its society, and preserved usually by oral tradition.
• Afro jazz – refers to jazz music which has been heavily influenced by African music. The music took elements of marabi, swing and American jazz and synthesized this into a unique fusion. The first band to really achieve this synthesis was the South African band Jazz Maniacs.
• Afro-beat – is a combination of Yoruba music, jazz, Highlife, and funk rhythms, fused with African percussion and vocal styles, popularized in Africa in the 1970s.
• Afro-Pop – Afropop or Afro Pop is a term sometimes used to refer to contemporary African pop music. The term does not refer to a specific style or sound, but is used as a general term to describe African popular music.
• Apala – Originally derived from the Yoruba people of Nigeria. It is a percussion-based style that developed in the late 1930s, when it was used to wake worshippers after fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
• Assiko – is a popular dance from the South of Cameroon. The band is usually based on a singer accompanied with a guitar, and a percussionnist playing the pulsating rhythm of Assiko with metal knives and forks on an empty bottle.
• Batuque – is a music and dance genre from Cape Verde.
• Bend Skin – is a kind of urban Cameroonian popular music. Kouchoum Mbada is the most well-known group associated with the genre.
• Benga – Is a musical genre of Kenyan popular music. It evolved between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi.
• Biguine – is a style of music that originated in Martinique in the 19th century. By combining the traditional bele music with the polka, the black musicians of Martinique created the biguine, which comprises three distinct styles, the biguine de salon, the biguine de bal and the biguines de rue.
• Bikutsi – is a musical genre from Cameroon. It developed from the traditional styles of the Beti, or Ewondo, people, who live around the city of Yaounde.
• Bongo Flava – it has a mix of rap, hip hop, and R&B for starters but these labels don’t do it justice. It’s rap, hip hop and R&B Tanzanian style: a big melting pot of tastes, history, culture and identity.
• Cadence – is a particular series of intervals or chords that ends a phrase, section, or piece of music.
• Calypso – is a style of Afro-Caribbean music which originated in Trinidad at about the start of the 20th century. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of African slaves, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song.
• Chaabi – is a popular music of Morocco, very similar to the Algerian Rai.
• Chimurenga – is a Zimbabwean popular music genre coined by and popularised by Thomas Mapfumo. Chimurenga is a Shona language word for struggle.

1. Does the drum set come with cymbals? Believe it or not but cymbals play a big role in the cost of the drum set.

2.  Are the cymbals “cast” or “sheet” cymbals? Please don’t let me hear another sheet metal cymbal or my ears will pop. I’m not kidding these things sound terrible and with the right research you can buy cast cymbals even on a budget. I guarantee you 100% that you’ve never seen a cymbal flip inside out when you were at a concert or watching a music video, so save yourself the embarrassment and get the real deal on the same budget.

3.  If possible stick with a brand that has been out for awhile as they tend to be a lot better. Their hi-hat and snare hardware actually stay in place and don’t fall over while playing.

4.  Check out some cymbal kits that include 3-4 cymbals. They come with your standard cymbals hi-hat, crash, ride, but costs less than it would if you bought them all separately. Also make sure the kit you decide on has the right number of stands as your cymbal kit does or you’ll be paying for something your unable to use.

5.  What kind of tom mounting system does it use? Now you’d think this was obvious to some of the more experienced drummers but somehow it still seems to elude them today. We all know drum shells around round but why would we put a hole in the center of it just to mount them? To save a buck and prevent them drum from sounding any good that’s why. It really doesn’t require any extra money to get what you paid for but its keeping from getting ripped off as your new to the drum industry world.

6. A no brainer here but let me say it anyways. Does it come with a warranty? This will show you how reliable the manufacture thinks of their own set! Yes quiet brilliant of you to think that way.

7.  Check to see what kind of stands come with the drum set if any at all! I highly recommend heavy duty stands as they are double jointed at the bottom and won’t flex when you hit a cymbal and fall over. Silly to think they would make a stand that isn’t really suppose to hold the cymbal! I hope you don’t fall victim to this as its becoming quiet popular these days.

Conclusion: Not all beginner drum sets are made cheaply. Only some companies cut corners should you should keep your eye out on what you buy. Also its very possible to get a used set for a good price, so check your local paper and do a little research if your on a tight budget. You never know you may find a good deal on a classic set if they don’t know what they have.

If your just beginning and your not really sure what to buy yet consider paying just a little bit more for an entry level drum set. When you get into entry level drum sets you can be more picky on what it comes with. For instance what type of wood and how many plies? Does it come with a wood snare? There are many factors in the drum set world and most of the companies compete for the entry to novice level set. I’d truly start there first if you can afford it.