Explore Drum Rhythms

AvoDrums is a place to learn drum rhythms. Listen and develop your African, Brazilian, Latin and Funk drum grooves. Learn playing techniques on some of the world's greatest drum and percussion instruments. Do you want to hear where the best grooves are coming from, who is playing them and who has recorded them? If you want to know how all this can help your music develop, or just want to enjoy rhythm, then Welcome!

  • Who is it for?
  • Drummers looking to expand their knowledge
  • Artists, Composers, Producers looking for new rhythmic ideas
  • Instrumentalists of all kinds looking to expand their knowledge of rhythm
  • Music lovers that want to learn more about rhythm, drumming and grooves from around the world

Build A Groove

Every instrument plays a rhythm and if you are trying to build an incredible groove, each player in your band needs to think like a drummer. As James Brown said, “each instrument is a drum in my band”. This essentially African approach to rhythm puts the dynamic push/pull of rhythm in the driver’s seat as the leading musical force (ahead of melody and harmony, but still using those elements as well).  The parts the band is playing are essentially African drum rhythms.  We will look at ways to tap into this concept as it manifests itself in African, Funk, Brazilian, Latin, Reggae, Rock and Jazz musics and use those ideas to build groove.

Instruments, techniques, tones and groove:
How African drum rhythms translate

Another part of the approach has to do with instrumental technique.  We’ll be looking, style by style, into the playing techniques used to create these grooves and tones on various instruments in the ensemble.  Whether it be Djembes, Dunduns, Congas, Bongos, Timbales, Surdos, Repeniques, Tamborims, Timbaus, Agogos, Bells, Shekeres, Drum sets, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Horns or any other acoustic or electric instrument in the texture, we’ll take a look at what they all do to add to the music.  Here we will look at video to further understand the techniques.

The Whole is Greater than the Parts

This rhythmic insight also has a lot to do with how everything is put together: the arrangement. How do bands and groups sound when everyone is essentially playing African drum rhythms on their instruments.  We’ll look at the relationship between all the parts to see how they all interlock together to create a dynamic fabric of patterns.  This will also help us see which styles and genres feature specific approaches and twists of their own.

The Q
(Quintessential Recordings)

Part of getting familiar with this feel in music is to spend time listening to great examples of groove. So I’m providing my recommendations for what you should listen to. I call it the Quintessential or the Q of that artist. These are the tracks of many of the artists who I feel exemplify the ideas I am speaking about. It is a constantly evolving set of listening lists that will be added to regularly. Incidentlly, this is what I love listening to as well.