Product Description

This very popular DVD have benefited students as well as teachers who wished to learn West African rhythms. This DVD can be viewed on your television using a DVD player or on a computer with a DVD drive.

With this DVD you can instantly access ANY of the parts you want to practice. Searching the VHS tape is eliminated and is a thing of the past!

John Yost has studied in West Africa and U.S. djembe and dunun with the following Master drummers: M'Bemba Bangoura, Madou Dembele, Yaya Kabo, Gbongworo Keita, Mamady Keita, Famoudou Konate, Ibro Konate , Michael Markus, Paulo Mattioli, and Babtunde Olatunji.

Japanese Taiko drumming in Japan and the U.S. with members of Kodo including: Yoshikazu Fujimoto, Eichi Saito, Leonard Eto, as well as with Miyauchi Sensei, Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka, Master Ukichi Takano etc.

Drum Circle Facilitation Training in Hawaii with Arthur Hull , 1994 , Mentor Program in 2002, as well as various weekend trainings.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78220 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-05-01
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 75 minutes

Earthtribe Percussion, May 2003
I think you have perfected the DVD method of learning African music.

Everybody Drum, May 2003
BRAVO !!! Nice job!!! The slow / fast / mixed versions are nice, love the multi perspective of rhythms played.

Lulu Leathley, Facilitator Vancouver BC, May 2003
I LOVE the DVD...such a great thing because I haven't had a regular teacher...this will be my guide.

Customer Reviews

A must have for west african rhythm enthusiasts.
The content of this video allows one to truly learn the finer skills associated with "copping" west african grooves.

Not worth the money and strange
Although the video is well recorded and has excellent sound, I found the video to have little value beyond the rhythm notation that I can already find for free on the internet. There is no verbal instruction or description of techniques used to produce the bass, tone, and slap on a djembe. The examples are good, but strangely there are no ensembles that combine the djembe and dunun drums. These rhythms are supposed to be played with both instruments, but the only option is to listen to the djembes together or the dununs together! Thione Diop's video is better and has the djembe and dununs together on ensembles. However, it also has no real instructional value aside from notation of rhythms that can be freely obtained from the internet.

I am still trying to find any video on the djembe that is really well put together and worth the money...$30.00 for 5 rhythms and no instruction is a pretty steep price to pay in my opinion. For $30 there should be more instructional value from these very talented Master Drummers. Michael Taylor's Remembering How to Drum is the only video that I think is worth the money for an introduction to djembe techniques...although the ensembles on that video are just plain freaky (but they are entertaining). There are many good exercises on Michael's video that would benefit anyone.

West African Rhythms
I bought this DVD for my wife as a Christmas gift along with a Drum to begin learning on. Although someone beyond beginner status might find this video usefull, we did not and I don't recommend it for beginners.The DVD has no instuctional value for people just starting out.