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March 2008
In This Issue
- What's New With Shorty
- Events
- Shorty's Tips
- Special Sales & Offer
- Merchandise from Ghana
- Community Service Projects
- DCFG
- Drum Dictionary
- Testimonials
- Jokes
Sale Skins!
Seconds
$8.00
Goatskins with and without hair. Usable but not perfect.
Cool Stuff from Ghana!
Conga - $300
Tweneboa Wood
Mud Cloth Drum Hats from Ghana
12" $15.00
13" $20.00
14" $25.00
Colorful Cotton Drum Bags from Ghana
$35.00
Coming soon: New shipment of inexpensive djembes from Ghana
DVD Special
free shipping for DVD when you mention this ad!
Testimonial
"You are the best! I appreciate you being there, always willing to answer any question, and on top of all that, your skins are great!" J
What's New With Shorty? 
Life has taken me up and down some interesting paths lately. I am still settling into my new home and routine as full time Djembe Drums & Skins employer and employee.
Sandy and I have been traveling a lot it seems since we moved here. We just returned from the Drum Circle Facilitators Guild (DCFG)annual conference in Myrtle Beach, S.C. What a great bunch of people doing great things (see Community Service) I met many of my customers for the first time. Next month see my interview with Arthur Hull.
Have you visited my blog yet? My son helped me create a blog at goatskins.com. This is a good place to find tips, share ideas and get your questions answered.
The next container is set to head out of Africa in late March and arrive in the US in late April. We always need volunteers to help unload it. Give me a call if you would like to help.
I've had my drum rope reformulated! The weave has been tightened up to make the rope a little stronger.
Sadly my young son-in-law passed away at Christmas. He had a very rare and very aggressive brain tumor. We are still in shock over his disease and passing. Scott Swimmer, drum facilitator and creator of drumstrong.org, is busy raising awareness, funds and energy about cancer.
Well enjoy this letter and have a great spring.
Shorty's Tip
A lot of folks have a hard time keeping the rings level when heading a drum. The reason is they usually get greedy. When the head is wet it does come down easy so people have a tendency to pull way too hard. That is what I mean by greedy. I usually go around a drum no less then 6 times pulling the verticals, usually more. That is one trick. The next trick is when you are pulling down at one loop, you have to remember that the ring is going to move behind where you are pulling and ahead of where you are pulling so just because the ring is high where you are pulling and needs to come down you want to leave it high and go further down the line to pull. You also have to remember that the looser the head is the further it will move ahead and behind where you are pulling. I am not saying not to pull hard, you just have to wait for the right time to pull hard. For heading instructions click rehead.
Drum Repair
Before After
This drum was sent to us for repair. It was damaged during shipping because the drum was not packed with padding. Shorty was able to fix it almost good as new. Remember to always pack your drums securely when shipping them to us for repair. You can use news paper, cardboard or Styrofoam to help keep your drum safe during shipping.
Visit our website or call
Djembe Drums and Skins
www.goatskins.com
800-549-3966
786 Graves Delozier Road
Seymour, TN 37865
Drumming Events
ParaloungeDrum Gathering
May 2-4, 2008
Mayo, Florida (new location) http://www.paralounge.net/
386-658-2444
Drum Strong
May 3 & 4, 2008
Charlotte, NC http://www.drumstrong.org/
Bark Bash
June 5-8, 2008
Cape May, NJ
(Call Shorty) 800-549-3966
Community Service Projects
Drummers do great things for the community. Here are two projects that we learned about at the DCFG.
DrumsForCure- Scott Swimmer made a commitment to raise awareness and funds for cancer research when his son was diagnosed with cancer. He organized a weekend drum circle to direct energy into curing cancer. You can see a cool filmstrip and read about this organization at by clicking on this link. Donations go to the Lance Armstrong Livestrong and other foundations.
Pegasus Children's Project- Simon McCarty, drum facilitator from Great Britain and director of World of Rhythm developed this charity to help street children in Nepal.
Drum Circle Facilitator's Guild
The DCFG had its 3rd annual conference in Myrtle Beach in February. This organization was founded six years ago. It is made up of professional drum circle facilitators. Drum Circle facilitators help groups of people participate in interactive musical experiences. Their website http://www.dcfg.net/has lots of interesting information about this drumming profession.
Bougaraboo
"The King of Drums"
This rope tuned drum from the Ivory Coast resembles ashikos and congas and is often called the "Ivory Coast Conga." It has a deep rich tone that sounds good with djembes and can carry the bass.Since the bougaraboo is traditionally headed with cowhide, it can withstand being beaten on with sticks. In Africa 3 or 4 bougaraboos are often put on a frame and played with a hand and a stick. Shorty increased the world's largest drum collection by giving one to Mickey Hart several years ago. Mickey was seen using it in his very next performance. Our bougaraboos are carved from a single piece of Iroko wood and have cow skin heads with hair. (also spelled bugarabu)
Drummer Jokes
Q: What does the average drummer get on an IQ test? A: Drool.
Q: What do you call someone who hangs around with musicians.
A: A drummer
Q: What's the best way to confuse a drummer?
A: Put a sheet of music in front of him.
Happy Spring!
Shorty & Sandy Palmer