Cajon Grooves for Beginners (DVD)

with Alan Dworsky

Too many beginners get frustrated and quit guitar.  Why?  Because the left hand—the hand that makes the chords--is too hard at first in standard tuning.

DADGAD tuning solves that problem.  You can make beautiful chords easily with just one or two fingers.  This frees you up to focus on your right hand, the hand that generates the rhythm.  And that’s going to make it possible for you to sound like a real guitar player right from the start. 

In this video--which is over an hour long--I give you clear instruction that goes nice and slow, step by bite-sized step, in lessons that are as beautiful musically as they are visually.  Every chord, technique, and pattern is shown from a player’s eye view and a side view, and they’re illustrated in backyard musical performances by me and Indie-award-winning guitarist Dean Magraw, as well as me and my wife Betsy Sansby.

The running time is an hour and four minutes.  This video is also available as a download. 

Learning to play the bongos has never been easier than with this new DVD, which is designed for the first-time hand drummer. It teaches fun, funky grooves--including The Habanera, Calypso, Bombo, Tumbao, and The Backbeat Groove—that fit with all kinds of music. I take a non-traditional approach, using techniques that are easy to learn and easy on your hands, so you can start playing along with your favorite music or jamming with your friends as soon as possible.

The instruction in this DVD is clear and step-by-step, with no boring exercises.  From the start of the video, the rhythm almost never stops, because I add my explanations and tips in voice over. 

The DVD also includes tips on tuning and how to hold the bongos, as well as explanations of basic rhythmic concepts. For those of you who like to work with charts, there's a PDF file you can print out with charts of all the patterns. And there’s a special section on the video explaining how to read the charts.

Finally, to show you how the grooves can work in a real playing situation, most of the lessons include samples from a jam session I had with my friend Scott Sansby up on the roof of his apartment. I had a blast playing with him up there, and with this DVD you can have a blast learning to play the bongos.

You can also get this DVD as part of the package deal for the complete Bongo Grooves for Beginners series--Volumes 1, 2, and 3--and save $15. Just click on the image of all three videos at the bottom of this page.

This DVD is also available as a download. Just click on "Bongos" on the menu of Videos and Books. 

In this package deal, you can get three DVDs for the price of two (and save $15) by getting the complete Bongo Grooves for Beginners series. Volume 1 gets you started, Volume 2 teaches drumset grooves adapted to the bongos, and Volume 3 teaches African rhythms adapted to the bongos.  All the patterns work with popular music, including rock, pop, funk, and folk.

If you want to get more information about each volume, click on their individual images below.  I also offer the complete series as a download, which you can get to by clicking on "Bongos" on the menu of Videos and Books. 

"Fantastic grooves presented in an easy, intelligent and delightful way!" Klaus Rosterg, Germany

Subtitled "Patterns for Rock, Pop, Funk and Folk,"  Volume 2 teaches 21 new patterns that will work with all kinds of music. Each pattern is taught step-by-step and shown in slow motion for a minute or more, so you’ll never feel lost or confused.  And each pattern is shown from a player's-eye view, so you won't have to flip the image in your head to play along.  The video also includes a PDF file with simple charts of all the patterns. 

As an added feature, each lesson starts and ends with me playing with a guitarist--including Indie-award-winner Dean Magraw—so you can see how the grooves you’ll be learning work in real musical situations. So whether you want to jam with your friends or just play along with your favorite music, the bongo grooves in Volume 2 will show you how.

You can get Volume 2 as part of the package deal for the complete Bongo Grooves for Beginners series--Volumes 1, 2, and 3--and save $15.  

This DVD is also available as a download. Just click on "Bongos" on the main menu of Videos and Books.   

Running time of lessons: 1 hour

In this video, I show you how to play funky West African djembe grooves on bongos.  As in the other two videos in this series, each pattern is taught step-by-step, using a player’s eye view and a side view, at normal speed and in slow motion.  The grooves fit with all kinds of music, as you’ll see when I play them with my brother Rich Dworsky, the piano player on public radio’s A Prairie Home Companion.  And you’ll be able to play along, because I only play exactly what I've shown you how to play in the lessons.

To show you how the grooves work in a more traditional context, I'm joined by master drummer Fode Seydou Bangoura on djembe.  When I play with Fode--one of the greatest djembe players in the world--you'll be able to play along too because--again--I only play what I've shown you how to play in the lessons.

The DVD is 56 minutes long and includes a PDF file with simple charts of all the patterns.

This DVD is also available as a download. Just click on "Bongos" in the main menu of Videos and Books. 

This video teaches 20 great grooves that fit with all kinds of music. I assume you're a complete beginner, so I start with a detailed demonstration of basic technique.  Then I move on to the heart of the video, which is clear, step-by-step instruction, with each pattern shown in side view, player’s eye view, and slow motion. 

I also show you how the grooves work by playing along with music in a variety of styles, from rock to pop to funk to folk.  And throughout the video--which is over an hour long--the rhythm almost never stops, so you can always play along!

As a bonus, I explain basic rhythmic concepts that will help you understand the grooves and help you communicate with other musicians. If you want to see the patterns on paper, a PDF file is included that you can print out with charts of all the patterns. 

As a bonus, you'll get some free music when you order this video, including the album Jaguar at Half Moon Lake and the four piano songs I wrote for The Joy of Six. 

This video is also available as a DVD. And if you're ready to take your cajon playing to the next level, click on the image below of "Learn to Solo on Cajon." 

"THANK YOU! You explain things so easily and clearly, and the way the videos are formatted, I am having SUCH a great time that I felt compelled to write to you and tell you." Kim Grace, Taipei City

with Alan Dworsky

This video teaches 20 great grooves that fit with all kinds of music. I assume you're a complete beginner, so I start with a detailed demonstration of basic technique.  Then I move on to the heart of the video, which is clear, step-by-step instruction, with each pattern shown in side view, player’s eye view, and slow motion. 

I also show you how the grooves work by playing along with music in a variety of styles, from rock to pop to funk to folk.  And throughout the video the rhythm almost never stops, so you can always play along!

As a bonus, I explain basic rhythmic concepts that will help you understand the grooves and help you communicate with other musicians. If you want to see the patterns on paper, a PDF file is included that you can print out with charts of all the patterns. 

This video is also available as a download. And if you're ready to take your playing to the next level, click on "Learn to Solo on Cajon" below. 

Running time: 1 hour and 6 minutes. 

This special package deal includes all three Gentle Djembe for Beginners DVDs. Basically you’re buying two and getting the third one free (which saves you $15).  If you want to learn more about each individual DVD, just click on the appropriate image below.

If you're a beginner who wants to learn to play powerful rhythms in a way that's easy on your hands, this video is for you. Watching it is like getting private lessons and taking my Wednesday night beginners class. Each of the seven step-by-step lessons on the DVD starts with me explaining a rhythm while I play it and ends with the whole class playing it, so the rhythm never stops. And each lesson has a matching play-along track. 

You can get this DVD separately, or as part of the set of three Gentle Djembe DVDs--which saves you $15.  You can also get it as a download. Just click on Gentle Djembe on the main menu of Videos and Books. 

The running time is 1 hour with the play-alongs. 

"The most non-intimidating way to get beginning beginners started." Arthur Hull, author of "Drum Circle Spirit" 

"Totally unique... the perfect choice for the new drummer!" Joanne Crofford, Boomtown Drums 

Like all Gentle Djembe DVDs, Volume 2 gives you the feel of private lessons along with the thrill of playing in a group. In this DVD, you'll be getting a whole lot funkier, while still going easy on your hands. You'll learn to combine a backbeat groove with a variety of West African rhythms, and you'll learn how to incorporate touches into your playing to add texture and momentum to your grooves. 

You can get this DVD separately, or as part of the set of three Gentle Djembe DVDs--which saves you $15.  You can also get it as a download by clicking on "Gentle Djembe" in the menu of Videos and Books. 

"What an absolute joy this video is! Probably the next best thing to being in your group class live." Bill Drol Stow, Ohio

with Alan Dworsky

In Volume 3, you'll enter the polyrhythmic world of 6/8 time, while still going easy on your hands. You'll learn patterns adapted from powerful West African rhythms--including kpegisu and dunumba as well as one of the most popular 6/8 bell patterns. Like the first two Gentle Djembe videos, Volume 3 provides clear, step-by-step instruction with the feel of private lessons. And in addition to the usual play-along tracks, this DVD includes a PDF file with charts of all the patterns.  

You can get this DVD separately, or as part of the set of three Gentle Djembe DVDs--which saves you $15.  You can also get it as a download by clicking on "Gentle Djembe" in the menu of Videos and Books.

"Your DVDs are the best! They’re easy to follow, your explanations are clear, and the pacing is just right for beginners. And I love the play-alongs!" Diana Magness, Midway, Utah

Years ago, when I asked my drum teacher if he could help me learn to solo, he said: "Just feel it, man!"  Well, that didn't work for me, so I've spent years breaking down the process.  That's why I'm able to show you how to solo in a systematic, step-by-step way.    

This video is packed with over 70 soloing licks and phrases, all played with music. It's structured into 6 lessons, each focused on a different kind of lick. You'll learn:

• the power of pairs
• cross-rhythmic sixes and sevens
• the funky offbeat path 
• how to create the illusion of speed with a rippled six
• split hands voicing
• formulas for generating longer phrases
  
• the techniques of compression and expansion
• how to go from a groove to a solo or fill and back, and more.  

Each pattern is shown mainly in a player's-eye view and sometimes in a side view.  The video comes with an 18-page PDF file that includes charts of all the patterns. For easy reference, the number of each pattern appears onscreen while I'm demonstrating it. And the music never stops, so you can always play along.  

You can think of the licks and patterns in this video as being like words and phrases in your rhythmic vocabulary.  The goal is for you to learn to put them together in your own way, so that when you solo on cajon--whether it's in a band or a jam or just playing along with your favorite music--you can say what you want to say. 

Running time:  50 minutes

This is the only instructional DVD I sell that I didn't create myself.  It features Kalani, and teaches traditional bongo rhythms using traditional technique. He also covers in depth the subjects of how to tune and maintain your bongos, and he shows you step-by-step how to replace the head of a drum.