Hand Drumming Essentials: Drum Book & CD

Grosso brings both scholarly rigor and practical ensemble experience to hand drumming instruction. The book moves beyond isolated technique to build functioning ensembles, and the included CD gives students immediate aural models for the world percussion sounds they're learning. Few resources bridge the gap between hand drumming fundamentals and actual performance this effectively.

Hand drumming produces an immediate, tactile musicality; these are instruments that respond directly to hand and finger. Working through this book, you'll discover how rhythm patterns accumulate and interact, building layered grooves that feel both infectious and grounded in their cultural roots.

This book serves percussion students and teachers who want to build a functioning hand drumming ensemble from the ground up. It's equally valuable for band and orchestra directors who want to expand their percussion offerings or add world percussion textures to existing programs.

• Spend time with the CD recordings before ensemble rehearsal begins; use them to internalize the tonal qualities and ensemble textures you're building toward.
• Work through the technique section individually first, even if you plan to perform in ensemble; hand drumming depends on solid foundational control at the instrument.
• Start with simplified versions of the compositions and gradually add layers and complexity as the ensemble develops comfort with their parts.
• Establish clear communication about grip, striking surface, and muting within your ensemble early so that tonal blend happens faster.

Use this as a year-long ensemble building project in percussion class, or launch a focused hand drumming unit in the weeks before a concert that features world music programming. The compositions work well alongside contemporary classical repertoire that incorporates non-Western percussion, creating programming that reflects global musical perspectives.

• Hand position and striking technique on conga, bongos, and timbales
• Tone production and muting techniques across hand drumming instruments
• Performance of layered ensemble rhythms and polyrhythmic patterns
• Understanding of agogo, axatse, caxixi, toke, and other world percussion instruments
• Ensemble communication and listening in non-pitched percussion contexts
• Reading and executing hand drumming notation and compositions