Instruments in our band.
Click the images to enlarge.

Twin, hand held bells struck with a stick.
These come in Black and Chrome finish.
The Chrome version is louder and has a deeper tone.
We also have a 3 Bell version, though it is not used at present.
There's also a 4 Bell version, with the bells spread out like a fan, but we do not have one of these. Usually plays a syncopated rhythmn.

10" Diam. Head. Small Tom drum, played with 2 Sticks or nylon Wands. This drum is also played by the Band Leader.
Chris Jones & Paul Critchley both use standard Drum Sticks.

(pronounced Ky-Sha) A Caixa is a Brazilian snare drum, with 2 pairs of guitar strings for snares and played with the snares on top. Played with 2 standard drum sticks. Used to provide a driving force to the groove. - Very noticeable when they are not playing in the Band.

A Caixa with Cow Bell attached to one of the struts. A strip of Insulation tape is wrapped wround the horn, to reduce the ring from the bell.

Andy Patterson introduced this to the band, and Chris Jones liked it so much, he now has one mounted onto his Repenique.

Similar to a bongo drum, but much taller, Played with 2 hands.
These come in several sizes of height to suit all age groups,
A quiet drum with a smooth, tribal type, throb which really comes through during their solo and duet parts.

16" Head Diameter. The smaller, and higher pitched Surdo drum, played with 2 mallets.
More complex to play than the other Surdo drums, but a lot lighter to carry!

20" Head diameter. The middle sized and pitched drum, played with 2 mallets. Supplies the Bass line melody of the Groove, in harmony with the High Surdos.

The largest and lowest pitched Surdo, played with 1 Mallet and 1 hand.
This large drum supplies the Heart Beat of the Groove, sometimes 2 beaters are used. Mostly played with the 1 Beater and the Left hand to dampen the drum when required. We have 4 sizes: 22" 24" 26" & 29"
The one in the picture is a 26" Surdo.

GANZA : An aluminium enclosed tube with beads inside and is is shaken horizontally to provide a metronome effect for the rest of the band.

DOUBLE GANZA: Two ganzas held apart by flat metal strips on both ends. Played the same way as the Ganza, but twice as loud, and heavy.

CHOCALHO: A rectangular frame holding rows of steel rods, with mini cymbals mounted on them. Held by the handles on each end and played the same as the Ganza. Much heavier than the Ganzas and the loudest of the shakers. They come in 2 weights, the heavier being the louder.

ROCAR: Not for the faint hearted! - A length of wood with rods poking out along it's length and mini cymbals mounted on these. The easiest to play as it is light and can be played with one hand.

Please be aware that the Hide skins are just like your own skin, they don't like dry or humid atmospheres, or getting wet. They need lots of T.L.C. They go out of tune with different atmospheres, so a key in your pocket is a must, for outdoor Gigs.

For dual heads, using Nylon as the response, please turn your drum over, to have the plastic skin on top if it starts to rain when on a Gig. (We will wait while you do this, so don't worry if it happens during a procession performance.)

I tried out my idea of a Dustbin liner bag over the top of my 24” Surdo Hide Skin, to protect it from the rain. I cut the bottom and one side, to make it a large sheet, and cut the longer edge shorter, to suit the drum size. The exercise worked, the sound was not altered, by much and the bag stayed on the whole time. It was held on with an elastic cord that I keep on my drum. The cord goes all the way around the drum, on the outside of the struts, and is very useful for storing my sticks when not in use, and for holding the lights on.

Please do not leave your Hide skin Drums unprotected in the car.
A padded case is the best way to keep them cooler, but a blanket or douvet, I used to use an old sleeping bag, will help keep the temperature changes down.

With Hide skin, it is best to detune your drum by a turn on each nut after each gig, to allow the hide skins to contract in the heat, without cracking. As some of you know, one of our Medium Surdos had a broken skin, after leaving it in the car all day, and then playing it without retuning the drum first.

Some sites, in America recommend Mink Oil to keep the skins in good condition but I've had no luck in getting any to try that out on the Island.

Another site recommended Olive oil, transfered from the drummers hands to the skin, whilst playing Timbas, with Hide skins. This I have tried and it does seem to work OK, but remember that it takes an extremely low amount of oil, so don't apply it directly onto the skin!
Rub some into the palm of your hands and when the excess has gone, wipe the skin with your oiled hands. It is also good for your skin, so you can rub it onto your arms and the back of your hands too, afterwards.

We need to re-tune our drums on a regular basis,
even the ones with the nylon heads.
These links are very good, they also cover
all the other drums on a drum kit.

Downloadable, Drum Tuning Videos

Peeler Drum Center - technical talk on drum_tuning