Ever check out the videos on other websites, including this one? Some of the drummers need some fine tuning, no pun intended, but I've found some that are quite good (and some great ones which we posted on other threads here).

Do you ever "jam" along with the videos when you can't--or aren't able--to play with live musicians? It's little different, IMHO, from playing along with a record or what's airing on the radio...

What do you think?

do you mean play along to already record tracks?

Actually, Laf, I'm referrin' to playin' along with the videos...I found a few good music videos on YouTube...as I said above it's not much different from playin' to your audio recordings...and yes, they would already be recorded...

hmm seems like it would be fun, can you send me a link?

Hey, Laf, in my case, I just went to the YouTube site and typed in "congas" or "bongos" (if you haven't already, you will need to register and get a member name and password). I have also discovered that typing in the type of music you want ("latin jazz" or "latin piano", for example) gets me some good jammin' music. If you've got a MySpace membership, try there too.

The one drawback is, as with anything else, there are some really good videos and some that, well, make like a Hoover, if you get my drift...

In your case, look for what you're interested in...and go from there. I've found some pretty good congueros and bongoseros...now the trick is to start postin' my own!

cool, thanks alot man, ill look into it.

That's a pretty good idea BB! I don't do it though as I usually just put my headphones on and hit the random buttom on my MP3 player. Keeps me on my toes not knowing what's coming next and helps me learn a lot of different styles.

Agreed on the random part of it, but some of the really good vids show you how they're playin a particular rhythm (I've improved my tumbao by paying attention to one of the conga vids in particular)...

That's why I jam with the radio, too (the MP3 player will follow eventually)... you're right in that it's like playin' a concert and you have to be ready for any kind of tune that comes up... :ok:

BB, I've tried to find some traditional African Djembe beats on Youtube, but I think my search needs to be more defined. All I get is either the kid-prodegies, people who think thier good by trying and and botching complex stuff, and the folks who actually DO the complex stuff. Not much to learn from. Any suggestions?