Easter Gift of Music - Colorful Egg Shakers for Children

Looking for a unique useful Easter gift for children? Consider this color Egg Shaker Set. You get 4 egg shakers, sized to fit a child's hand, one each of green, yellow, red and blue. These kids egg shakers have an extremely pronounced and crystal clear sound. Made of plastic, manufactured by Meinl Percussion from their NINO® Percussion line.

Egg Shaker Set, 4 Pieces


NINO® Percussion offers an outstanding collection of musical instruments designed specifically for children. These more than meet the requirements of early childhood music education and are ideal for kindergarten and school programs, or for music therapy and other music-making activities. It is important to know that NINO® Percussion instruments are not toys. These are the real thing, designed for safety, durability, attractiveness and playability. Most importantly, they are in tune and musical. In fact, the only difference between NINO® Percussion instruments and those created for adults is their size and color. These appealing and pleasing designs are all made in Germany. And because they are of such a high quality and include a wide variety of sound choices, they are extremely popular with young players of all ages (teachers love them too). Yes, whether played alone or within a group, the performance and sound quality of NINO® Percussion instruments make them the ideal choice for young musicians and those who teach them.

Visit WorldMusicalInstruments.com for this and many more musical instruments for children.

Free Shipping World Musical Instruments Orders

World Musical Instruments Free Shipping Offer thru March 31, 2013: FREE SHIPPING ORDERS OVER $90

Free ground shipping on all orders over $90
Coupon automatically applied once your shopping cart contains $90 value
Great opportunity to pick up bunches of Kids Musical Instruments
Note: During the Checkout process, you will be presented with shipping options (in case you need expedited shipping). Choose either UPS Ground or USPS Priority Mail and that shipping amount will be deducted from your order total. Your order will be shipped using the most cost-effective trackable ground shipping method.

Not valid on prior orders. Only one coupon code allowed per order.

Trombone Didgeridoo, 1 Didg, Many Keys

Meinl has a new Trombone Didgeridoo which needs a little explaining. It's a didgeridoo which can vary in pitch like a slide trombone. From this one didgeridoo, you get the following keys:
G#, G, F#, F, E, D#, D, C#, C

This premium fiberglass didgeridoo has two sections: 1) the bell section; 2) the mouthpiece section, which slides into the bell section. You can slide the mouthpiece section all the way into the bell section or nudge it out to get the different keys. The mouthpiece section has painted marks indicating the keys. It can't get much easier to get various keys out of one didgeridoo, although it still takes quite a bit of skill to get sound of a didgeridoo due to the techniques required. The Trombone Didgeridoo measures from 36 inches to 62 inches. The Trombone Didgeridoo is black with exotic Australian style dot painting of a lizard and flowers:

Get the Meinl Trombone Didgeridoo on sale with Free Shipping

Meinl Headliner Series Cajon with Mahogany Front Plate On Sale

Check out this Meinl Headliner Series Cajon with Mahogany front plate, on sale with special extra discount coupon thru 12/31/2011. This Meinl Cajon is great for acoustic gigs and is great when a full drum set is not practical. Get your discount coupon code for a terrific price on the Meinl Headliner Series Cajon with Mahogany front plate:

Meinl Aluminum Doumbeks On Sale Discount Coupon

Visit WorldMusicalInstruments.com for Meinl Aluminum Doumbeks on sale with item coupons for an extra 15% off specific items. Click the pictures below to get the coupon codes. Choose from copper finish, black vinyl finish (really cool matte black finish), or hand engraved aluminum doumbek:

World Musical Instruments On Sale Discount Coupon

Enjoy savings on World Musical Instruments - use a discount coupon:



11holiday15



$15.00 off orders over $129.00



Coupon will be honored even if items ordered are out of stock and customer agrees to backorder (we will hold your order until stock is available and provide discounted price when your order ships). Coupon valid on new orders only. One coupon per order. Coupon may be used on more than one order. Coupon code valid through December 24, 2011



Read more about how to use discount coupon on WorldMusicalInstruments.com.


PLUS hundreds of musical instruments on sale!

Aluminum Darbukas from Meinl On Sale Now

WorldMusicalInstruments.com is offering Aluminum Darbukas from Meinl in several sizes and two styles - all on sale now.


The plain aluminum darbukas are available in 5 sizes: from 5 1/3 inch diameter to 8 inch diameter, and height from 9 3/4 inches to 14 1/2 inches. Here's a picture of the smallest plain Aluminum Darbuka:




The hand-hammered aluminum darbukas are beauties with jingles, with 2 models: 8 inch x 14 1/2 inch and 8 1/4 inch x 16 inch. Here's a picture:




These darbukas are great for drum circles, light and convenient to transport. Check out the aluminum darbukas on sale now at WorldMusicalInstruments.com!

Logos Imprinted on Wooden Shakers Instruments

Ever wanted to imprint a corporate logo on a shaker wooden musical instrument? WorldMusicalInstruments.com can apply corporate logos to musical instruments or just provide the musical instruments and the advice so you can apply the corporate logo yourself.



Here's an example of a logo'd wooden egg shaker. The wooden egg shaker has a finish on it, so we found the best way to apply a logo to the curved egg shaker surface was to imprint the corporate logo onto a clear sticker, then apply the sticker to the egg shakers. A neutral color of egg shaker was chosen so that the logo shows up nicely.



Before the logo:





After the logo:





Contact WorldMusicalInstruments.com for help putting logos on musical instruments!

Child Percussion Set Helps Children Make Fun Rhythms

Here's a great childrens percussion set to help children make fun musical rhythms. The Meinl NINOSET12 Rhythm Set is great for schools and daycare. Specifically crafted for child sized hands, Meinl's NINO® Percussion line of musical instruments is great for early childhood education. NINO musical instruments are well-suited for use in Kindergartens, Elementary Schools, Music Therapy, and for musical activities in a day care environment.



The NINOSET12 is On Sale with Free Shipping Now!



This discounted NINO® Child Percussion Set by Meinl includes 12 individual percussion instruments. The childrens percussion instrument set is perfect for use in kindergarten, schools, or percussion groups. This collection of different percussion instruments is the ideal way to explore the complete NINO® world of percussion and rhythm.
Contents:
1 x Wood Claves, large
1 x Triangle, 6 inch
1 x ABS Hand Drum, 10 inch (color may vary)
1 x Wood Tambourine, One Row
1 x Skin Maracas pair, medium
1 x Single Energy Chime, Medium
1 x Wood Guiro
1 x Rattan Shaker, either a Ganza or a double( pictured)
2 x Egg Shakers (color may vary)
1 x Wood A-Go-Go, Two Rows


NINO® instruments have been tested by the Landesgewerbeanstalt Bayern, Germany (LGA), Institute for the Testing of Goods and Quality Monitoring and have been awarded with the LGA Test Certificate. This means that NINO® musical instruments comply with the strict requirements of the European Community Directives 88/378EC and 87/357/EC.


NINO® instruments pass the following tests:

• Testing in dependance on the Toy Safety Directive (88/378/EC)


• Mechanical and physical characteristics


• Inflammability


• Migration of certain parts


• Saliva and perspiration resistance


• Colorfastness


• Determination of the content of Pentachlorphenol (PCP)


• Testing with regard to pesticides


• Valuation in accordance with EC Directive 87/357/EC

After passing all tests, the internationally accepted LGA Test Certificate was awarded for all NINO® percussion instruments. This certificate vouches for quality and safety.

Pants on the Ground, Neil Young Rendition with Harmonica and Acoustic Guitar

"Pants on the Ground" has gotten lots of attention since being seen on American Idol. Check out Neil Young's rendition with harmonica and acoustic guitar on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon blog.

Coupon for World Musical Instruments Expires 12/24/2009

Choose your coupon for WorldMusicalInstruments.com - pick either Free Shipping Coupon for orders $299 and up OR $5 off coupon for orders of $50 or more. Both coupons expire 12/24/2009. Must enter coupon code on Shopping Cart page before you checkout. View details on the coupon codes and how to enter the coupon code.


Visit WorldMusicalInstruments.com for hundreds of musical instruments on sale: didgeridoos, sitars, gongs, world drums, and more!

Shakira Performs Did It Again with Drum Dancing

Shakira performs "Did It Again" on "Dancing with the Stars" on October 13, 2009, featuring some great drum dancing with Asian drums. It's always great to see Shakira's moves, but it added an interesting dimension to see the drummers moving along with their drumming - seems like it would be called drum dancing.

The drums at the beginning of the song look like talking drums:



Click to view larger

The drums shown during most of Shakira's performance (2-headed drums on wooden stands) look like Japanese taiko drums or Chinese thunder drums. A video of Shakira performing "Did It Again" on Jimmy Kimmel shows drums like marching band drums or tabor drums.

What kind of drums do you think were used in Shakira's performance of "Did It Again" on Dancing with the Stars?

Harmonica Music in Cadillac Records Movie Creates Interest in Original Blues Artists

If you've seen the movie Cadillac Records, featuring classic blues music of Muddy Waters on guitar and Little Walter on harmonica, most people agree on one thing: the movie creates a desire to listen to the original musical artists perform their original renditions of the classic blues music featured in the movie. Hearing the harmonica music and classic blues guitar music in the movie is one thing, but you just can't listen to the covers in the movie, you're drawn to searching for the original Muddy Waters on guitar and Little Walter on harmonica for a true dose of the blues.


You may not like the Cadillac Records movie, but I liked the nostalgia it created for me based on the movie music.


If you want to give the harmonica a try, WorldMusicalInstruments.com is offering the Bends brand harmonicas from Brazil, which are just being introduced into the US market. Bends Harmonicas start around $30:

Didgeridoo Making - How It Is Done

Didgeridoos from WorldMusicalInstruments.com are hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind instruments made by Tree Thump Didj Co. that not only create the unique didj buzz, but are also finished to last a long time. Here's a brief look at the didgeridoo production process of turning a tree branch into a beautiful, long-lasting musical instrument, the didgeridoo:


Tree branches are selected for the didgeridoo production process. These didgeridoos are made in Illinois, so are made from limbs of pine, poplar, or birch trees.


The bark is removed and the branch is shaped and sanded, then split in half, ready to be carved.




Branches are carved to specifications to create didgeridoos in various keys. After carving, the two halves are glued back together and coated inside with a protective resin and hung to dry.


A final sanding, then finishing artwork and/or stain are applied, followed by a glossy protective resin coating. What was once just a tree branch is now a custom didgeridoo!


Please note: Since the didgeridoos hang to dry, there may be some hardened resin drips at the bell of the didgeridoo as pictured here, which in no way impact the great didj buzz:

Duduk Tips for Ghamish Reed

This post provides tips for working with the ghamish reed for the Professional Duduk:




Make sure ghamish is open before playing. If it is not completely closed you can blow warm air through it to get it to open a little more so it will play better. If the ghamish is completely closed, you can do one of three things:

- make sure cap is on and run some warm water into the bottom (open) end, shake it with your finger covering the hole and then pour out. Leave sitting with cap down in a vertical position for up to 20 minutes.

- an alteration of the above is to leave the warm water in the ghamish and let it sit for awhile with cap on, upside down.

- on a really dry day with a very closed ghamish you can take the cap/bridle off and set the top upside down into about 1/2 to 1 inch of warm water. This can be dangerous if you forget and leave it! The ghamish is not a split reed like bassoon or oboe; it will want to revert to a round shape if left in that water. This is not good and you would need to carefully put the cap back on and hope it comes back down to a reasonable opening with time.

Once it is open enough to play (you never want it too open- if so it will feel really hard to blow) you can use the bridle to make very slight adjustments to the pitch. Remember that ghamish can change pitch in the middle of a tune with no warning so that bridle needs to be able to hold on to the reed a little for adjustments. In dry environments you can put a little water under the bridle on the ghamish to help it grab.

The duduk is played with very little reed in the mouth. Just a quarter inch or so. The embouchure is not like oboe or any other double reed woodwind in that the reed is not held between the teeth with the lips covering them. You must keep the reed/ghamish in front of the teeth controlled by the lip muscles. The whole top minor third of the range (on an A duduk from G to the highest B) is all achieved by squeezing the reed so the opening has to be good to allow for the control to get these notes. If the opening is too little, or the ghamish is dry many times these notes can be very sharp. And conversely if it is too wet and open you will have great difficulty playing the top part of the range.

These tips for working with the duduk ghamish reed were provided by professional woodwind player Chris Bleth.

To purchase the Professional Duduk from Armenia, visit WorldMusicalInstruments.com.

Chinese Instruments Featured in Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony

I am so glad I watched the entire Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. I was unable to leave the room, even during commercials, for fear of missing any part of the most awesome live performance ever! Chinese musical instruments played a vital role in the performance, providing a glimpse into Chinese culture from many perspectives: historical, spiritual, and emotional. It's difficult to find words to describe this amazing performance. I encourage you to view these beautiful still photos (be sure to flip thru all the pages of photos).

We witnessed innovative use of Chinese musical instruments to not only provide music but set the mood and provide quite a light show! The 2008 drummers wowwed us by playing a version of an ancient Chinese instrument called the Fou drum. In its original form, I understand that it was a type of jug drum which is also seen in other cultures. If anyone knows where to get a drum like those used toward the beginning of the ceremony (even without the "light up" effect), I'd love to hear about it.



We heard the Chinese Guzheng during the calligraphy dancing performance.

         

Also spotted throughout performances were the Chinese Erhu, Chinese Pipa, and the ever popular Chinese Wind Gong.

Please let us know if you identified any other Chinese musical instruments during the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony, or if you have any more information about the drums played by the 2008 drummers.

World Music Resource

WorldMusicalInstruments.com recently found a great resource web site for those interested in World Music, World Music Central. This site provides a wealth of information including World Music News and World Music Resources for artists and for everyone who wants to hear and learn more about world music. Check it out!

Best Kalimba Thumb Piano

According to Nicole F. from Denver CO, WorldMusicalInstruments.com offers the best kalimba thumb piano ever!

Nicole ordered the large thumb piano (item code THMP) in mid-April, and patiently waited for more stock to arrive. When notified that her kalimba was ready to ship, she conveyed how much she liked this particular thumb piano because of the beautiful rosewood body, which resonates really well, and because of the substantial adjustable keys. According to Nicole, this is the best thumb piano on the market and she has used quite a few. Thanks Nicole!

Click here to buy a large kalimba thumb piano.

Chicago Area School Assembly Supports Music In Our Schools

In March 2008, World Musical Instruments delivered the World Musical Instrument Experience school assembly program at Harrison School in Wonder Lake IL, a suburb northwest of Chicago. This elementary school assembly program was provided in support of Music In Our Schools month.

Elementary school children got hands-on use of musical instruments from around the world including African drums (djembe, djun djun, talking drum, ashiko), Middle Eastern drums (doumbeks, darbuka), instruments from India (tabla, ghungroos ankle bells), percussion instruments (gongs, shakere, rain sticks, agogo, tambourines, ratchets, kokinko, kalimba) - over 50 instruments were presented to the children, reviewing the country of origin, and we played along to music from Africa, sitar and tabla music from India, duduk flute music from Armenia, and didgeridoo music from Australia.

To support the school's goal of hands-on use of the world musical instruments, groups of about 50 children each were brought into the music room. Sessions were conducted all morning to allow music-making by the children, using techniques similar to drum circles. With instruments in their hands, the students are very engaged and learn more about the instruments and the variety of sounds.

Our thanks for Harrison School for inviting WorldMusicalInstruments.com to share our joy of musical instruments from around the world!

Play Name-It Contest to Win $50 Musical Instruments Shopping Spree

WorldMusicalInstruments.com is giving you the opportunity to win a 15% off discount coupon (valid on orders of $99 or over; coupons are awarded each Sunday and are valid for one week). To play our contest, simply identify a world musical instrument from a picture. If you're right (or close enough), we'll email a coupon code to you and enter your email address in a drawing to win $50 store credit.

Name-It!

Don't know this instrument? Check back each Monday for a new instrument. Contest ends June 1 2008 with a drawing for one $50 store credit from all correct submitted entries (no minimum order value; chances of winning are not increased by multiple submissions).

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Answers will be posted. FYI, the pictures used in this content were taken at the NAMM show in January 2008. WorldMusicalInstruments.com visits this show of musical instrument manufacturers to look for new products and strengthen relationships with our suppliers. And we have tons of fun, which we want to share!

Thanks for playing!