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If you're interested in learning more about West African drumming, here are some great starting points. The recordings and books are usually available from Amazon - their used books section is particularly useful. And for specific questions, or pointers to more resources, please email us, we'll do our best to help.

Recordings

Mamady Keita and Famoudou Konate Anything and everything by Mamady Keita or Famoudou Konate, for hearing djembe and dunun from the Guinean masters! Mamady's style is fast and joyful, Famoudou's intensely lyrical, both are an inspiration.

Also great Malinke drummers are Les Freres Coulibaly, Yelemba d'Abijan, Fatala, Seckou Keita and Adama Drame - any recordings by these are well worth listening - and dancing - to.

For other styles of drumming and music from West Africa, other personal favourites of ours are Nii Tettey Tetteh (Ghanaian kpanlogo), Modhou Diouf and Doudou N'Diaye Rose (Sabar Wolof drumming from Senegal); and Momo Wandel Soumah (Guinean sax player with the richest voice ever). Buda Musique is a great record label to surf, and Stern's Records in London also carry a huge world music section.

Instrument suppliers

If you can't get across to West Africa, there are suppliers in the UK. For first timers in particular, we'd recommend Kambala djembes and djundjuns, available from www.soarvalleymusic.co.uk - consistently high quality drums from a drum-making cooperative in Cote d'Ivoire.

Ghana Goods, Ben Lawrence's outfit in Bristol is the place to go for traditional Ghanaian instruments, as well as tuition in Ghanaian drumming and balafon music.

Landing Mane, a fine Senegalese teacher of dance and drumming, based in London, supplies beautiful djembes at jamojamoarts.

Rhythm resources and information

WAPpages : a massive resource for those of you into rhythm notation - though it's always best to learn with a teacher to hear the music properly.

www.djembe.net : a useful site for its free notation programme, which you can download and write your own rhythms onto. Watch this space, though - we're working on something even better!

Djembe-List : an e-group that has around 1500 members worldwide - a great resource for any questions you have about West African drumming. The FAQ site is also well worth checking out.

Video clips

thanks to sites like YouTube, it's now possible to watch clips of the real thing, with videos of Malinke drumming as it's currently played in Guinea, Gambia, Senegal. While you can spend many happy and inspiring hours surfing, here are a few personal favourites to get you started - just click on the links:

Tassaba - mask dance from Haute Guinee, you can hear a great version on Fankabah's CD 'Malinke Rhythms'

Sofa - clip of Famoudou Konate in Guinea playing solos from Sofa, along with Mamady Keita - sublime!

Yelemba d'Abidjan - astonishing young troupe from Cote d'Ivoire, see them here in concert in 2003 in Italy

Places to stay in West Africa

There are an increasing number of places opening up in West Africa for drumming students to visit and learn at. It's worth asking around - so much depends on what you're looking for from a trip, but here are a few we know personally:

Sangbarala Famoudou Konate: the great Malinke player and teacher, whose trips include a stay in his home village of Sangbarala, Guinea. Famoudou also offers wonderful summer courses in Bamberg, Germany, teaching Malinke tradition on djembe, doundoun, kodo kodo, donso ngoni and bolon- click on his name to visit his website for more information.

Alnaniking: Wonderfully relaxed compound of Malo Sonko in Abene Senegal - great teacher, great people, great place ! Offers teaching in djembe and djundjun as well as seouraba, bougarabou and dance. Abene is totally unspoilt by tourism, highly recommended!

Fatala Cultural Troupe, Serrekunda: high-energy experiences staying with a Guinean performance drum and dance troupe. Lessons during the day, shows most evenings on the Kotu hotel strip, and plenty to do and see around Serrekunda. For information, contact Harriet Camara on 01208 8769598, or in the Gambia on 00220 4375494.

Hamana Bjemekan: Midlands UK-based troupe of Ansoumana Bakayoko, they will be taking a group out to their Senegal base at Saly this winter. More info at their new website, www.hamanaafrica.co.uk. The site also carries details of the group's gigs in the UK this summer - check them out!

Drumculture West Africa: A family-run affair with Guinean (Susu) teachers, based in Serrekunda, the Gambia - more information at their website. Great testimonials.