Over the years Johnny Kalsi has developed playing and teaching techniques that have been adopted and re-interpreted and in some cases misinterpreted. 17 years of experience and The Dhol Foundation are the ones people come to for advice and questions regarding Dhol Drums, Playing techniques and advice on buying a drum. The most common questions are listed below. People from all over the globe ask Johnny for his professional opinion with regards to what to look for, where to go. It's all here! On this site Johnny has picked at his brain and squeezed out the information your hunting for. If you're stuck and need advice, look no further.

The Dhol Foundations' advice when buying a Dhol.When you're buying a Dhol you want to make sure you don't get a cheap imitation. There are many versions of the Dhol and some of the Painted Dhols can be a disguise for a repair or to conceal and broken parts in the wood or even cracks that have developed. The most common places you'll find these types of drums are from some of the shops in India. The wood has been repaired and covered in dark colour paint then spotted with dark yellow or green speckles. Quite often they also use metal tacks that are filed down. Rather like large staples either side of a crack. Another important thing to look out for is to make sure the drum is perfectly round. Drums made in India sometimes get stored on top of each other or something heavy is put on top. In the heat this will reshape the drum to an egg shape, particularly with lighter or thinner wood. The drum, is no longer round so when mounting a manufactured round (plastic) skin, it won't fit!

Some may say the dark wood is the best type to go for. These shops sometimes use a wood stain to make the drums look better than they actually are. Different types of wood are disguised so that they can be sold at a higher price. Most of the time you should be able to tell if the drum is originally that colour by looking inside, this way you will also notice any cracks or repairs. Unfortunately for the untrained eye, inexperience places trust in the Drum seller. So they end up with a cheap drum but pay a high price for it. One of the more common things to look out for (and this is something no-one thinks about) is "termites" or other wood pests. These are a real pain, as you have to look very carefully at the wood grain and examine the paws for any tiny holes. The only way to treat this is by getting an adult to lay the drum sideways then pour Petroleum Spirit or Methylated Spirit and roll the drum on its side so it goes into the wood all the way round. This will ensure to kill of any termites or wood-eating pests that maybe living in the wood.

This is probably the bit you wanted to know first. Well, The Dhol Foundation has done extensive research with all the importers of Dhols' for the UK. The Table below should give you a rough indication of price ranges. Remember the ranges of the different prices are only approximate and should NOT be taken as an accurate figure. They are guidelines only; some shops will vary their prices due to overheads or location. For the Drums that are above £250.00, as advice from the Dhol Foundation, we would recommend you ask for a Lifetime assurance on the wood. The guidelines are based on imported Dhols' bought in UK only.

Guesstimate Price Range Case Case with Wheels 2nd Hand Umbh Kiker Shisham Tali

£50-75 Umbh
£80-125 Umbh/Kiker
£130-185 Kiker
£190-225 Shisham/Kiker
£230-285 Shisham
£290-325 Shisham/Tali
£330-385 (Nearly New)Tali
£390-450 + (New) Tali

This can be hard to get hold of. There are some materials that can be used in place of the original wood, which is in fact Cane. Lucky for the Dhol Foundation, we are endorsed by Jas Musicals and Made of Music so our sticks are the real thing and we have a regular supply. Most of the good shops that import the Dhols, should sell them. The normal price is around 50p and we wouldn't recommend you pay more than that. If you know anyone on a trip to India, the Desi term for cane is "BAINTH".

Some people use Bamboo or the stuff their Mum might use from a garden center, to stand her plants up. Both these type of sticks are to brittle and will not give you the flexibility you need to create certain sounds. If your still stuck on what to use, you may want to find some wickers cane. That's the stuff they use to make furniture. If you don't have any joy there you could try old underground pipe cleaning rods. The old ones were all made from cane. Johnny has even been known to use a fiberglass fishing rod for experimental purposes.

The most important thing to remember is to always practice the beats you know already. When practicing, you will discover more variations on breaks and rhythms you can play. When doing a performance, you should never attempt new patterns your unsure of. Always make sure you keep you head above the water. If you attempt something your still learning to play, the chances are you'll probably stumble. You will learn from your mistakes, but depending on situations you should get routine together and stick to that performance. That way you are sure of what your playing and not waffling your way through. When practicing, you may want to get a friend to play the Dhol with you. Encouragement in pairs will always push you both and provided your both of a similar caliber; you'll discover new patterns. Don't be afraid to create other sounds on your drum. The same pattern played in a different way (i.e. Closed instead of open sounds or striking the wood with the Bass stick), will make it sound like a new pattern.

We all have a private lifestyle to live. This will restrict practice times. Always remember, the more you put in to your practice, the more you will receive as a result. This in turn will have a direct effect on your playing. Your personal practice is important to the amount of performance you do. Here at The Dhol Foundation we have a formula for students. Self Discipline + Motivation + Determination & Dedication = Great Performance. If you are able to play your drum in your home, then you should ensure at least couple of hours per day. Even if you're limited to what times you can play indoors, you should get half an hours worth of practice in, if possible. If you are unable to play at home here are some methods you could try.

a) You could cover the skins of your drum, with a sheet or a thin blanket.
b) You could try kneeling with cushions on either side of your legs.
c) After learning the phrases, you could try playing it on your knees with hands.

If you learn the Beats phonetically using Bhol (the phrases for each beat), you should chant the beats to yourself before you play them. The Dhol Foundation created a slogan, If you can say it, You can Play it! This method of teaching the students beats was created at the time The Dhol Foundation was first established back in 1990. To graduate the learning a syllabus was designed by Johnny Kalsi. It has now grown to a Nationwide scale to the extent ALL other Dhol Groups adopted the same method of teaching. Individuals will create shapes or images in there minds. These images will refer to different beats and patterns. Almost like a de-coder that enables you to play what the words in the lesson that are written in sequence to create patterns or cycles.

The co-ordination lesson, "Mummy Daddy" was made initially for the very young students that are not old enough to understand the (Bhol) phonetic Language. The Dhol Foundation have students as young as 5 years of age and as old as 35. The lessons are tailor made to individual requirements, so that each person has no pressure to how long it takes them to pick up a lesson. New students are also given this lesson to give the beginner three things from this one simple but effective exercise.

i) To get used to holding the sticks.
ii) Ensure the correct sounds and overtones are produced.
iii) Make sure all the beats are played evenly and not rushed.

This has got to be the ultimate question for the famous answer, "How long is a piece of string"? What you have to remember is the more you practice the more you will gain. The self-discipline is probably the most important part of practice. At The Dhol Foundation we encourage students to look at their drum at home and not ignore it, but to give it a little play each time they pass it. This will enable them to get even a few minutes practice in during a day. Young students will find the television more interesting than practicing. We also have a solution for that. We ask the student to place their sticks on top of the TV so when they sit down to watch, they see the sticks and that reminds them to practice, (we hope). There is no real time limit or a way to learn any instrument in a week. The combination of the method: Self Discipline + Motivation + Determination & Dedication, Will help any person practicing any instrument.

This can be a step-by-step task but in most cases, drums from India always have at least 2 maybe 3 additional problems attached to them. Provided the drum is round you should be able to measure the circumference of the shell and work out the spacing for nine holes so they are evenly positioned. The height is also an important part as to how low the thread of the hook can tighten the rim holding the skin. Have a look at some photos in the gallery to see how we make these conversions. There should also be a separate ring around the rim of the skin, to balance the tension and make it easier to maintain. All the accessories are available to buy individually. It's advisable to have someone there who has done a conversion before. If you don't know what you're doing, DON'T drill holes in your drum without checking with someone who has done it before.

We hope this information was useful to you. If you still have a question and you need advice, send us an e-mail and we'll be happy to answer you as and when we get round to it.