Skinny Beats Drum Shop & Gallery

Specialties

Besides our normal hours, we open the shop for appointments! Please call us if we are not open, we can come down very quick, I live near by! World music instruments, including African drums (djembe, doundoun, krin) Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls (Chakra Bowls), Didgeridoos, Indian instruments (Sitar, Tabla, many others) Native American Flutes, Gongs (huge variety small medium and large) Tibetan Singing Bowls, Frame Drums (Shaman Drums), Harps, Tongue Drums, Hand Pans, Xylaphones, kids instruments, assorted percussion, We also fix and repair drums, replace skins, sell skins, and we also teach beginner classes on many instruments, hand drumming is our specialty.

History

Established in 2004.

I started in Wisconsin in 1998, then traveled to Guinea, West Africa to learn from Bolokada Conde. I moved to Asheville, NC to perform in a drum and dance group with Bolokada Conde. I then opened Skinny Beats on Eagle Street in downtown Asheville, NC.

Meet the Business Owner

Billy Zanski.

Business Owner

I began playing djembe for fun in college. Then in 1997 I started classes with Lucky Diop from Senegal, West Africa… I joined his performance group and also played for dance classes. I taught beginner classes and helped to turn new people onto drumming. In 1999 Les Percussions de Guinee came to Madison, WI where I joined their tour helping to drive and manage the group. That was 3 months, then they returned home to Guinea where I went to visit them there. Bolokada Conde became my teacher. When I moved to Asheville in 2004, I opened Skinny Beats and started teaching beginner classes. I also teach at risk youth and do performances with my group Skinny Beats Drum Crew. Teaching beginners how to play djembe is a real passion of mine. Drumming is very healthy and inspiring. Anyone can do it, and it’s a great community function, playing drums in a group is a very unique way of getting to know others without all the words.