The only organization I know that's dedicated
to bones playing is the Rhythm Bones Society (RBS):
Membership
The RBS is a fun, educational, and scholarly non-profit group
that does not take itself too seriously. They do, however, take
their passion for rhythm bones seriously and welcome members of
all skill levels, ages, and nationalities. Membership is currently
$25/yr. http://www.rhythmbones.com/rbsform.html
Newsletter
The quarterly RBS newsletter is a gold mine of information about
rhythm bones. Non-members can get the newsletter for 'a paltry'
$10/yr. The newsletter dates back to 1999. For a nominal cost
you can get the entire collection. http://www.rhythmbones.com/
Annual Bones Fest
Each year the Rhythm Bones Society holds an annual Bones Fest.
The event is held each year in a different city. My first was Bones Fest VII in 2003. The location was Louisville, Kentuckyand it was a real hoot. We even had
a conga-line with more than 50 bones players all clickety-clacking
at the same time. In 2008, along with Spike Bones, I co-hosted Bones Fest XII in Saint Louis, Missourithe first Bones Fest held west of the Mississippi River. You can get a glimpse of past Bones Fests at: http://www.rhythmbones.com/bonefests.html
Forum
The Yahoo Groups 'Rhythm Bones' forum is the best online
resource for inside information about bones. The forum moderator
is Steve Brown, a warm friendly person who is Executive Director
of the Rhythm Bones Society. We are all proud of Steve who made history as the first American to win the All-Ireland
Bones Playing Championship. He went on to win two consecutive years (2003-04). http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rhythmbones/
Bones History
The Web site displays an excellent overview of rhythm bones entitled
The Bones: Ancient To Modern.
This rare unpublished research paper was written by Ethnomusicologist
Sue Ellen Barber in collaboration with the late American bones
master, Percy Danforth. http://www.rhythmbones.com/ancient.html