The most important thing to remember when learning any new coordinated physical movement is to have patience at the very beginning.  It will ALWAYS feel awkward at the start of the learning curve.  Because it feels so awkward at the beginning, many people are discouraged right away from learning any new instruments or languages.  They see how effortlessly other people can do it, they feel how awkward it is for them to do it, and they think, "I must not have it in me."  This is just a wrong assumption to make...

Every single professional musician you see out there started with the same awkward feeling.  No one just picks up a guitar for the firs time and naturally knows what to do with it.  Of course, some learn faster than others, but skill is always going to be most dependent on practice.

When I first picked up the Pandeiro, it was super awkward.  But I just kept doing the simple drills I outline in this video.  On the verge of giving up, I just picked it up one day and miraculously could play all of a sudden.  This  "aha" moment will always come after a period of sleep, since this is when your brain actually builds the connections.  So if you practice something for hours and still can't get it, be patient and wait until the next day so your brain has time to recuperate.  Before you know it, everything will feel as natural as walking. 

Anyone interesting in being a Mimic Method Beta Tester should take special heed.  You will NOT be able to make all the sounds and sing all the songs on your first day of studying the lesson materials.  If you do the drills, however, and you give it a few days, you will make a lot of progress.  In my experience, you can pick up the Mimic Ability in under three weeks of practice.

So like my violin teacher always told me: PRACTICE!