Ancient drums hold a special place in drumming

When I got interested in drumming and planned to take up few drum lessons at Swansea, Neath, I wanted to learn about djembe first. This djembe is a goatskin-covered percussion instrument shaped like a large goblet made to be played with bare hands. The djembe first appeared, at least, in history, in the 13th century in the West African empire of Mali. During this time, griots, a West African hybrid of historians and musicians, used the instruments to produce accompanying music for their tales, which were usually about the warrior-founder of the Mali Empire Sundiata (c. 1217 to 1255). Mali's inhabitants, the Malinke and the Susu, used the drum during the celebration of sacred and secular events. I also wanted to learn dundun, also called the talking drum. It is an hourglass-shaped drum with a strap, traditionally slung over one shoulder while tucked underneath the other and played with a curved beater. The talking drum is named because of the player's ability to alter its pitch to mimic language tonality or "talk." The Yoruba people, who mainly live in present-day Nigeria, invented the dundun. In ancient times, the talking drum was used for a variety of purposes, from being a musical instrument during celebrations to a sort of telegram for relaying messages during times of war or to announce the arrival of a visitor.

I know you must be getting surprised on my choice of drums but believe me that these ancient drums have a charm of their own. I have also heard of something called Bata, which is a set of three drums of different sizes played with either a stick or hands. They are characterized by having two heads, with one bigger than the other. Another drum of Yoruba origin, the bata drum is considered the sacred drum of the deity Ana or Oshun, known as the goddess of love. Bata drums play an important role in Cuba, where African slaves introduced them. They are used in religious events as well as in Cuba's genres of music. Similarly there is bougarabouwith origins in Senegal and Gambia. It is played as a single drum. It is of a tapering cylindrical shape with one head and traditionally played as a single drum. The player occasionally wears jangling bracelets to give the performance a richer percussive sound.

Drumming in itself is such a wonderful feeling and when you learn to play these ancient drums, this feeling becomes truly overwhelming!

         

Get Your Drumming Fundamentals Clear At The First Stage Itself

There are certain logical and effective steps that happen in any learning process of any skill or art form like drumming. It starts from a chaotic or unschooled or unknowing place, that means “no form”, then we learn the skill set and learn to make forms, “the system”, something organized and coherent.Once you have mastered the form, you can stay with it and further perfect it, add your own unique styling to it, or drop the form perhaps. But you cannot drop it until you have it in your possession.So, it is advisable to simply learn the basics. It can be easy and fun. There are books, videos, downloadable lessons, teachers, study groups. For best Drum teachers Neath, there are some really good drum teachers available in Swansea, Neath.

I personally like fusion and hybrid drumming. To fuse two items together, they both must be strong enough to hold their own weight or force. So before you fuse them, you have to make sure both materials you fuse are strong enough that they will not break or fall apart.If you are fusing traditional drumming with something “new” (or old or different), then both forms of drumming should be well established and strong on both sides. That would mean that the drummer fusing the two styles would need to be established and somewhat advanced in both or any of the styles being “fused”.The problem or challenge I see is that many western “fusion/hybrid” drummers never bother to even learn the most basic forms of traditional drumming. Some are quick to say they “have their own unique style” and have rejected the traditional teachers and learning process and want to jump past the schooling.Like everything else in life we all want it now and fast. But any kind of drumming and especially West African drumming and dance might take some time to learn. So, please be patient and take your time. Enjoy the process of learning drumming first and then experiment with it.

Now, everyone learns at a different speed and in different ways. Good teachers find the way that works best for a student to learn. Some people learn well from a vocal method. If you say it, you can play it. Some people need to understand the math. Others are better at assimilating. And we all need to remember that we all will always be students because if it is coming from a different culture (originally) then you have to respect that and keep a beginners mind. Even when you think you are advanced. So, keep learning drumming and keep playing drums for the love of music!