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Initially I got in just to help, queuing up the music for the dancers. In December she picked up a cheap aluminum doumbek. For those that don't know, this is a goblet-shaped drum with a synthetic plastic head.
I've been involved in music all my life, mostly rock and roll (go figger) and guitar. I never made much sense of drumming and couldn't see the attraction. "Bang the Drum All Day" always seemed like the silliest song I've ever heard. I decided to give it a twinkle to support her.
I learned a few rhythms. Suddenly I found myself obsessed with this thing, the rhythms followed me into sleep at night, I couldn't lay it down . . .
Then came the ceramic doumbek, which was only $55. It has a **BEAUTIFUL** mother of pearl tile inlay, laid in a black sand (basalt?) and a natural fish skin head (Nile river sturgeon). Initially this thing had too loose a head, it sounded like a toy drum. The skin is sewn to a linen "skirt" and tensioned up by strings pressured against the taper of the drum.
I soaked the head to soften it and removed it, took a seam ripper and removed the skirt. Took a pumice stone to the underside to remove the excess fish meat (not as gross as it sounds.) Sewed a new skirt on, passed a cord through the skirt, and took to stretching it myself, fixing the bead with gum arabic.
The few people I've talked to said I was nuts, it takes professionals to do this. When it shrunk . . OMG, I now have this magical drum that has a voice of it's own . . . . it doesn't just doum and tek and ka, it has a a ring to it like a finely tuned bell . . .
I did some live drumming at last month's show and the women went insane, they loved it. I've only been playing 11 weeks now, have had no formal training outside of a few how-to videos from greats like Amir Noum and Uncle Mafufo . . . there's just no one to practice with and time is limited. So really, I have no frame of reference as to whether I sound like an amateur or have really got a nack.
But I'm so hooked, it's all I can do to walk by this drum and not play it. It's so therapeutic, when things get frustrating it releases so much tension.
Hi, my name is Bill and I'm a drum addict.
Video, comments welcome [youtube.com]
It is a very therapeutic, i have to agree. I've spent about 5 years when I was much younger, using..
For 11 weeks you Rock!
blend27
You and Grandpa need to get together!
Just what I thought when I started reading. :)
You *really* just learned - because it sounds like you've played for ages. Cool drum.
LisaB
I did some live drumming at last month's show and the women went insane,
Being a musician (of sorts) all my life I know how important experience and training is, and I've got none, so I don't know what to make of it. If you look at my other vid on Y.T. you can see part of the live dance/drumming.
you can also get some incredible sounds from a (south asian) tabla which is a very simple looking thing - looks like a big tambourine without the bells.
if you want to study some of the masters, listen to babatunde olatunji, zakir hussein and sikiru adepoju.
mickey hart is probably the greatest american student of world drumming.
get his "planet drum" and "at the edge" albums.
he also wrote the book: "drumming at the edge of magic".
You and Grandpa need to get together!
I was kinda baiting him out, but he must be out on a visionquest or something. :-)
Now I want a drum. I wanna go out and live in a grass hut and kill animals for food and dance naked around big bonfires.
There's something so primal about drumbeats. It's just awakened the inner caveman in me.
I'll probably never be the same.
In all seriousness, I liked it rocknbil. Keep on keeping on...
I notice that your dog in the background seemed to be less than impressed.
There's no ball involved, I'm not gettin' up. :-)
There's no ball involved, I'm not gettin' up. :-)
I liked your video though. You seemed to have picked this up pretty quickly. The tempo was great. Gradually increasing and building up and then finally fading out in conclusion.
Now I feel like I've been missing out...
The first is chifitelli, then a short blurb of mazzmoudi, both slow 8 counts that dancers like to use for slow and sensual hand motions and isolations. It picks up with a baladi (which translates to "From the country") a 4-count basic dance rhythm, and moves into a Saiidi, which seems to move dancers best. It has a primal beat, DOUM tek tek ka DOUM DOUM tek ka tek, that can be used fast or slow and in hundreds of variations. It's my favorite but gotta get off it before it becomes my *only* rhythm. :-)
Seriously though, very impressive. Seems you have a natural sense of timing and rhythm. Great stuff.
Syzygy
I spent a little above a year training with one of the oldest Taiko groups in the US, and found it absolutely thrilling. I practiced for hours in the garage, and finished standing in a pool of sweat.
Excellent. ;)
Somehow this thread has me thinking about training classes again. But how would I ever find the time, these days!?
AWA
Find time? You have to make time. I'm one of the busiest people I know. Without breaks from the routine, I'd go insane. (Not a long walk, but still . . . )
For those of you who actually have drums, do a search for "8000 drums" - we have a gig coming up the 21st. All of us. :-)
The ones out by Palmdale?
I've been there! "Six degrees of phranque!"
=8)
So you already have your own groupies
Groupies are great!
That's a pretty drum there bill, where is the cheapie these days? I still love my aluminum doumbek (El Dento) best.
