Where do I start?

It can be a sensory overload.. learning a new skill. Where does one start? What is the most important aspect to concenrate on first?

Advice for Beginner Drummers: 

If you're a beginner drummer, try to focus on learning 'how' to learn. Start by getting the co-ordination of your hands, work on the rhythm and it's timing, and once you've got your hands moving more naturally and you have a feel for the rhythm, THEN try applying technique. It's not at all easy to concentrate on getting all of these at ONCE!

Mimicry

Your first lesson is mimicry. You will be facing opposite your teacher in a semi circle among others.

Deciding which hand to begin with

When learning to drum with your drumming instructor in front of you, you must be the reverse image of them (not a mirror image). If you’re unsure, just imagine yourself facing the opposite direction! What appears to be the left will in fact be the right. This will take a little adjustment, but once you master this you are on your way!

The warm up

A usual class will commence with a warm up. Some warm ups will be technique focused, others specifically for coordination, or timing. You will be given a brief break down. The warm up piece will begin slowly and build in speed. It is important to pay attention to the sound of your teacher’s drum and the speed of the dundun drums, as the cue is given to graduate faster and faster.

Advice: Never hold back, but never rush forward.

A warm up is necessary to loosen up and get the blood flowing to your limbs. It’s also critical in releasing the stress of your day, helping you to enter the 'Drumming' space and BE in the moment.

Advice: It’s not so important to 'get it right' – technique-wise, but it is important to focus on the timing and coordination. Keep moving! Even when you’ve 'lost it' or it gets too fast, try to find the bass or a strong beat within the warm up piece and stick to that. If nothing else, you are still moving (which is keeping you warm), it requires you to focus on the rhythm and it’s timing, and most importantly… you’re still involved!

Advice: Keep a strong and upright posture and exaggerate your arm movement. Playing with higher hand action for a warm up helps your endurance and allows contact with the drum to be more precise (without ghosting). Working with gravity, the high hand action also allows you to fit in faster beats using less energy!

Benefits of a warm up
 
Warm ups focus on:

Technique training
Coordination and agility
Speed
Building upper body and arm strength

Posture
Endurance playing
Developing timing
Developing an understanding of the rhythm
Developing a feel for the rhythm
 
Recap

As a beginner, it is 'sensory overload' to try and focus on all of these at once, my advice is to concentrate on playing the rhythm, developing your coordination and timing. Learn 'how to learn'.

Call and response

In some classes you will be given phrases without a break down. These will be fast or slow, long or short. Call and response tests your skill at mimicry, as well as your listening skills! This is a fun challenge - to get the phrase, its timing, the same sounds (technique) and feel. This exercise will also help to develop your interpretation (from what you hear and see – to recreating this on your own drum), as well as your understanding.

Rhythm break down

Following the warm up and call and response exercises comes the main rhythm for the session. Here, each part (sometimes up to 4 parts) will be learned. Each part will be broken down and played as a group until it is solid. (and my challenge as a teacher is to progress once everyone has the basis for each part and is ready to move on!). When all parts have been learned, the group is divided so that all parts may be played simultaneously as a group.

Polyrhythm 

This is called polyrhythm (many parts playing together at once). We continue in a 'round robin' fashion until each group has played each part together.

In a more advanced (or open) session, an introduction and break will be taught at the beginning of the rhythm break down and played by the more competent players.

With a regular group (regular attendance/core group of students), certain rhythms in their entirety, including intro, break, call and rhythm parts will be learned over a 2-3 week period and may even be applied to the dance class to offer further opportunity to master the piece.

Intermediate students will also be encouraged and invited to perform with afrobeat at various public events and festival opportunities. These will often require some additional rehearsal and assistance in organization. (Check out where and when our 'Performance Crew' meet for regular training sessions).

 

What playing level am I?

Some factors to consider:

If you've never touched a Djembe or Dundun drum in your life, missed out on learning basic playing technique, attended irregular classes over the past 2-3 years, still building your confidence, or never been introduced to the cultural significance/context of the rhythms, then try... 

 

BEGINNERS

Start with our Beginners courses or Beginners workshops. This will give you a strong foundation for African Drumming. A great introduction to:

West African culture
Traditional West African Percussion
Learning 'how to learn' the Djembe or Dundun Drums
Learning posture, technique, coordination and timing
Polyrhythms
Drum CALL
What to look for when buying your first Djembe
How to tune a Djembe
How to care and maintain a Djembe
Working together as a group to create a dynamic rhythm with many overlapping parts playing simultaneously = Polyrhythms!
Rhythm notation (or rather 'finding your own way') with the help of some great resources on the net and advice from your teacher
Jamming etiquette
The etiquette of drumming for a dance class
The relationship between drummer and dancer
Foot stompin’, clap and voice percussion  … and more!

Note:

Please bear in mind that completing 1 x 8 week beginners course does not prepare you for intermediate level, and progressing sooner than you are ready can hold others back, which in turn restricts what can be accomplished in an intermediate focussed class. 

Learning Djembe drumming in its original context (in Africa), there is a heirachy among drummers. Drummers have been learning through mimicry from an early age (childhood), they have been exposed to the rhythms, dances, and song of their people all their lives. If they show a particular talent for the drumming, they will be mentored and trained by a Master Drummer, who will certainly challenge their eagerness and their ego. There is much discipline involved as well as a healthy dose of being 'kept in one's place'.

Westerners are in a hurry to advance. Generally, we want to run before we can walk, we want to be experts the first time we pick up a drum. If we don't have immediate gratification, we are disappointed and give up! In Africa, the people learn by repetition. Drummers are expected to sit and play the one accompaniment part over and over, for years before the elders allow them to graduate to other parts, soloing, or directing. With respect to this learning process, we urge our students to be patient, work hard if they want to seriously progress with their playing, get as much playing experience as possible, learn the etiquette of jamming and more.

Advice: We advise you to approach your instructor and ask them to be honest with regards to your development and whether they believe you are ready to progress to the next level.

 

INTERMEDIATE

So you’ve been introduced to African Drumming? You know how to create a tone, slap and bass. You can even play the drummers call. You’re fairly competent at following the break down and playing various rhythms with clarity, definitive timing and speed. You’re looking for a challenge… you want to play more, for longer and faster! You feel ready to take on some intros and breaks, and have a thirst for more complex timings and coordination. You’re playing for the dance class to build your skills, timing, endurance, speed and strength. You can name various rhythms and play them correctly – all their parts. You know how the various parts fit into one another, and can respond with automation to a call (without hesitation). You can understand and feel where the Djembe and Dundun drums relate to one another, and feel confident enough to know, and correct yourself where necessary within the rhythm.  Perhaps you’re keen to perform or learn the art of performance. Why not join the afrobeat drummers n dancers for their next public appearance!

ADVANCED-Intermediate (not teacher or professional)

You have a major thirst and passion for rhythm. You want to understand and learn how to solo phrase. You want to learn how to drum for the dancer, including calling for the dance class. You’ve mastered tone, slap and bass as well as other techniques. You are a strong and confident player for performance and dance class. Your timing is impeccable and your technique is as clean as a whistle! You have learnt the art and etiquette of playing and leading in a jamming environment, calling and solo phrasing for a dance class. You’re a great team member and inspire others. You can be relied upon to give a warm up for class or advice to Beginners. You know many rhythms, intros and breaks and can name them, their origin, their cultural significance and context. You are hungry for challenge. Drumming is not just about music for you, it’s an art and a fitness regime… it’s about fun and friendship – a workout for your body and your mind! It’s your passion! It's in your blood! You need a regular fix and your health and psyche would seriously suffer if you missed it!

… Take all this PUMP with a grain of salt! There are no rules… just passion!

 © afrobeat 2000 – 2010

Afrobeat operate Australia Wide