This course is part of the summer 2023 course programme. Registration is unfortunately no longer possible.
The programme for summer 2024 will be published online in April 2024.
Playing the drum in a group can be great fun. It pulls you out of the daily grind and may make you forget the stress of everyday life.
But if you have really learned to play the drum, and you know what you are doing, drumming becomes an artform. With the right intention and energy, you can synchronise wonderfully and find connection with others. It becomes an experience, an interplay. During this day course, you will learn the basics of playing the djembé in a playful and infectious way, as it is done in West Africa.
Within the West African tradition, a rhythm consists of several patterns, played on both djembé (hand drum) and accompaniment drums (with bell and sticks). The rhythms are usually played to accompany a ritual or event, such as a birth, harvest or wedding.
What will you be doing?
In the first part of the course, we will cover two accessible rhythms of different character. In doing so, we will first practice the drum technique in a playful way, and quickly make a start with the specific patterns and rhythms. In the second part, we alternate the rhythms with short phrases (breaks) and question-and-answer play. So real communication by drum.
There is also opportunity for your own input, and we’ll turn everything into a small final spectacle. Who knows, you might even get into a trance!