Last weekend I visited Brussels, the European Medina of the African music again (as the European Mecca would probably be Paris). I finally managed to attend a course for dunduns. The course was part of a big, one week lasting course with prominent teachers (Mamady Keita, Babara Bangoura, N'faly Kouyate and others).
Babara Bangoura, the Guinean djembefola and dundunfola, made us work intensively for 5 hours per day. I must say that he has great didactic skills. We were only four and the course was for the advanced players so we progressed quite quickly. Babara took time to explain the songs in detail, sing the lyrics, etc.
I realized that once you're able to play the duns (concerning the technique), you soon get to the point where you just have to know how to play African music. You don't have to worry about rollers or hand swapping like when playing djembe. So this course was really more about the arrangements and the philosophy of each song. I guess that is just about what every djembe player needs as well.
On Saturday evening Babara had two concerts (one with the Italian Beman Kan and one with the Belgian Bolo Kan, the latter is in a short video).
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Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Dundun workshop
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2 comments:
Nice!
I meet Babara Bangoura this year in Rovigo and I must say, that he is really simpathic person. I wish I will have opportunity some day to attend his workshop.
Did you liked the concert of Bemankan? In Rovigo it was amazing, also with Babara as guest.
Bemankan were good, yes. Amazing is the right expression. The quantity and quality of arrangements is impressive... I was impressed by the quality of the execution as well.
Besides that I have to tell you that I'm not a particular fun of this kind of drumming... Too hard and powerful for my taste. I had to exit and take a beer in between the concert:) Some songs were only with kora and singing, tho. And there was some nice dancing too.
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