tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10427138589965982452011-12-06T00:24:44.442+01:00This is a djembe learning blog. It's about the music I played, the things I learned, and the people I met.Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.comBlogger721100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-5141381773905624152010-02-17T21:44:00.000+01:002010-02-17T21:44:00.395+01:00

A nice virtual museum featuring pictures and recordings of Malian traditional instruments: www.virtualmuseum.ca.

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-85565231613787778662010-02-01T21:17:00.000+01:002010-02-01T21:17:00.131+01:00

There is a new percussion magazine on the market. It writes about Mandinka music with special regards to percussion and the djembe. It is in French and available only in French bookstores, and it doesn't look like it will get translated any time soon. However, you can order a copy on the website of Mandenfoli. Judging from the index, the first issue seems like a rough guide to the djembe. It

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-16787122269027100472010-01-29T21:40:00.024+01:002010-01-29T21:40:00.292+01:00

I always liked Abdoulaye Diabate's balafon playing, but now he is really becoming awesome. He impresses me every time I see a video of him. That musicality... Unbeatable. An older video was mentioned in this post, but check out these new ones.

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-47042534319005951052010-01-26T20:04:00.017+01:002010-01-27T17:46:49.796+01:00

I learned from the accompaniments of rhythms like Madan and Djansa that sometimes you have to reverse the hand  order if you want to play at a very high speed AND preserve the swing.  The most typical example is for the 4/4 accompaniment. Notation + handorder: S . . S S . T T S

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-18512116998241301702010-01-22T22:47:00.003+01:002010-01-22T22:47:00.572+01:00

Michael Pluznick keeps adding lots of quality material to the West African drumming  community. Here goes the newest video of the Didadi, a very popular rhythm in Mali. And some older ones with the same piece:

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-61535424937830030362010-01-18T19:09:00.001+01:002010-01-18T19:09:00.040+01:00

This seems a nice documentary. It's a pity I missed the projections at the film festivals. Anyway, it is still possible to buy the DVD. SYNOPSIS : “The right man in the right place”   Sekou Toure When the  first president of the independent Guinea-Conakry, pronounced those words, little did he know they would become a catch phrase, a gimmick, a signature. Often, in not always quoted by Fadouba

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-45038715361446858372010-01-16T12:58:00.001+01:002010-01-16T13:00:55.546+01:00

It is now quite some years that I'm getting blisters on my fingertips on monthly basis. I've elaborated several ways of protecting my fingers when the blisters are already present, using combinations of some kind of sliced plasters and medicine tape. But now I found these plasters that are totally suitable for djembefolas. The key qualities to search for are: - Extra length, so it can be fixed

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-85338963137438709622009-12-24T12:53:00.000+01:002009-12-24T12:53:00.294+01:00

I totally agree with the author of the video: the girl in blue is much more interesting than the slow dansa ;) Anyway, just to say something useful, a widely used djembe accompaniment rhythm for the slow dansa (dansa lent) is very simple: 1...2...3...4... ttss.bssttss.bss However, I noticed this djembe pattern to be very popular: 1...2...3...4... s..bsss.s.T.tts. (upper case is a flam) Or,

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-29811651484651517612009-12-18T19:17:00.001+01:002009-12-18T19:20:22.506+01:00

Last weekend there was a great workshop of the Khassonké dunun in Brussels with Ibrahima Diabaté - a great musician and a very good teacher. The guy explained a lot of interesting stuff concerning the Djelifoli rhythms. It seems that for the Khassonkés, the Dansa, Garankedon, Sanja, etc., are all part of the Djelifoli rhytms. This would explain why they are frequently played consequtively, and

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-41454250816782854042009-12-10T22:58:00.003+01:002009-12-15T09:24:18.903+01:00

This weekend there are workshops of the Khassonké dun and dance in Paris and Brussels (organized by Pazonote and Coryphee). I wish it happened more often...

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-59493721299547199862009-12-06T13:19:00.000+01:002009-12-06T13:19:13.006+01:00

A nice, very melodic Mendiani played by Drissa Kone, Bamako.

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-61890686814698455072009-12-03T08:03:00.000+01:002009-12-03T09:16:42.778+01:00

Some kind of cannibal worms got their new home under the skin and did a nice travel to Europe with lots of food available. I guess that one of the little worms made a byte where it shouldn't and the skin broke. I hope the bang scared the worm enough not to do the same stupid thing again.

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-83999072985308966352009-11-26T20:25:00.000+01:002009-11-26T20:25:00.322+01:00

It's an african-ballet style of performance with dance, acrobacies and, of course, live percussion music. On the overall a good show and specially good entertainment for people that are new to this culture. There were at least three dancers that really caught my eye, but no presentations have been made, so I didn't get the names. I'm still searching. The performances being held currently are

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-15241895190637043592009-11-26T09:07:00.001+01:002009-11-26T09:08:54.773+01:00

Yesterday I had some troubles in telling to a friend what is the domain name of this blog (http://t-tt-t-tt-sss.blogspot.com), so I decided I'll just buy a domain. See you there in a day or two (http://www.djembecall.com).

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-73364031600804844332009-10-25T17:16:00.004+01:002009-10-25T18:48:40.782+01:00

After years of playing this rhythm I finally got to attend a workshop with a Malian teacher that could show me how the Dansa (Djansa) is supposed to be played. Originating from the Khassonke people (Kayes region in Mali), the Dansa is known as a slow song with a strong swung feeling. In fact, it seems more ternary than binary when played slowly.Still today in Bamako and other cities in Mali, the

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-17790430919399157602009-10-14T07:32:00.004+02:002009-10-14T09:19:31.789+02:00

Aminata Touré is a young Guinean dancer that recently started working in Brussels and its surroundings. She is very young and has an incredible amount of energy to share. When she moves you just feel the energy being transferred to you. I've accompanied some classes of hers recently and I was pleased to find out that she is one of those dancers for which you just can't stop playing for. I can

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-66577857604195571012009-07-28T07:05:00.004+02:002011-09-28T17:13:44.833+02:00

I managed to put together what I've been trying to master in the last year: the two ways of swinging the triplets. I have no clue what are the names of these two swings, so I will stick to the way some Malians refer to them: the "Father's rhythms" and the "Mother's rhythms". Following are two examples of the Father's rhythm. The first recording doesn't have any feeling at all. The second one

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-12486796437530091162009-05-27T07:27:00.001+02:002009-05-27T08:49:25.774+02:00

I bumped into this record label: Kanaga System Krush. As the description on their site says, they are "an independent record label, operating on a fair-trade principle, focused on the preservation and promotion of traditional music from West Africa." The "fair-trade principles" are big words, so it would be nice to find some detailed explanation about how they work. But what is sure is that they

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-21616164803225115272009-05-21T15:13:00.007+02:002009-05-21T17:16:21.370+02:00

I started following the konkoni (kenkeni) classes with Ibrahima Sarr in Brussels. The situation is funny because the classes were meant for beginners, but the participants are far from being new to this music. Yet it is not really easy to follow for no one of us due to the feeling the Malians use. On the other hand, it's a pleasant experience, specially for the ones of us that are used to play

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-11991621605271972642009-05-12T18:28:00.000+02:002009-05-12T18:28:00.059+02:00

Last month I encountered a problem that is well known to everyone that ever tried to mount a skin: I couldn't lower the rings enough. The reason was that the skin I mounted was very thick and I didn't lower the rings enough when the skin was still wet. In fact, I needed a not-too-tight djembe for the accompaniment, but it was difficult to play with this one.Then, after a week, I got this

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-32890231404454833082009-04-26T18:58:00.004+02:002009-04-27T09:06:13.075+02:00

I noticed that "special" djembe workshops, dedicated to the djembe soloists playing at the dance, are becoming increasingly popular. To tell the truth, it sounds to me more like the "right workshops" than the "special workshops". The idea is having a master drummer that teaches you what to do and when while observing a performance of an experienced dancer. I hope these kind of workshops will

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-4727996540787731812009-04-06T20:02:00.004+02:002009-04-07T10:30:38.813+02:00

There was a workshop with Sidiki Camara the last weekend of March in Brussels. A real goody for the enthusiast of the West African percussions. Not only because he is one of the most influent djembefolas around and it is just interesting to share a word or two with him, but also because of his perfect didactic skills. He always explains well how the thing should sound like: he keeps the beat with

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-44568295097977139302009-03-24T23:17:00.000+01:002009-03-25T09:24:39.178+01:00

There was a course with Sega Sidibe this weekend in Dudelange (on the frontier between Luxembourg and France). The extraordinary Malian djembefola left a strong impression on the participants. While his didactic approaches are typically African (one needs some experience to understand the logic of the things he is showing) the results were amazing. Maybe it was because of the things he played and

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-91657261894290128612009-03-17T22:48:00.003+01:002009-03-17T22:48:03.774+01:00

There was a very good Malian dance course in Brussels this week-end with Brahima Coulibaly, one of the best dancers from Mali. He was accompanied by his standard crew and it is always a great pleasure to playing with these guys as the atmosphere is always very positive and the quality of the accompagning music is inspireing.Regular classes with Brahima are held during the week in Brussels, but

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-48650412226468580372009-03-13T17:28:00.001+01:002009-03-13T23:21:53.819+01:00

I started practicing on a wooden cutting board about 6 months ago. After all this time I can say it turned out to be quite a productive exercise - in fact I noticed an improvement in the quality of the sound that I make on the real skin. The things you need: a thick wooden cutting board, a belt to tie the board on your legs, and an allready developed technique of hitting tones and slaps. The aim

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-5501926307415508922009-03-05T19:20:00.002+01:002009-03-05T21:38:10.664+01:00

It's a little bit late to do a review of an album after four years that it's been out, so I'll be short. I've been checking the album Intercontinentals, from Bill Frisell, et al. One of the contributors is Sidiki Camara, who plays djembe, kalabash, and other percussion on this album. He plays in a minimalistic way - totally suited for this kind of music, adding a strong Malian rhythmic

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-85345144701558356142009-03-01T11:30:00.004+01:002009-03-10T08:58:10.366+01:00

Finally, a video of my first balafon teacher popped up on YouTube. A young griot from Bobo-Dioulasso, his name is Abdoulaye Diabate known as "Petit Abdoulaye". He is really a nice person and a good musician.

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-68642032869752801622009-02-25T12:52:00.006+01:002009-02-25T13:22:30.932+01:00

Mamady Keita and Sewa Kan will be touring in Europe again this summer (North Americans will have to wait for one year more). These concerts are confirmed so far:12th May 2009 in Savigny Le Temple (near Paris),16th May 2009 in Saint Brieuc (Western France),20th May 2009 in Coutances (Western France),29th May 2009 in Wuerzburg (Germany),31st May 2009 in Winterthur (near Zürich),3rd June 2009 in

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-75669023247213985122009-02-22T12:55:00.005+01:002009-02-22T13:07:36.913+01:00

Now, this must have been a good concert! A sublime Khassonke performance."Concert with the best Malian Masters in traditional Khassonke music. With: Oumou Dédé Demba (singer)Mariam « Djodjo » Diabaté (singer)Mamadou « Général » Diabaté (dunun)Ibrahima Diabaté (dunun, n'goni)Ibrahima Sarr (djembe)Brahima Coulibaly (dance)Seïba Sissoko (dunun, n'goni)Moussa Diabaté (balafon). This concert was

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-79040344372170043202009-02-19T14:00:00.011+01:002009-02-19T14:45:29.081+01:00

March seems to be full of pleasant surprises... The Malian djembefola Séga Sidibé is having a tour with courses in Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and a performance in northern France. A "must see" for the people of the area. Following is an automatically translated site with Séga Sidibé's biography.

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-41263253040606657152009-02-01T11:19:00.002+01:002009-02-19T14:52:38.467+01:00

The association Coryphée asbl from Brussels is organizing a workshop with Sidiki Camara in March. Even if I knew about this guy before, I was amazed by his curriculum posted on his website. He is appearing on the recordings with Habib Koite, Bill Frisell (this one is surprising!), Rokia Traoré, Toumani Diabaté, Djélimady Tounkara, Super Rail Band, Boubacar Traoré, Mamady Keita & Sewa Kan, and

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-89999388431608489752009-01-30T18:07:00.001+01:002009-01-30T18:07:00.363+01:00

I've been recently listening to this very nice CD. At the begining I felt like some weird mastering was done on it, but soon I realised it all makes perfect sense. The record is a nice mixture of festive percussion and melodics, and it holds some excellent performances of the well known songs like Dansa, Sandia, Suku, and others. There's also a good short documentary about the recording, but I'm

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-37022805934773494852008-10-06T07:54:00.000+02:002008-10-06T09:34:30.259+02:00

A friend from Brussels gave me this idea and I've been trying it out for a week now. I bought myself 1/2kg (1 lb) weights for wrists. While my friend says it helps to increase speed and sound strength (which I lost in the 6 months), I've noticed it helps to maintain balance and makes you play with more ease - less tension and twitching. Well, no progress in speed so far:) but let's wait and see...

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-77113431846592268602008-09-13T10:59:00.006+02:002008-09-13T11:21:17.118+02:00

If you are looking for workshops in the French speaking countries, then this is the site for you: Donaba.net. The announcements are sometimes a mess. Seems like if you can't find the name of the city where the workshop is held, then it's got to be in Paris.The home site hosts also some other interesting links and videos.

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-71822368869485737262008-09-10T08:36:00.000+02:002008-09-10T09:44:05.445+02:00

I found an interesting shop in Frankfurt: Afroton. It is the biggest European shop for african music I have ever seen and it holds a considerable number of items. From djembe, dunduns, balafons and small hand percussion to some experimental kits of duns combined as set drums and the like. The quality of the drums varies, but prices seem to be comparable to other European resellers.

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-6195321325485404772008-08-04T19:10:00.001+02:002008-08-04T19:10:00.840+02:00

I bought this beautiful djembe of Genu (Hare, balafon wood) from a guy in Bamako. This is now the only djembe I have at my new place. Actually I haven't played it for a couple of weeks now. Then yesterday I sat down and started hitting a piece of wood used for cooking... And I also said I will play the wood again tomorrow - I can't play the djembe in the apartment. Then this morning I get up and

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-26494028126203175222008-07-30T01:05:00.000+02:002008-07-30T01:05:00.563+02:00

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

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-91635797981893884522008-07-08T21:03:00.001+02:002008-09-03T12:07:35.227+02:00

Check out this video (M.Jakite, D.Kone and K.Kuyate). A typical Malian djembe setting: no extravagant solos, full palette of sounds (including closed slaps and other muffed sounds) making some very groovy music. Take note of the fullness of the song and take also in consideration that there are only three players playing.The video is shown in the context of presenting this research project at the

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-84079920696371759142008-07-04T11:34:00.002+02:002008-07-04T12:21:27.381+02:00

Some time ago I noticed this recording "Kamalenya" and liked it very much, although I admit I haven't ever listened to the whole CD. I must order it one of this days.This week I found the web page of the author and on the page I found an interesting collection of sheets for the balafon in different flavours (Tusia, Dioula, Sambla, one player, two players, three players, ...). The sheets are

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-1724558547563540852008-06-18T09:39:00.011+02:002008-06-18T13:40:42.603+02:00

I'm going to play duns from now on. That's what I decided this month after quite a few jam sessions where I preferred to stay on the duns instead on the djembe. Maybe my preference has something to do with the fact that there's always been a shortage of dun players around here. I don't feel like playing the djembe any more if there is only one dun player because this usually means he/she is just

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-29519527905696731162008-06-02T13:33:00.000+02:002008-06-02T13:33:01.294+02:00

I find this label to be a great source of quality material: BibiAfrica. It's a branch of the Schneeball record label. Bibiafrica's manager and founder (if I got it right) is Dieter Weberpals (flute player, band leader, composer, producer, manager). They feature many important artists that perform the African music (Sona Diabate, Lenke Conde, Famoudou Konate, Jeli Moussa Sissoko, Barry Sangare,

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-52359243082384997572008-05-26T17:03:00.001+02:002008-05-27T08:54:48.405+02:00

This search engine is ment for searching on the West African music, with emphasis on Djembe-related music. It will only search sites that the contributors add to the engine and will thus omit various unrelevant sites. You can see it on the right side of the blog. You can also access it here Djembe Search Engine or embed it into your site. You are all invited to contribute since the search engine

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-39080931476420379072008-05-22T05:00:00.001+02:002008-05-22T13:01:17.903+02:00

This weekend I was in Brussels and, just by the way, I passed by a certain festival (Jam'in Jette) where I saw some people playing West African music . This made me think again about something a friend of mine said some time ago: ''There is no African music where there are no Africans''. Today, as that day, I still find it true and regrettably this applies to the country I live in. If you can't

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-24424391606049830382008-05-16T07:01:00.000+02:002008-05-16T07:57:19.558+02:00

That's a talented student...

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-24860315679324111342008-05-09T10:05:00.005+02:002008-05-14T19:47:36.668+02:00

I am now into 6/8 - 12/8 rhythms. That would be Maraka, Wassolonka, etc. You can identify them because the bell of a dun typically goes like this: and not nike the other 12/8 rhythms I haven't figured out the reason for that ... Maybe it's a coincidence. The fact is that these rhythms have a 6/8 feeling inside and most of the accompaniments have also a 12/8 feeling. Let's take Maraka as an

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-15527407597157399742008-05-05T08:12:00.000+02:002008-05-05T09:14:37.913+02:00

I'm sure you have all already seen guys like the one in the video that lift hands while performing the solo. I always considered them to be a kind of show-offs, doing something not really connected with the music.Around a year ago I started to do the same thing spontaneously and today I feel a special pleasure in doing it. I found this is not necessarily connected with an attempt to try to

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-78339889725810759632008-04-29T08:00:00.002+02:002008-04-29T09:46:32.986+02:00

I found an interesting resource this week: Djembe Kutak. It's a Croatian site I haven't noticed before. I guess I'll have to dig deeper into their scene. It is interesting to see how a subculture like this can develop with just a little help of a bunch of individuals.This page offers some good material on djembe (mostly). I guess you'll not be able to understand it since the page is not in

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-62984094378787359622008-04-23T22:16:00.003+02:002008-04-24T11:01:07.204+02:00

I forgot to post about the recordings of the funk band I play with. Here's one of the two songs that were recorded last month: Guru. The djembe can be heard in the background even if the sound of it is not even near the original. I guess the wrong microphones have been used.This picture was taken on a performance in a former Yugoslav bunker - today it hosts student parties with an inimitable

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-46495298659446654652008-04-18T10:04:00.004+02:002008-04-29T09:13:54.943+02:00

I bought this book some time ago (Die Stimme des Balafon / La voix du balafon). It seems to be one of the few didactical books for balafon. I found it an indispensable resource of learning ... That's of course only if you don't have a master around. There are around 10 peaces, each has 2 melodies and/or a solo phrase. Most peaces have some lyrics that are translated to French and German. There's

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-21540231667128703192008-04-01T00:01:00.000+02:002008-04-01T12:00:16.750+02:00

For the last months I have been playing the balafon extensively. I needed quite a few weeks to get the feeling of how the playing sticks should bounce. Although I have been playing the balafon for some time now, I certainly haven't reached a state of such a subtle feeling until now. I now consider this as one of the basis of balafon playing (from the technique perspective). In case you don't know

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-9626023512219896522008-02-07T15:25:00.000+01:002008-02-12T07:34:23.223+01:00

It's been some months now that I have been playing with a funk rock band ("Funky Morning"). I met a couple of them at a jazz festival, made a quick jam and thought it was fun. So we got to try this combination. The band is made out of 9 musicians and the instruments vary from a trumpet to an accordion... and now to a djembe as well. Overall, the music is quite good, the guys are serious and good

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-25852960018515940912007-12-04T17:00:00.001+01:002008-04-28T10:43:48.621+02:00

Thinking in Patterns with Java is a well known book about computer programming, but I'm not going to write about that. Someone should write a book like that for djembe tho. I haven't seen any so far even though I have seen tons of written material on rhythms and stuff. During the last month I haven't had many opportunities to play traditional African music. Instead I played all other kind of

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-77934764990682451452007-11-09T07:28:00.000+01:002007-11-09T12:19:18.428+01:00

There is another issue I've noticed about touches in the last months besides the things mentioned in the previous entry in this blog. It concerns the beat that goes on in your head. In fact, I noticed it is very important how you perceive the rhythm you are playing. If there is always a tick in your head beating with a high frequency, it basically does what the touches would do for you: it gives

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-63827287348607695182007-11-07T06:28:00.000+01:002007-11-07T09:33:15.455+01:00

I did a mistake when learning to play djembe: I relied too much on touches. For a long time I played everything by touching the skin in places that I shouldn't. When I got used to it and got a little feeling I started to flap in the air instead of resting where I should. I should call it "The flapping technique", really:). Some time after adopting the "flapping" I tried to play things without it

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-32761298749516845572007-10-30T13:25:00.000+01:002007-11-07T09:32:03.863+01:00

I talked to a friend of mine this week. She made me realise how important a mentor is in a development of a person as a musitian. The more I think about having a mentor the more I'm admitting to myself I really need one. Of course, having a teacher that I could meet every week or so would be great. But what I would really need is a mentor that would guide me, tell me what to search for, what to

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-5702307917141508232007-10-29T06:57:00.000+01:002007-11-07T09:32:22.968+01:00

This article is connected to an older one. You can find it here: Reduced tempo.The problem of the deep sounds persists. Duns can't be heard well if the tempo is low. I had an idea of mixing some of the clave sounds in, so that it would be possible to determine the exact position of the solo phrases, but that seems to be complicated. At first sight I thought that it would be really necessary in

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-7998737329478939842007-10-24T17:20:00.000+02:002007-10-25T11:58:56.687+02:00

I have been listening again to the songs we played on this year's Jazzinty festival in Novo Mesto. They're not that bad. If you wander how does a djembe sound within a jazz standard, listen to this song:CaravanAnd yes, the next time I'll try to put a little less of that broken feeling. I keep saying this every time.

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-29960334766956781442007-10-22T16:30:00.000+02:002007-11-07T09:32:42.132+01:00

I am now waiting for the book with the notes for the balafon to arrive. In the meantime I'm killing time by studying some of the djembe solos I like most. I import songs in an audio editor and then decrease the tempo of the song for as much as it takes - sometimes up to 50%. I do a loop of a short solo and then try to repeat it. Many times it takes time to get it right, but you know... Depends on

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-40876749243339370822007-10-18T07:46:00.000+02:002007-10-23T08:51:28.533+02:00

Once again I was touched by the subtleness of the "Bamako district" music. Drissa Kone's album Kurubamako is definitely a "must hear" thing if you want to get an idea of what this guys are up to in Bamako. I got to know Drissa a year ago almost by accident. This guy has around 50 years and is a great djembe player: well known in Bamako and elsewhere. Besides, he is also one of the best teachers I

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-7860647268392830722007-10-18T07:10:00.000+02:002007-10-18T11:25:59.093+02:00

Well, I would definitely write something in this blog but I'm still working on the Google index. It's actually very frustrating that this site doesen't get crawled. In this way no one can see it so why write anything...

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-20839586733794340902007-10-11T17:03:00.000+02:002007-10-23T08:45:51.013+02:00

Recently, I have been thinking about the measures used in the West African drumming. Most of the rhytms are 4/4 or 12/8. Some of them are (or at least have elements of) 6/8 and, to a lesser extent, 9/8.I usualy refer to these rhytms as "fours", "twelves" and etc. Some people, on the other hand, refer to them as "straight", "triplets" and other rhytms. Now, the last two words don't seem to be

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-12758949674897577142007-10-09T17:08:00.000+02:002007-10-23T08:46:21.907+02:00

I recently came to some conclusions in connection with the sound of the djembe drum. I guess I'm a kind of a sound maniac since I spent so much time thinking about it.I'm sure every djembe player has a technique he/she developed partially by himself/herself. Imitating the techniques I have seen around, doing many experiments and changing my style of playing several times, got me in the position

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-86533085823241733532007-09-11T17:44:00.000+02:002007-10-23T08:46:47.247+02:00

The Mofingo band has two short videos on You Tube now. Both of them were shot in June 07.

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-29078412848812336882007-09-06T18:47:00.000+02:002007-10-23T08:47:15.085+02:00

We just came back from the Muna festival. Wonderfull experience... The best stage/festival for me ever. Located in an old house near the village of Baruchella in Italy it was more like a friends' meeting than a festival. There were like 15 people in total, 5 of which were teachers. A family atmosphere developed, food has been cooked for everybody, there was some beer in the fridge at all

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-62031765641839823122007-08-20T16:56:00.000+02:002007-10-23T08:47:19.733+02:00

Last week I joined the Jazzinty workshop in Novo Mesto. Some important jazz musicians from different parts of the world came to tutor younger jazz players. Nice experience.I finally incorporated this rattling of mine into something that doesn't really swallow pointless noisy drumming. The interaction with melodical instruments and subtle music was all I have been wondering about for the past few

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-21905381744266400292007-08-20T16:46:00.000+02:002007-08-20T12:06:11.750+02:00

Due to the "extremly high number of readers" of this blog I have decided to switch to the English language. Who knows, someone might read this one day.

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-60139603595343569992007-07-18T15:32:00.000+02:002007-11-08T08:18:26.601+01:00

This is an old entry and is written in Slovene. You'll find newer articles in English on the root of this page http://t-tt-t-tt-sss.blogspot.com or you may click on the labels on the bottom of this article to get similar ones but in English.Richard Bona je definitivno glasbenik, za katerega se splača prevoziti kar nekaj sto kilometrov. Kamerunec, ki je v svojih dvajsetih odšel iz Afrike, vstopil

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-31559118198285931682007-07-04T07:19:00.001+02:002007-11-08T08:18:12.579+01:00

This is an old entry and is written in Slovene. You'll find newer articles in English on the root of this page http://t-tt-t-tt-sss.blogspot.com or you may click on the labels on the bottom of this article to get similar ones but in English.Zadnje dni raziskujem Bamako in njegove džembaše. Za Bamako se tako ali tako ve, da se je tam zbrala vsa glasba tega sveta in je končno povedala, kar je imela

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-55437254442624171742007-06-18T10:02:00.002+02:002008-04-28T19:54:28.477+02:00

This is an old entry and is written in Slovene. You'll find newer articles in English on the root of this page http://t-tt-t-tt-sss.blogspot.com or you may click on the labels on the bottom of this article to get similar ones but in English.V soboto smo z zasedbo Mofingo igrali v Slovenskem etnografskem muzeju. Nekatere novosti so se obnesle, na nekaterih bo treba še delat in malo razmislit:).

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-52814699522730706952007-06-09T18:53:00.000+02:002007-11-08T08:17:56.374+01:00

This is an old entry and is written in Slovene. You'll find newer articles in English on the root of this page http://t-tt-t-tt-sss.blogspot.com or you may click on the labels on the bottom of this article to get similar ones but in English.Skoraj, skoraj! Še kak mesec, pa bo. Končno sem pogruntal, kako dobit iz djembeja zvok, ki sem ga hotel imet. Mislim, da sem v zadnjih šestih mesecih naredil

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-56597900702601164002007-05-29T09:36:00.000+02:002007-11-08T08:17:24.647+01:00

This is an old entry and is written in Slovene. You'll find newer articles in English on the root of this page http://t-tt-t-tt-sss.blogspot.com or you may click on the labels on the bottom of this article to get similar ones but in English.Končno! Balafona sta doma. Na enem bom sicer danes mogel zalepit en del okvirja, ampak OK. That's life. Mislim, da se z dobro dozo epoksida da vse uredit.Spet

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042713858996598245.post-9995304757323662842007-05-10T10:01:00.001+02:002007-05-10T10:01:46.373+02:00

a dela ta reč?

Andrejhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10791024325080883551noreply@blogger.com0