BillyRadd Music

Monday, April 29, 2013

Bolokada Conde Djembe Class at Skinny Beats

The Masterful Bolokada Conde at work. Djembe Kan at the Channing Murray Chapel in Urbana, IL, March 2012. Recorded by Sonny Stubble.

There's nothing else like spending over an hour on a rainy Sunday afternoon in Asheville with the djembe master from Guinea, West Africa, the incomparable, world-renowned Bolokada Conde. No, really. Nothing.

Anita and I were fortunate to experience two performances and attend a previous dejembe class hosted by Skinny Beats Drum Shop in Asheville with Bolokada over the past two years. But, this class was a bit more special for me since I was, because of nerve damage in my right wrist that prevents me from playing hand drums like the djembe, allowed to play another West African drum called the doundounba, translated as "big drum" from the Malinke' language, during the class.

The doundounba, which is played with a rather thick drum stick, is typically about 30 inches in length, about 24 inches in diameter and is played horizontally on a stand.  For a right-handed player like me, the right hand plays the skin (usually made from goat or cow hide) while the left hand plays a bell mounted on the drum with a small metal stick. The doundounba, along with its drum cousins, the medium sized sangban, and the even smaller kenkeni, are usually played as a drum ensemble providing a solid, constant rhythm "base" or bed for the djembe player(s). In this particular class the sangban was played by Skinny Beat Drum Shop owner, Billy Zanski, one of Bolokada's students who studied in Africa with him. Another female student was there at class to play the kenkeni.

I was the only one of the three with absolutely no experience playing the doundounba - none, zero, nada. Me, standing closely behind and a bit to the right of The Djembe Master of the World. Had I, once again, bitten off more than I could chew? Would I choke? There seemed to be a good possibility that I would not be able to perform my role as The World's Most Inexperienced Doundounfola (one who plays doundoun).

Bolokada quickly gave me the beat I was supposed to play, I tried it a few times (all with mistakes), and he moved on to Billy on the sangban and the woman on kenkeni who both played their parts correctly with no trouble.

I'm dead, I thought, and I have entered musical Hell.

It was like standing behind Eric Clapton with my little electric bass strapped around my neck and being expected to accompany Slow Hand with a steady bass riff as he gives a class on the finer points of playing blues guitar. Except that at least I have heard a lot of blues tunes, Eric Clapton's playing is usually in 4/4 tempo, and I have been playing bass guitar for years. The music of West Africa is, may I humbly admit, foreign to me, which is ironically why I wanted to take the class in the first place. I had no idea that I would be required to provide a consistent metronome-like tempo for the class. Yikes, indeed! 

Well, to make a long story short, at the very least I didn't give up. Luckily, Billy Zanski was right behind me prompting the downbeat (or was it the upbeat?) whenever I completely lost it even though he continued playing his sangban with a different rhythm pattern than mine. I owe him my life, or at least my confidence to finish the class without bursting into tears and running from the store in embarrassment.

The best part was that Billy told me that I "nailed it". I know he lied but he is a very nice and talented man.  Bolokada turned to me at the end of class and flashed me a big smile with an enthusiastic thumbs up. I really couldn't ask for more encouragement from likely The World's Best Djembefola. Great teachers encourage learning while letting you see their true genius as an attainable goal for even a mere novice like me. If I could only live another 50 years, maybe.

So, I think I'll take a few more lessons, perhaps from Billy at Skinny Drums, and see if there really is an old African guy buried somewhere deep within my Irish brain.

8 comments:

  1. Very cool! I always thought you knew how to do everything, interesting to read that after raising 3 daughters you still encounter nerve-wracking situations. I'm proud of you for giving it a try, and I bet you kept the beat better than you think. Keep rockin'!

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    1. Thanks, Samantha. And you are correct. I think almost anything is easier than being a parent even though you three daughters went pretty easy on me and your Mom. But, what the heck. The beat goes on! There is so much to learn and so little time, but I'm sure you have figured that one out already.

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  2. Exciting! And this is so well put: "Great teachers encourage learning while letting you see their true genius as an attainable goal."

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    1. Thanks for the comment, Anna. I failed to mention this but Bolokada recently relocated to Greenville, SC so he will be spending more time in Asheville teaching and performing. He is a great teacher who speaks through his drum, smiles a lot and seems very happy. I like to be around people like that.

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  3. Beautiful! You, my friend, are a beautiful teacher and a brave student.
    Blessings,
    Patryce

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    1. Thank you, Patryce. Having friends here in Asheville like you and Vernetta make us grateful that we live here. Isn't it ironic (or just plain fortunate or fate or whatever you would call it) that attending drum class with Billy (one of Blolcada's students) made it possible for us to meet you two?

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  4. I love the honesty and expression of one's experience in a setting like the djembe and doundoun class...the laid back humor is great too. Keep these coming Bill!

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    1. Thanks for your continuing votes of support. I need them, Sensei.

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