Over the past year we have seen a huge growth of clients booking African Drumming Workshops from HSBC to Centre Parks for their team building days to schools nationwide and charities for their community days – see testimonials.

So what’s all the fuss about you may be wondering?

African drumming music would have to be one of the most vital, alive and emotional forms of music and percussion even in the 21st century. Its influence not just in alternative and world music but also in more ‘modern’ mainstream music genres like hip hop and dance, its influences can be seen all the way to Brazil (Brazilan Samba Drumming) and India (Indian Dhol Drumming)

And why would it not be still popular? African drum music isn’t just a pleasure to listen to, it goes deep into your soul and makes you want to move and dance. No wonder really when you pause to consider that African drum music was originally used as a form of communication as well as playing an integral role in African culture. It was a mode of expression for the entire spectrum of human emotion and a part of every ceremony and celebration

So integral, in fact, that early Africans recognised the power of African drumming music both as symbolism and as a means of communication, and banned the use or possession of drums in slave camps. It’s only thanks to the indomitable spirit and perspicacity of the African people that this form of expression continued – they simply resorted to tapping out a beat on chest/arms/thighs and whatever else was available.

The diversity of rhythm and sound that has grown from African drumming music is matched only by the diversity of the African percussion instruments that have made their way around the globe.

To understand their phenomenon you need to understand the history of African Drumming Workshops and go back to the drum Continent itself “Drum Continent”

African Drums are wonderful instruments to play. Many West Africans see the African drum as a part of daily life.

For hundreds of years Africans have always been used drumming as communication tools in many different ways; from sending massages to the people in town or some time to send massage to the next village, and there are drums for ceremonies like weddings or naming ceremonies and there are also drums for healing people who are sick.

The range and variety of ‘banged’ instruments is so vast that only a selection may be mentioned on this blog. Africa alone would yield enough types to an entire entire book. Indeed, Africa may be called the ‘Drum Continent’ because nowhere else in the world has a greater range or number of drums. Africa was the continent which saw the emergence of music itself some of the drums include Percussion, pony drum, jun-jun drum, balafon, korlegonor, djembe, bunte, gome, blekete, dumbek, frame drums, khamak, dubki, dhol, khol, darbuka, kanjira tambourine, dun-dun, bendir, dhollo, def, tablas, davul, ia, itotele, udu-drum, ocarina-udu, zilla-drum, congas, talking drum, hoshso, bougarabou, bakdav drum, hi-hat, toms, mbira, oprente, kpanlogo, percussion, drum kit, ngoma, cajon percussion, balafon.

The music and drums are almost always an accompaniment for any manner of ceremony – births, deaths, marriages – together with a ritual dance. The vicious sound of many drums pounding together is also a necessary instalment to stir up emotions in a battle or war to inspire excitement and passion.

But with the music and the beating of drums meaning so much to the African people, it must be realised that there is an essential feeling to the music. On a spiritual level it is vital to everyday life, but with the addition of stirring rhythms, provokes a need to take part and listen so the combination of vastly developed music, far from the influence of commercialism. The need to survive by way of music suggests exactly what it really means to these people, hence:

For many Africans, singing and playing moves them to do unusual things, calms them if they are overwrought with grief, and stirs them to dance if they are apathetic.

The Djembe is possibly the most influential and basic of all the African drums, originally “…the Djembe dates back to at least 500 A.D. The Djembe is found in Senegal, Mali, Sierre Leone, the Ivory Coast, Guinea, Gambia, Burkina Faso, as a sacred drum used in healing ceremonies, rites of passage, ancestral worship, warrior rituals, as well as social dances.” (Rhythm’s Edge) “A single head is the oldest and most widely met all over the world.” (Baines) proving that the Djembe is a functional instrument existing as a basic percussive influence with the ability to create various tones and colour. It can be a very loud or very quiet instrument able to suit all dance or performance in their society or even in our own popular music.

DJEMBE

The djembe drum is one of the most popular African percussion instruments and is incredibly versatile. A skilled djembefola (djembe master) can provide such a variety of djembe beats on one drum as to keep a whole room-full of dancers occupied.

It is a goblet shaped hand drum with goat skin (sometimes thin cow or antelope). Without a doubt the most popular of the African drums. This drum originates with the West African Malinke people who are spread across Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Gambia and Senegal. Played well it has a wide range of sounds and is a powerful instrument.

Djembe techniques are quite an art form on their own and a djembe player typically spends many years learning from a djembe master before becoming a master in their own right.

DUNUN or Talking Drum

DUN+DUN+KANGABAA double headed barrel shaped drum with cow skin. These are bass drums and are played vertically with sticks or horizontally with a single stick, the other hand playing an attached bell. They are traditionally (most often) played as a set of three and are called the dununba (or doun-doun) (large), sangban (medium) and kenkeni (small). One person may play a set or each drum may be played individually. Traditionally accompanies the djembe to provide the bass and foundation of the rhythm. This form originated amongst the Malinke people of central West Africa.


KPANLOGO

A traditional Ghanaian distended barrel shaped peg drum. It has an antelope skin which produces a soft but rich tone.

The kpanlogo drum originates from the Greater Accra Region in West Africa and is also known as a ceremonial drum. Because of it’s excellent ability to create sounds that carry over long distances, kpanlogo rhythms were often used as a way to communicate between tribes and family groups.

The moral of the story is that African Drumming Workshops is a great way to inspire you but also be an effective way to bond the team to create a positive result. It is only when everyone in the team is working together, listening, giving, being attentive.

Drumming can not only inspire you but also prove to be an effective way to bond the team helping to create a positive result. It is only when everyone in the team is working together, listening, giving and using their instrument to the best of their ability will the group then be able to achieve the ultimate experience “being the capivated”, Something that is experienced and not easily put into words.

During our African Drumming Workshops participants will step into the beauty of African culture for a day and experience traditional African drumming workshops and learn West African drumming rhythms and percussion music from Senegal, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast. During our African drumming workshops participants will collaborate with master drummers to learn the art of African drumming leading to an uplifting and collaborative drumming performance.

Contact us today if you would like a African Drumming workshop for your company, school, charity or group on 0800 471 4983.