Accra, Ghana
77 degrees Fahrenheit
Lets all go the Africa!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Fun Facts:
Agbekor is a style of dance by the West African peoples of Ewe and Foh. It is an ancient dance once known as Atamga, Ga meaning 'great', Atam meaning 'oath'. It is characterized by multiple percussion instruments that engage in highly polyrhythmic interactions. Today it is used for cultural presentations, but in the past it was an actual war dance, and the oath in question was an oath taken by the ancestors before going into battle. The lead drummer 'calls' the dancers to perform a specific movement, preceded and followed by "the call to turn." There is a slow section and a fast section, with 'interlude songs' or "hatsiatsia" songs" sometimes performed in between.
Agbekor is a style of dance by the West African peoples of Ewe and Foh. It is an ancient dance once known as Atamga, Ga meaning 'great', Atam meaning 'oath'. It is characterized by multiple percussion instruments that engage in highly polyrhythmic interactions. Today it is used for cultural presentations, but in the past it was an actual war dance, and the oath in question was an oath taken by the ancestors before going into battle. The lead drummer 'calls' the dancers to perform a specific movement, preceded and followed by "the call to turn." There is a slow section and a fast section, with 'interlude songs' or "hatsiatsia" songs" sometimes performed in between.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Fun Facts:
The bodhrán (pronounced /ˈbɔrɑːn/[1] or /ˈbaʊrɑːn/; plural bodhráns or bodhráin) is an Irish frame drum. A goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads, or other animal skins are sometimes used). The other side is open ended for one hand to be placed against the inside of the drum head to control the pitch and timbre. One or two crossbars, sometimes removable, may be inside the frame, but this is increasingly rare on modern instruments.
The bodhrán (pronounced /ˈbɔrɑːn/[1] or /ˈbaʊrɑːn/; plural bodhráns or bodhráin) is an Irish frame drum. A goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads, or other animal skins are sometimes used). The other side is open ended for one hand to be placed against the inside of the drum head to control the pitch and timbre. One or two crossbars, sometimes removable, may be inside the frame, but this is increasingly rare on modern instruments.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Fun Facts:
The United Nations Children's Fund (or UNICEF; pronounced /ˈjuː.nə.sɛf/[1]) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II. In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the United Nations System and its name was shortened from the original United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund but it has continued to be known by the popular acronym based on this old name. Headquartered in New York City, UNICEF provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.
The United Nations Children's Fund (or UNICEF; pronounced /ˈjuː.nə.sɛf/[1]) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II. In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the United Nations System and its name was shortened from the original United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund but it has continued to be known by the popular acronym based on this old name. Headquartered in New York City, UNICEF provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Fun Facts:
A goblet drum (also chalice drum) is a goblet shaped hand drum used mostly in Arabic, Assyrian, Persian, Balkan, Greek, Armenian, Azeri and Turkish music. Its thin, responsive drumhead and resonance help it produce a distinctively crisp sound. Though it is not known exactly when it was made it is known to be ancient of origin.
Some Names:
General - darbakeh, tarabuka (دربكة), tablah, tableh (طبلة)
Afghanistan - zairbaghali, zerbaghali (Dari), zir-baghali
Albanian - qypi
Armenian - doumbak, doumbag (Դումպեկ)
Assyria - dombuk, derbakeh
Azerbaijan - dumbul, dunbul , dümbək
Bosnian - tarabuk
A goblet drum (also chalice drum) is a goblet shaped hand drum used mostly in Arabic, Assyrian, Persian, Balkan, Greek, Armenian, Azeri and Turkish music. Its thin, responsive drumhead and resonance help it produce a distinctively crisp sound. Though it is not known exactly when it was made it is known to be ancient of origin.
Some Names:
General - darbakeh, tarabuka (دربكة), tablah, tableh (طبلة)
Afghanistan - zairbaghali, zerbaghali (Dari), zir-baghali
Albanian - qypi
Armenian - doumbak, doumbag (Դումպեկ)
Assyria - dombuk, derbakeh
Azerbaijan - dumbul, dunbul , dümbək
Bosnian - tarabuk
Friday, October 23, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Fun Facts:
The ganzá is cylindrically shaped, and can be either a hand-woven basket or a metal canister which is filled with beads, metal balls, pebbles, or other similar items. Those made from metal produce a particularly loud sound. They are usually used to play a rhythm underneath the rest of the band.
The ganzá is cylindrically shaped, and can be either a hand-woven basket or a metal canister which is filled with beads, metal balls, pebbles, or other similar items. Those made from metal produce a particularly loud sound. They are usually used to play a rhythm underneath the rest of the band.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Fun Facts:
Talking drums are some of the oldest instruments used by west African griots and their history can be traced back to ancient Ghana Empire. The Hausa people (and by influence, the Yoruba people of south western Nigeria and Benin and the Dagomba of northern Ghana) have developed a highly sophisticated genre of griot music centering on the talking drum.
Talking drums are some of the oldest instruments used by west African griots and their history can be traced back to ancient Ghana Empire. The Hausa people (and by influence, the Yoruba people of south western Nigeria and Benin and the Dagomba of northern Ghana) have developed a highly sophisticated genre of griot music centering on the talking drum.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Fun Fact:
The "talking drum" is a Nigerian drum whose pitch can be regulated to the extent that it is said the drum "talks" and can be used for drum communication. Talking drums are hour-glass shaped with two heads (made from either goat, lizard, or fish skin) tuned by straps that connect the heads with each other. The player puts the drum under one shoulder and beats the instrument with a specialised beater. The pitch is raised or lowered by squeezing or releasing the drum's strings with the upper arm.
The "talking drum" is a Nigerian drum whose pitch can be regulated to the extent that it is said the drum "talks" and can be used for drum communication. Talking drums are hour-glass shaped with two heads (made from either goat, lizard, or fish skin) tuned by straps that connect the heads with each other. The player puts the drum under one shoulder and beats the instrument with a specialised beater. The pitch is raised or lowered by squeezing or releasing the drum's strings with the upper arm.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Fun Facts:
A caxixi is a percussion instrument consisting of a closed basket with a flat-bottom filled with seeds or other small particles. The caxixi is an indirectly struck idiophone. Like the maraca, it is sounded by shaking. It is found across Africa and South America, but mainly in Brazil. Natives believed the caxixi to summon good enchanted spirits and to ward off evil ones.
A caxixi is a percussion instrument consisting of a closed basket with a flat-bottom filled with seeds or other small particles. The caxixi is an indirectly struck idiophone. Like the maraca, it is sounded by shaking. It is found across Africa and South America, but mainly in Brazil. Natives believed the caxixi to summon good enchanted spirits and to ward off evil ones.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Fun Facts:
A Dunun (also known as dundun, doundoun, or djun-djun) is the generic name for a family of West African bass drums that developed alongside the djembe in the Mande drum ensemble. It is not to be confused with the dundun, theYoruba name of the West African talking drum. There are different sizes of dunduns, ranging from 25 to 60 cm. Basing on the size, construction technique and tuning, there are different names for each type of dundun. Some of the most often used names are konkoni, kenkeni, sangban, dununba, djeli-dun, etc
A Dunun (also known as dundun, doundoun, or djun-djun) is the generic name for a family of West African bass drums that developed alongside the djembe in the Mande drum ensemble. It is not to be confused with the dundun, theYoruba name of the West African talking drum. There are different sizes of dunduns, ranging from 25 to 60 cm. Basing on the size, construction technique and tuning, there are different names for each type of dundun. Some of the most often used names are konkoni, kenkeni, sangban, dununba, djeli-dun, etc
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Fun Facts:
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in the classical, popular and religious music of the Indian subcontinent and in Hindustani classical music. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres. The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which simply means "drum." It is covered with goatskin on which a black paste is applied to improve the pitch.
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in the classical, popular and religious music of the Indian subcontinent and in Hindustani classical music. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres. The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which simply means "drum." It is covered with goatskin on which a black paste is applied to improve the pitch.
Quote of the Day:
"I am that I am, I am beauty, I am peace, I am joy, I am one with Mother Earth. I am one with everyone within the reach of my voice. In this togetherness, we ask the divine intelligence to eradicate all negatives from our hearts, from our minds and from our actions. And so be it....ashe."
Babatunde Olatunji
"I am that I am, I am beauty, I am peace, I am joy, I am one with Mother Earth. I am one with everyone within the reach of my voice. In this togetherness, we ask the divine intelligence to eradicate all negatives from our hearts, from our minds and from our actions. And so be it....ashe."
Babatunde Olatunji
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
"I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It is the ultimate source of success in life."
HH the 14th Dalai Lama
HH the 14th Dalai Lama
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Fun Facts:
"Marimbas trace their ancestry to traditional African instruments from Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi, but the concept of ensemble marimbas, in this form, was developed in the 1960s, in Zimbabwe, where there was no previous marimba playing tradition. The idea was to develop instruments that would provide interest, focus, a creative outlet and ultimately marketable skills for young people in that country. Marimbas specifically were chosen as a way of avoiding perceived ethnic favoritism."
"Marimbas trace their ancestry to traditional African instruments from Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi, but the concept of ensemble marimbas, in this form, was developed in the 1960s, in Zimbabwe, where there was no previous marimba playing tradition. The idea was to develop instruments that would provide interest, focus, a creative outlet and ultimately marketable skills for young people in that country. Marimbas specifically were chosen as a way of avoiding perceived ethnic favoritism."
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Fun Facts:
The digeridoo (also known as a didjeridu or didge) is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of Northern Australia at least 1,500 years ago and is still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe". Musicologists classify it as an aerophone. The instrument is traditionally made from Eucalyptus trees which have had their interiors hollowed out by termites or died of other causes.
The digeridoo (also known as a didjeridu or didge) is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of Northern Australia at least 1,500 years ago and is still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe". Musicologists classify it as an aerophone. The instrument is traditionally made from Eucalyptus trees which have had their interiors hollowed out by termites or died of other causes.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Marimba classes starting on Sunday October 4th.
Check this video out -- Six Marimbas
http://ping.fm/tkfQg
Call for details
Check this video out -- Six Marimbas
http://ping.fm/tkfQg
Call for details
Drum Circle Fun Facts: Join us tonight.
"Typically, people gather to drum in drum "circles" with others from the surrounding community. The drum circle offers equality because there is no
head or tail. It includes people of all ages. The main objective is to share rhythm and get in tune with each other and themselves. To form a group consciousness. To entrain and resonate. By entrainment, I mean that a new voice, a collective
voice, emerges from the group as they drum together."
Mickey Hart
"Typically, people gather to drum in drum "circles" with others from the surrounding community. The drum circle offers equality because there is no
head or tail. It includes people of all ages. The main objective is to share rhythm and get in tune with each other and themselves. To form a group consciousness. To entrain and resonate. By entrainment, I mean that a new voice, a collective
voice, emerges from the group as they drum together."
Mickey Hart
Fun Facts:
"Everything that exists in time has a rhythm and a pattern. Our bodies are
multi-dimensional rhythm machines with everything pulsing in synchrony, from the digesting activity of our intestines to the firing of neurons in the brain.
Within the body the main beat is laid down by the cardiovascular system, the heart and the lungs. The heart beats between sixty and eighty times per minute and the lungs fill and empty at about a quarter of that speed, all of which occurs
at an unconscious level. As we age, however, these rhythms can fall out of synch. And then, suddenly, there is no more important or crucial issue than
regaining that lost rhythm. Drum circles - a new medicine for a new culture. It was a good idea 10,000 years ago, and it is a good idea today."
Mickey Hart
"Everything that exists in time has a rhythm and a pattern. Our bodies are
multi-dimensional rhythm machines with everything pulsing in synchrony, from the digesting activity of our intestines to the firing of neurons in the brain.
Within the body the main beat is laid down by the cardiovascular system, the heart and the lungs. The heart beats between sixty and eighty times per minute and the lungs fill and empty at about a quarter of that speed, all of which occurs
at an unconscious level. As we age, however, these rhythms can fall out of synch. And then, suddenly, there is no more important or crucial issue than
regaining that lost rhythm. Drum circles - a new medicine for a new culture. It was a good idea 10,000 years ago, and it is a good idea today."
Mickey Hart
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Fun Facts:
The djembe is said to contain three spirits: the spirit of the tree, the spirit of the animal of which the drum head is made, and the spirit of the instrument maker. It is legend that the djembe and/or the tree from which it is created was a gift from a Djinn or malevolent demigod, male counterpart to the more familiar Genie.
The djembe is said to contain three spirits: the spirit of the tree, the spirit of the animal of which the drum head is made, and the spirit of the instrument maker. It is legend that the djembe and/or the tree from which it is created was a gift from a Djinn or malevolent demigod, male counterpart to the more familiar Genie.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Marimba Fun Facts:
The Marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. Keys or bars (usually made of wood) are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. African marimba music sounds unfamiliar to North American audiences because most of the marimba music played in the Western Hemisphere has been Hispanic-American. However, marimbas originated in Africa hundreds of years ago and were imported to South America in the sixteenth century. The original African sounds were incorporated into and changed by the music of the local American cultures http://ping.fm/Fdny8
The Marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. Keys or bars (usually made of wood) are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. African marimba music sounds unfamiliar to North American audiences because most of the marimba music played in the Western Hemisphere has been Hispanic-American. However, marimbas originated in Africa hundreds of years ago and were imported to South America in the sixteenth century. The original African sounds were incorporated into and changed by the music of the local American cultures http://ping.fm/Fdny8
Fun Facts:
In the Bamanakan language, "Dje" is the verb for "gather" and "be" translates as "everyone". Legend has it that the first djembes were made from the skin of the mythical cross between a giraffe and a zebra, the 'gebraffe'. http://ping.fm/D2Dqm
In the Bamanakan language, "Dje" is the verb for "gather" and "be" translates as "everyone". Legend has it that the first djembes were made from the skin of the mythical cross between a giraffe and a zebra, the 'gebraffe'. http://ping.fm/D2Dqm
Monday, September 28, 2009
Fun Facts:
A djembe (pronounced/ JEM-bay) also known as djimbe, jenbe, jymbe, jembe, yembe, or jimbay, or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin-covered hand drum shaped like a large goblet and meant to be played with bare hands. According to the Bamana people in Mali, the name of the djembe comes directly from the saying "Anke dje, anke be" which literally translates to "everyone gather together" and defines the drum's purpose.
http://ping.fm/iKRIt http://ping.fm/p73V5
A djembe (pronounced/ JEM-bay) also known as djimbe, jenbe, jymbe, jembe, yembe, or jimbay, or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin-covered hand drum shaped like a large goblet and meant to be played with bare hands. According to the Bamana people in Mali, the name of the djembe comes directly from the saying "Anke dje, anke be" which literally translates to "everyone gather together" and defines the drum's purpose.
http://ping.fm/iKRIt http://ping.fm/p73V5
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