Communique #8: Life ain't always slow, y'know?

I'm sitting in the sunshine on my back porch which has become a very relaxing place to practice this winter. On the table beside me are my Setar, Ukulele and Frame Drum, (as well as biography of Cicero and a Latin dictionary). I have just played through North of Egypt, Temple of my familiar and Garyan (another frame drum solo song), and I have to say that I am really looking forward to classes again in term 3.

I haven't been very disciplined with drumming recently, instead finding myself forever with either a ukulele or a book in my hand, and in every other available hour I am writing. But writing has its own rhythms, and practice in one instrument is practice in all instruments, since music is the skill that is being developed. Techniques come second, musical feeling comes first. I am reminded of this continuously in the beauty of playing slowly, no, slower than that.

For example...

A) D T T D _ T _

      1 2  3 4  5 6 7

B) D T T D _ T _ T _

     1  2  3 4  5 6 7 8 9

Play them one after the other and experiment with how the tempo can be sped up and slowed down within the 7 + 9 rhythm cycle.

But life ain't always slow, y'know? There's nothing quite like running as fast as you can and then pushing harder and practice routines can be used to strengthen your endurance as well as to perfect your techniques. Sometimes a rhythm has to be brought to the boil before it has the right feeling, but it is the continual practice of slowing down and speeding up that makes for flexibility in you as a player.

Here's a little snippet of some recent practice...

So keep your hands warm and your shoulders loose and I'll see you all real soon.

PS...It warms my heart to see you drumming together while I have been away.  Thank you for keeping the fire going.