My drumming story...
I got to know the djembe drum around 16 years ago at a men’s seminar held by Richard Rohr in Salzburg. There were about 150 of us, all men, and the immense power we elicited from these ancient, traditional instruments was just amazing. Far from being a mature ensemble, we still had some great fun.
I was fascinated by the sheer power that emanated from the
djembe and very soon I enrolled in a drumming course with Paulos Worku,
an Ethiopian who grew up with drums and is very popular and well known in
Carinthia. Paulos works a lot with children in schools and also with adults
in ongoing drumming courses (Klagenfurt, Villach, Spittal,...)
Another teacher to whom I owe my thanks is Hans
Walluschnig who taught me how to “groove”.
I only started to play on the djembe regularly about 5½ years ago with iSi at a time when we were able to use SEPP, a pub in Arnoldstein. For almost a year we met every Tuesday to play 2 to 3 rhythms. We never managed to learn any new songs, but we had some great fun.
In the summer of 2004, iSi and I took part in a weekend workshop with Gerhard and Ulli, the heads of beatfactory. That was when I learned to drum from sheet music for the very first time and I also learned to appreciate it. I believe that being Western Europeans, it is easier for us to learn when we have structured, analytical material. A beat, a tune is soon forgotten if it is only stored in the memory of your body. If you write down the notes, you can reproduce the tune any time you like.
In the following summer, I met Benno Sterzer. Benno is a very lovable and experienced musician and tutor with a genuine feeling for challenging every student at whatever stage they may be and providing optimal support.
Ever since then, I nursed the idea of giving drumming workshops myself, something I finally put into practice with a very caring drumming circle following a period of doubt at the turn of the year. We met every week at 7:00 p.m. in all sorts of different places (once even in the church of St. Ruprecht) and often drummed until midnight. For me this was a great time to gain experience to get a drumming teacher.
In the summer 2007, I got a lot of experience in african way of instruction style in the Switzerland with Billy Konate and Stephan Rigert.
I give drumming lessons since 3 years and I enjoy every moment of it. May it stay that way...
Aug. 2010
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