We're back. Back from vacations at the beach, picnics in the park, baseball and hot dogs and all that summer represents. Back to work, back to school, back to the humdrum of daily practice. No, stop! Did I say humdrum? Never, never! In fact, I have just purchased a drum, of sorts: an African sanza. More like a drum with a keyboard. It's a bowl carved out of wood and topped, seamlessly, with wood. An etching of a face has been burned into the wood, holes carved as eyes, above which are 8 metal keys of different lengths, thus playing 8 different pitches. The underside of the bowl shows a woodburning of a drum. As a piece of primitive art, it is beautiful. As a tonal percussion instrument, it is intriguing. I'm not sure how I can weave it into a piano lesson, but I'm going to give it a try.
I also have a bongo drum, which, yes, I use in piano lessons. Despite the tune "I've got rhythm, I've got music. Who could ask for anything more?", rhythm can be a difficult concept for some folks. Counting, clapping, using words instead of notes doesn't always cut it. I have found, however, that beating a drum tends to break through the rhythm barrier. Outside of lessons, it's just fun to play.
I wonder what I can do with the 2 kazoos I have by my piano? Nothing humdrum here!
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