Category: music

“Breaths” – Sweet Honey in The Rock

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Poem by Birago Diop; Music by Ysaye Maria Barnwell © 1980

listen more often to things than to beings
listen more often to things than to beings

tis the ancestors breath when the fire’s voice is heard
tis the ancestors breath in the voice of the water

those who have died have never, never left
the Dead are not under the earth

they are in the rustling trees, they are in the groaning woods
they are in the crying grass, they are in the moaning rocks

the Dead are not under the earth

so listen more often to things than to beings
listen more often to things than to beings

tis the ancestors breath when the fire’s voice is heard
tis the ancestors breath in the voice of the water

those who have died have never, never left
the Dead have a pact with the living

they are in the woman’s breast
they are in the wailing child

they are with us in the home
they are with us in the crowd

the Dead have a pact with the living

so listen more often to things than to beings
listen more often to things than to beings

tis the ancestors breath when the fire’s voice is heard
tis the ancestors breath in the voice of the water

listen more often to things than to beings
listen more often to things than to beings

tis the ancestors breath when the fire’s voice is heard
tis the ancestors breath in the voice of the water

Drumming with my djembe

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I cracked open the Jim Donovan DVD again and practiced rhythms while the hubster was upstairs playing the guitar. As usual the wee bagel dog is terrified of the drum. I’m getting more consistent tones with both hands, but I’m still better with my right hand for base notes. I find that weird since I’m left handed. Open notes are fairly even, and the slap notes are the same in volume, but the hits sound different to me, like I’m hitting with different parts of my hands.

I self-taught some beats and a number of rhythms years ago and though the sounds are the same as the ones on the DVD, I’m using my hands in different order than I’m supposed to so I’m trying to correct that. It’s hard. But fun. *grin*

I need to buy a frame drum with a synthetic head. The humidity here makes mine with the real head unplayable for half of the year. ~sigh~ MUSIC GOALS! I HAZ ‘EM!