[Dugafola]

But there are quite a few helpful people here on this board who can answer questions, and a fair bit of what people need to know for the certificate is available on Mamady's teaching materials.

i'm more than willing to help anyone out who's thinking about taking this on...

But ultimately, I think the certificate is a great goal for those who wish to teach the music as Mamady teaches it. And that's fine, but again... not for everyone.

i don't always teach the Mamady version. I teach the Mandingue version...last i noticed, the certificate says Tam Tam Mandingue, not Tam Tam Mamady Keita.

[e2c]

Mandingue from where - which town, village, where in Guinea, where in Mali? (Serious question; am not trying to bait you.)

And whose version(s), out of the Mandingue teachers who are in the West?

It seems - to me, at least - that there's a lot of difference in various teachers' ways of breaking down parts, etc. In the overall scheme of things, it's probably small potatoes, but still...

[michi]

And whose version(s), out of the Mandingue teachers who are in the West?

It seems - to me, at least - that there's a lot of difference in various teachers' ways of breaking down parts, etc. In the overall scheme of things, it's probably small potatoes, but still...

There is a lot of difference. When I'm aware of different versions, from different teachers or different regions, I tell students about it.

Cheers,

Michi.

[e2c]

And whose version(s), out of the Mandingue teachers who are in the West?

It seems - to me, at least - that there's a lot of difference in various teachers' ways of breaking down parts, etc. In the overall scheme of things, it's probably small potatoes, but still...

There is a lot of difference. When I'm aware of different versions, from different teachers or different regions, I tell students about it.

Good on you, michi! That's how it should be, I think...

[kostadjembe]

Mamady is a very clever man. He has build his business around the Mande music and has managed to make it more approachable to the Westerners with respect to the tradition.

However, like e2c wrote, this is just a tiny little bit of the Mande or even Malinke musical heritage.

The way I see the TTM Certificate is a tool to explore this music. Based on Mamady's stuff you research on the variations from different regions. You compare cultural info and eventually obtain a more comprehensive knowledge.

I am teaching at the moment Donba. I have tried to incorporate in the arrangement bits from Soli and Suku and I am trying to emphasise on the different variations of rhythms as well as the cultural info of each rhythm. If I was doing Mamady's stuff, I would have done a copy of Soli rapide and bang thats it...

This certificate, at least for me, works as my "self drive".