- Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:10 pm
#7702
Ok, wasn't sure where to post this, seeing as this could lead down many roads, but I figured we could start here and move if we need to.
@Michi -
I'll start by advising you to enjoy that fearful excitement of taking this step. I compare it to getting accepted to go to grad school. On the one hand you know that you are going to get access to a lot of challenging and exciting material but on the other hand a lot will be asked of your time energy and spirit. When Mahiri accepted me as a student, it was over a month before we could get together. I found that it was a very stressful time, I really didn't know what I got myself into and I knew it. Once he was here and we started working, things got much easier, just because I began to realize what was going to be asked of me.
One thing I wonder about your particular situation, is, who is your mentor? Do you plan on working directly under Mamady? Is there anyone closer or more accessible to you?
The reason that I ask has to do with a big change that happened for me after I started working with Mahiri. My plan, when I asked to start working towards the test, was to use the material of the test as a baseline for further study. I figured that if I forced myself to have the initial 60 rhythms memorized, with all of the cultural info, then I would have a reasonable depth and breadth to my understanding of Malinke drum culture on which to base my future studies.
What is changing for me is that I am more interested in the mentor/student relationship that I am building with Mahiri. Our conversations are focused on the details of what Mahiri knows about specific rhythms. A recurring line from Mahiri is that "I need to know all of them" when he talks about 2 or 3 versions of a tune, and where he learned them. There are 3 or 4 tunes now that I have gone way beyond what I expected to need to know for the test. (Soko, Kakilambe and Soboninkun particularly come to mind)
At this point, I've had two weekends with Mahiri (May and sept) I have had over 20 hours of one on one and 10 hours or so of Mahiri working with my band. The next time he comes up will be in April, and I'm happy to have the break, I have a LOT of work to do. There was really only 2 new tunes from these sessions, but I got so much detail about feel, solo techniques, variations and regional differences that I feel like I've already doubled the amount of info that I need to memorize! (add to that the fact that between May and September I had a garden to tend to as well as the usual "life" issues that get in the way of study...) So, a long winter, snowed in with my djembe and recordings, is looking pretty good right now.
Enjoy the ride!
Carl
@Michi -
I'll start by advising you to enjoy that fearful excitement of taking this step. I compare it to getting accepted to go to grad school. On the one hand you know that you are going to get access to a lot of challenging and exciting material but on the other hand a lot will be asked of your time energy and spirit. When Mahiri accepted me as a student, it was over a month before we could get together. I found that it was a very stressful time, I really didn't know what I got myself into and I knew it. Once he was here and we started working, things got much easier, just because I began to realize what was going to be asked of me.
One thing I wonder about your particular situation, is, who is your mentor? Do you plan on working directly under Mamady? Is there anyone closer or more accessible to you?
The reason that I ask has to do with a big change that happened for me after I started working with Mahiri. My plan, when I asked to start working towards the test, was to use the material of the test as a baseline for further study. I figured that if I forced myself to have the initial 60 rhythms memorized, with all of the cultural info, then I would have a reasonable depth and breadth to my understanding of Malinke drum culture on which to base my future studies.
What is changing for me is that I am more interested in the mentor/student relationship that I am building with Mahiri. Our conversations are focused on the details of what Mahiri knows about specific rhythms. A recurring line from Mahiri is that "I need to know all of them" when he talks about 2 or 3 versions of a tune, and where he learned them. There are 3 or 4 tunes now that I have gone way beyond what I expected to need to know for the test. (Soko, Kakilambe and Soboninkun particularly come to mind)
At this point, I've had two weekends with Mahiri (May and sept) I have had over 20 hours of one on one and 10 hours or so of Mahiri working with my band. The next time he comes up will be in April, and I'm happy to have the break, I have a LOT of work to do. There was really only 2 new tunes from these sessions, but I got so much detail about feel, solo techniques, variations and regional differences that I feel like I've already doubled the amount of info that I need to memorize! (add to that the fact that between May and September I had a garden to tend to as well as the usual "life" issues that get in the way of study...) So, a long winter, snowed in with my djembe and recordings, is looking pretty good right now.
Enjoy the ride!
Carl