River

I took a middle eastern drumming workshop this weekend with the drumming master River Guerguerian. I had my first drumming lesson with him back in 07 as part of bellydance camp. He's such an amazing person. He's been featured on NPR repeatedly during the week running up to the workshop & performance. In fact an NPR woman was there recording during our class. He had a very successful music career in New York playing percussion, then sold everything he owned and traveled the Himalayas for 5 years with just a backpack and musical instruments. His daughter was born there and he delivered her!He's a very cool cat, not earthy or crunchy, but you can see there's something special about him. He literally has musical energy flowing through his body all the time, and the energy comes through his fingers so naturally onto any surface without a second thought. He was standing there talking with the NPR woman about when he could meet her for an interview, yet as I walked around him I noticed his hands performing a riveting drumming on the water bottle he held. The sound reminded me of a babbling brook - mesmerizing, incomprehensibly complex yet natural.

I happened to have the same notebook with me for note-taking that I carried to my last class with him. Afterwards I compared notes, and they were almost identical. Nothing about music or rhythms, just comments about body alignment, breathing, and relaxing. Letting the drum strike be part of a circular movement of your hands. And the difference in the sound you can generate is amazing depending on if you're just thinking about hitting the drum vs. letting it be part of a larger almost meditative stance. Any time we were struggling with a complex rhythm he would intentionally take a deep breath, reminding us to do so as well, and the beat would just fall into place. He asked us once what the 4th toe on our left foot was doing, and as my attention slid away from my hands they relaxed into the music.

I know I will never be able to play like him, but I also know he will make me into the best drummer I can be. His encouragement is not that of wanting to please a teacher or show them how much you know, but rather that you want to be part of the energy he carries.