PERCUSSION
Jeff Stewart has been performing music professionally for over 35 years, and has over 25 years of experience in the
education system. He is the author of four instructional books/DVDs: Spirit of World Drumming, Rhythmic Kinesthet-
ics, Art of Playing the Doumbek, and Garrahand Drumming, along with a children’s book, Jeff rey Discovers Drumming.
Jeff also facilitates rhythmic organic percussion music circles in his community.
By Jeff Stewart
Assembling a World
Drumming Ensemble
Instrumentation
When putting together a drumming group, it is important to have a
good mixture of percussion timbre sounds. Depending on the form of
drumming, you will have to spend some time researching the types of
instruments that are best suited to the style/form of music that your
drumming group will perform.
You will want to invest in authentic percussion-based instruments
such as: various shakers, bells, auxiliary percussion, hand drums, frame
drums, bass-type drums, tuned percussion, etc.
Assembling Your Ensemble
To get started, connect with friends, family, colleagues, and co-workers
to relay your message about the ensemble you are creating. You can also
relay the message through music stores and any multicultural centres
in your area, and of course, via social media. The main message is that
yours is a communal, fun project where you will perform at community
celebrations, events, festivals, and interactive sessions.
Some good performance opportunities for drum ensembles include:
celebrations for holidays like Canada Day and Earth Day, local music and
cultural festivals, farmer’s markets, etc.
Melting Pot Payments
I fi nd that one of the most complicated aspects of running a group is
how to fairly compensate members. Make sure you discuss this well
in advance. The funds can be used to purchase shirts or instruments,
donated to a good cause, or pooled for a future group gathering.
28 CANADIAN MUSICIAN
Creating Parts for Everyone
First off , fi nd out which drum/percussion instrument each member would
primarily like to play. The next step is to guide each individual and their
parts/section to what they need to play to create the whole sum of the
cultural sound. I also highly suggest you write out and/or record each
part and share them with the group.
There will be times where you will have to spend time working with
individuals during group practices. The key element is to rotate around
during rehearsals to lend a hand and demonstrate how to perform
specifi c parts.
Most importantly, you will also need to review and rehearse sectionals
and/or group parts. Focus on staying positive and give everyone
instructions on next steps. Intros, endings, fi nales, unison sections, and
bridges should be kept simple at fi rst. As time progresses, you can add
to what you have.
At fi rst, I fi nd it most important to focus on the main groove parts
before adding to the sum (groove meaning everyone playing in tandem
with a strong rhythmic force).
Encourage everyone to bring a device to record rehearsals and to
add notes to their handouts, spend time listening to the specifi c forms
of drumming that your group is performing, and to also try playing along
with recordings.
Here’s a short call-and-response arrangement to get you going! It’s
a mix of Brazilian and African styles where the lead drummer makes the
“call” and the group drummers handle the “response.” You can add to this
with unique individual parts for your various instruments.