A different beat

As the drums reverberate, rituals of music and dancing persist as they have for generations. The pulsing rhythms of West African drums such as the djembe and the djun djun have permeated the native lands of Mali, Guinea and several other West African countries existing as a cultural cornerstone for these people. The cultural melting pot of the United States has allowed these traditions to cross the Atlantic and blend in with our own musical styles. \nAnyone who has been around any drum circles knows that African hand drumming is incredibly popular and that this trend is growing rapidly. But there is more to this style of drumming than just banging around without any style or rhythm. There is a proper technique and distinct style, and Bloomington has a teacher who specializes in this kind of popular musical variety.\nZack Fry teaches two classes on the basics of African hand drumming -- one for beginners and one for the intermediate player with some experience in this style. His goal is to bring African drumming to Bloomington as a respected musical art form. "I've lived in several other college towns and all had happening African music communities," Fry says. "My hope is that I can bring the same thing to Bloomington." \nAll drums used are authentic African drums. The djembe is a goblet-shaped drum, tuned tightly with African goatskin. It can be tuned progressively from low to high pitched. This is usually used as the lead drum in the circle. The other drums are from a family of drums called the djun djuns, which are barrel-shaped drums laid on their sides and played on either head. The smallest is known as the kenkeni, the medium drum is the sangemba and the largest drum is the dun dunba. This drum has the lowest frequency of all the drums in the circle and it carries the rhythm that dancers follow in the traditional African context. Some of the students bring their own drums but many belong to Fry himself.\n"I used to play on other people's drums and then I asked for one for Christmas," says Ben Fraser, a Bloomington resident. "I just want to add to more African drumming traditions because I feel it will make me a better drummer." \nFry's class is focused mostly around this African tradition.\n"I like to honor traditions. My best experiences in hand drumming have been in its traditional context," Fry says. "One of the reasons I like hand drumming is because of its versatility. Djembes, congas and timbales are all very danceable instruments, and in the traditional context dancing and drumming have a close correlation."\nThough drum circles are popular, he says that much more technique goes into this style of drumming than most people expect, and his goal is that people will take advantage of the opportunity to learn what these drums really have to offer. "Hand drumming has been adopted in America as a community-oriented activity, and this is good and bad," Fry explains. "It's good because of the easy public access, because they're easy to pick up, and because they're not intimidating. But the downside is the its loss of credibility as a 'real instrument.'"\nFry has a great past devoted to drumming. His first exposure to drumming came when he was 12 years old and experienced the Chicago Blues Festival. The rhythms of these drummers captivated him, but this fascination lay dormant in him for several years. Years later, while working at a record store, his boyhood passion for percussion led him to fall in love with salsa music and with bands like Santana. He eventually attended the Nashville Percussion Institute and studied under hand drummers Dan Sherrill and Glenn Caruba, who became two of his mentors. After this he traveled to New York and studied at the Djoniba School of West African Drum and Dance and later studied Latin Percussion at the Harbor Conservatory in Spanish Harlem. Now attending IU for Communication and Culture as well as Anthropology, Fry is spreading his knowledge of hand drumming and the cultures native to these drums.\n"For me, drumming wasn't really a choice," Fry says. "It was just too captivating, and it made my heart beat like a freight train. Since then, I've been a slave to the drum." Fry's present students seem to agree with him on this one.\n"I love this type of drumming because of its power," says Chris Dintaman, a former IU student who is now a geologist. "The complex polyrhythms stretch learning and strech the mind," Dintaman says. He bumped into Fry in a small community of hand drummers in town and has studied with him since then. "African music is not as appealing to Western audiences. With African drumming, it is essential to understand the culture. Then, participating it becomes an entirely different thing," Dintaman says.\nFry's class starts with a drum call, or the tap off that gets the other musicians started. One of the most complex aspects of the music is that everyone has their own parts and they are all playing them simultaneously on specific drums to create a particular rhythm. After teaching the individual parts to the students on their assigned drums, Fry starts in on the djembe and calls others in and out to get different sound combinations. It's not just an unorganized jam session, but also a truly intricate piece of music with a great deal of rhythmic complexity.\nFry's students praise him as a teacher. \n"Zack knows the language of drums," says Helger Oomkes, another student. "He asks you for respect when you are playing, and he makes you confident whether you've ever done it or not." \nRespect isn't the only thing that draws drummers to Fry's classes. They also recognize his skill.\n"The first time I played with Zack, I realized he was a good teacher," Fraser says. "If I drum with this guy, I will get better every time."\nFry's hour-long classes are held at 3 p.m. every Sunday for beginners and at 4:30 p.m. for the intermediate players at the Harmony School, 909 E. Second St. Lessons are $12 each.