tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29576130900231356702024-02-20T02:21:40.195+00:00Slapping Skins with Aaron MeliAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-10771864815411722732015-09-16T19:36:00.001+01:002015-09-16T19:36:24.557+01:00Slappingskins drum circle at Bestival 2015<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BpAGsIsPo_w" width="480"></iframe><br />Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-87704813421160741592015-09-16T19:09:00.001+01:002015-09-16T19:09:16.203+01:00African drums at Green Man festival 2013<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/krRmsUMP4F8" width="480"></iframe><br />Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-52961996738958542592015-09-16T19:05:00.001+01:002015-09-16T19:05:49.544+01:00Aaron Meli of Slappingskins at work<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AqTN8hAsL-k" width="459"></iframe><br />Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-47319578948122438512015-09-16T19:02:00.001+01:002015-09-16T19:02:05.456+01:00Jam Session - Sunrise Celebration 2014<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yU9iGvJNbNo" width="480"></iframe><br />Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-16867003612777862312013-03-11T17:43:00.003+00:002013-03-12T10:31:01.811+00:00The musical paradise that is Brazil I've been back in the UK for around a week after a 5 week trip to Brazil where I was learning some basic pandeiro skills and soaking up lots of rhythms before, during and after carnival...the biggest party on earth.<br />
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I arrived in Rio on the 24th January to meet fellow percussionist Jackson Lapes who had been out there for the previous 4 months. His welcome to Rio included an essential shopping trip to Rua da Carioca where he guided me through the lovely pandeiros (tambourine) on offer. My new pandeiro would travel with me almost everywhere over the next 5 weeks or so.<br />
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The basics of playing the pandeiro are not so easy to grasp as I would discover over the initial few weeks of practice. I would play at bus stops, on buses, waiting for meals, on the beach and other beautiful stops and locations on my trip. I was frequently given impromptu lessons by passing Brazilians who pitied my poor technique or would show me some new trick that was always much harder to master than it looked.<br />
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I made several videos of these 'lessons' and will shortly add them to my youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/MrSlappingskins/videos?view=0<br />
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The first week in Rio reminded me of my last trip to Rio in 2002 on Peaceboat<br />
(http://www.peaceboat.org/english/?menu=82) where I had an opportunity to soak up some samba firsthand but missed carnival by one day! This time I would experience the whole of carnival...but not in Rio but several hundred miles to the North of Brazil in Salvador do Bahia where myself and Jackson were headed.<br />
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Rio was buzzing with excitement and the preparations for carnival were
in full flow as marching bands, blockos and samba schools busily
rehearsed for their performance slots. I was amazed to see how the
pandeiro was being used in performances all over the city including a
local samba school evening rehearsal in the sambadrome itself.<br />
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The last day in Rio saw a scheduled meet with a pandeiro 'superhero' from Italy who was to give Jackson and myself a masterclass in playing on the beach at Copacababa. (see youtube video).<br />
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Armed with plenty of drills to practice we left Rio and flew to Salvador
for the month of February. Our first day saw us attend a huge open air
show of Ile Aye, one of Brazils most famous samba reggae groups. <br />
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Bristol-based Jon Hardeman who classes Salvador as his spiritual home accompanied us to the open air show along with other friends and fans of the well known group. The crowd was in great spirits as guest after guest appeared on stage alongside Ile Aye. The show finished with the 'Brazilian Shirley Bassey' making an appearance to the delight of the excited crowd. It was a powerful welcome to the state of Bahia.<br />
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A day later Jon, Jackson and myself were up at 5am to honour Yemanjá, the Goddess of water. Thousands of people turned up to attend the ceremony making offerings and throwing flowers into the sea. Music was everywhere and people old and young came together to celebrate.<br />
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Carnival preparations were all underway and as day one of six neared, the marching bands/blockos and samba groups could be seen out in the streets building up the momentum of carnival 2013. The six days of carnival were an intense experience as two million people flocked to the streets. The old cobblestoned streets in Pelerinho saw the majority of the blockos whilst the huge artic truck soundsystems crawled around the wider and more modern streeets of Salvador. <br />
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Before carnival I was told, by a seasoned veteran, that I should be ready to be 'digested' by the crowds during carnival. I did not understand at the time but over the six days I understood his meaning and was, by the final night, quite relieved to have survived the experience.<br />
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A more musical location I would be hard pressed to find outside of
Cuba and West Africa. Everyday of the week something magical and
inspirational was going on. None more so than on a Saturday where the
local modern art museum transformed their outdoorspace into a jazz venue attracting some of the best musicians in the city.<br />
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My time in Salvador was truly inspirational and I cannot recommend it enough as a destination. I stayed at the centro cultural fusion which was a perfect base for my time there. The centro hosted many a workshop and performance and was used by many visiting and local musicians. Get in touch if you're considering a trip there for the contact details.<br />
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In the meantime it's back to Wales for more percussion and to try and bring together some new influences into my work Slappingskins. Drum on!<br />
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A a r o n xAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-60920812340509363942012-11-11T23:39:00.000+00:002012-11-11T23:39:22.655+00:00London jazz festival 2012The london jazz festival has only just begun But the event has dished out an amazing array of talent and entertainment on its first weekend. Hyperpotamus put on an awe inspiring show up at the arts depot. He wowed the audience with his captivating rhythms, melodies and unique dance moves in a thoroughly inspiring set. He finished off an incredible set with a cover of sweet dreams where he had the audience joining in this anthemic tune.<br />
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The barbican hosted <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">SCENE FINLAND. I managed to catch 3 of the 4 acts: RAKKA + KUARA + ANNA-MARI KÄHÄRÄN ORKESTERI. The bands were incredible and each drummer left me feeling completely awestruck as each one had their own unique style and sound which was such a joy to behold. The final act of Anna-Mari and her accompanying band were so enthrawling on their first outing to London that I can hardly believe that they are not regulars on the scene. The drummer played most of the set with a stripped down kit with one crash cymbal, snare, floor Tom and kick drum. He played most of the set with his fingers tapping and manipulating the skins on the snare and floor Tom reminding me of the old footage of John Bonham slappingskins on his kit. I was utterly inspired to watch him</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">produce such wonderous sounds on his set up and can't wait to sit back in the studio and try out some new tips! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A a r o n</span>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-2078794755009421582012-11-11T23:13:00.001+00:002012-11-11T23:13:33.740+00:00Team building with BootsSeptember saw slappingskins run a team building afternoon with Boots up near its uk HQ. in Nottingham. 350 delegates took part in my biggest ever drum circle. It was a real joy to work with such a big group of drummers and I'm happy to say that everyone took part in the beat as the whole event went off with a bang! A big thank you to Boots for the opportunity of working with such a fun team. I look forward to my next big event! Aaron.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-13034731438860983832012-11-11T23:05:00.000+00:002012-11-11T23:16:01.797+00:00A busy summerIt's been a very busy summer slappingskins. My intentions to keep up with my blog have sadly not been met but it's been a busy time. I've been to loads of events and festivals over the summer of 2012 including sunrise, womad, mannifest, greenman and other wonderful smaller events all over the uk and it's been one of the most inspirational years so far!<br />
The shows that I've been luckily enough to see this year will stick in my mind for some considerable time from the wonderful manganiyar seduction from Rajasthan to the sublime ballet nimba from Guinea. A few links below to these acts:<br />
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Aaron<br />
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); font-family: '.HelveticaNeueUI'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;">http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=YvKsrqCwyGQ&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYvKsrqCwyGQ&gl=GB</span>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-20323852908735241932012-07-16T17:35:00.001+01:002012-07-16T17:35:29.772+01:00Djembe re-skinning and tuningSlappingskins is pleased to offer a very reliable re-skinning and djembe tuning service although I do recommend that drummers do put time and effort into doing their own drums...however sometimes I realise that people may not have the inclination/time to do this. For you drummers out there looking for a few tips please check out Vieux' video on Youtube which gives some really handy tips on how to do a good job on your djembe:<br />
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m4H5enCqnE&feature=relatedAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-39828040800521687812012-07-10T11:12:00.001+01:002012-07-10T11:21:09.678+01:00Juju Nations gig @ gwdihwSlappingskins played a gig the other night in a lovely venue (Gwdihw) in Cardiff with Juju Nations who have been putting on great music nights for over four years. Myself and three fellow drummers turned up at the gig with djun djuns, djembes, krins and all sorts of other percussive goodies that we used to help get the dancefloor kicking on a Saturday night. It was a great night and we had a blast with the Juju Nations djs and mcs who have created something really vibrant for the Cardiff music scene. Check them out: http://www.jujunations.com/Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-20708490130667968912012-07-06T17:02:00.001+01:002012-07-06T17:06:36.871+01:00Gong YogaI'm really excited to announce a joint gong yoga session on July 7th. Michele Lambert will be running the yoga class and we will be working together to weave sound through the
day. I will be using the mediums of voice, magical gongs
& sweet singing bowls, to transform the yoga postures to a deeper
level. The sound vibrations will not be continuous but used in synergy
with appropriate postures, to encourage the energy to flow freely
through the body. Day not to be missed! Same venue as usual, St Thomas
Community School, Swansea. The session starts at 10 am and finishes at 3pm.<br />
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If you would like to book a place on
the day the contact telephone number at present is 07793 544
956.<br />
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a a r o n xAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-41395125953248309932012-07-01T22:15:00.001+01:002012-07-01T22:17:11.537+01:00A great weekend at Blackwood Summer Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Blackwood high street was alive and kicking this weekend with plenty of exciting activities and entertainment. Slappingskins set up a double gazeebo with the whole percussive works...djembes, djun djuns, krins, surdus and all manner of percussive jems for two days of drop-in workshops. hundreds of participants joined in over the two days and i was lucky enough to be right next door to Steve of @tropical_inc (twitter). He allowed me to handle parrots, eagle owls and snakes. I was fascinted to watch the bower constricter mesmorized by the vibrations of the djun djun drums. My second year at Blackwood was great fun but now...for bed. a a r o nAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-30118052536985562202012-06-28T13:16:00.001+01:002012-07-03T12:02:05.881+01:00Drumming for Spinal Injuries<br />
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Slappingskins is my business. Slappingskins is
my passion! When I was booked to lead a day of drumming, percussion and sound
relaxation at the UKs primary spinal injuries unit in Stoke Mandeville I
was excited yet daunted at the same
time. Thoughts of uncertainty over my ability to engage every member of the
group were present but outweighed by feelings of excitement at being given the privilege to
lead these music sessions for some of the bravest people in our land.</div>
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I’ve had the pleasure of working
in several different hospitals during my 8 years of running ‘Slappingskins
drumming and percussion’ but it was not until I began working with Chrys
Blanchard of Abergavenny on her Soundscape project in 2009 that my eyes were
fully opened to the possibility of using sound to assist in the healing process
. Subsequent study under Simon Heather of the College of Sound Healing has
given me the impetus to further my own study, develop my own sound and take my
work out into the community.</div>
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Brave and resilient souls they
are! The patients who attend the spinal injury unit are a mixed bag. Some old,
some young, some severely handicapped by poor movement in their limbs and some
so strong and confident that it would make the most sure of us wonder about our
own competence.</div>
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My remit was to run a morning of
workshops lasting one hour long to two groups of patients of between 8-12
participants followed by a lunchtime performance/showcase and an afternoon of
textural percussion and softer, relaxing sounds that would be appropriate on
the wards for patients that were bed bound.
The day was to finish off with an open drop-in session for anyone who
had not had an opportunity to attend any of the days sessions.</div>
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More than half of the patients
would make their own way to my morning workshop space. Others were assisted and
wheeled into the makeshift drumming and percussion parlour for the length of
the session. Most patients were able to play a djembe drum and so were
encouraged to choose from a selection of West African hand drums and they were
attached to the backs of their chairs. One or two patients had bells and
shakers attached to their wrists so that they could join in the session and
enjoy the light hearted fun and games along with some therapeutic drumming and
grooving.</div>
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Tibetan singing bowls and a
selection of my favourite gongs were also played during the session as too was
my beloved balafon (west African wood and gourd xylophone) and a selection of
percussion including the lovely pentatonic vibratones which produce a beautiful
wah wah effect. Our lunchtime performance went down a treat as one young
patient joined us, playing the balafon and djun djuns (west African base
drums). He strapped on his favourite drum sticks and began playing some lovely
melodies and rhythms which I played over backed up by some of the onlookers on
shakers and other assorted percussion. A surgeon on his lunch break joined in
as did another few members of staff and the sounds of the drums, gongs and other
percussion was again drifting through the corridors and attracting curious
onlookers and participants.</div>
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The morning sessions were really
well attended and it was lovely to be able to facilitate the music sessions for
those who were able to come. The hospital chaplin, David Elliott, who was instrumental in booking Slappingskins
was with me for the whole day and he really came into his own in the afternoon
as the both of us moved from bed to bed playing sansulas (thumb piano) for
patients who were bed bound and unable to leave their wards. David is a gifted
musician in his own right and he played the sansula with a lovely touch as we
drifted through the corridors from bed to bed and ward to ward. Some patients
were able to join in with gongs and vibratones, especially on the childrens
ward where we met with some enthusiastic participants.</div>
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Our day
drew to a close with a final drop-in session where people could come and go as
they pleased. It was pretty quiet at that time on the Friday afternoon but we
played a few improvised pieces and were able to draw an interested crowd for a
good deal of the session. My experiences that day were truly humbling and I’m
really looking forward to my next visit to Stoke Mandeville and my next
opportunity to liven up a hospital ward!</div>
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Later
this year I’ll have the privilege to take part in my 4<sup>th</sup> annual soundscape
project will take place at Neville Hall hospital, Abergavenny. For more
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">http://www.collegeofsoundhealing.co.uk/pages/hospitals.html</span></div>
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<br /></div>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-7935561688319828422012-06-16T15:54:00.001+01:002012-06-16T15:54:14.667+01:00I've had an exciting week of drumming here in South Wales and beyond. I've finally, with the help of my good friend Alun, filmed the first in a series of drumming tutorials for Youtube. We've been talking about it for years and have finally made the first step into what is an exiting new project. We're going to show you some handy bits of percussion knowledge filmed in some of the most georgous settings in Wales and beyond.<br />
Our first destination for lesson #1 was a clifftop location not too far from Southerndown beach, near Ogmore on the South Wales coastline. The clouds parted to allow us to film in the last of the evenings light and the guls were in fine voice as the waved lapped at our feet over a hundred feet below. Sheep came and went voicing their (dis)approval at times. Alun and Haf positioned themselves perched on the rocks filming a slightly wentswept drummer. My djembe was strapped on and I was savouring the moment that I could play to the open sea.<br />
We filmed a few experiments and soundchecks then we went for a few takes. The light was glowing and the surfers on the beach miles away were pulsating on the wases. Pretty soon time caught up with us, though, so it was off home to put the veggie burgers on!<br />
The edit a few days later produced the first djembe tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XL7osan2rPs<br />
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Enjoy. Let me know what you think. A a r o n x<br />
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<br />Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-32495900765917459312012-06-07T00:17:00.001+01:002012-06-07T00:17:38.486+01:00DrumcampWales2012 was a lovely weekend of drumming, dancing, singing, gonging and frisbee! Plenty of gongoma could be heard across the campsite along with frequent hang drumming and the lovely playing of bazouki, guitar and other wonderous sounds. The weekend was packed with workshops and performances from drumming groups from Bridgend, Cardiff, Swansea, Llanelli, Ammanford, Cardigan and Llanidloes.<br />
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It was the biggest collection of drumming groups this year and it was absolutley lovely to see all of the different rhythms being played and performed infront of very enthusiastic audiences.<br />
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The weather wasn't too kind to us but we had plenty of cover to keep warm and dry and the tipis provided us with great spaces to keep our instruments dry!<br />
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Visiting tutors Roberto from www.gongomaplanet.com and Jackson Lapes from the Bristol samba scene provided great workshops and tasty melodies and rhythms throughout the weekend.<br />
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We had a beautiful day for the sound journey. The sun shone as Andy, Barry and myself set up our gongs and singing bowls and other textural percussion. Tim played didg. for us and we managed to create a beautiful sound journey for relaxation.<br />
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Sam led wonderful singing workshops every day followed by lovely yoga sessions. I must say that I wish I could be woken everyday by the singing of lovely folk. Some lovely guitar and bazouki too this dcw! So nice to hear beautiful music in beautiful settings!<br />
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Watch this space for news of DCW2013!<br />
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<br />Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-84952232462313852052012-05-31T13:59:00.002+01:002012-05-31T16:49:36.600+01:00All set for Drum Camp Wales 2012Drum Camp Wales 2012 starts tomorrow/Saturday out near Kidwelly. We've got a lovely 3 day event planned with lots of workshops and performances from quite a few of the drumming groups in Wales. Details of times etc can be found on the facebook page or you can contact me for more details.<br />
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Last night in Cardiff saw the launch of incA's debut EP. They're a brilliantly entertaining band based in cardiff and they really do put on a great show. The support acts made sure it was a thoroughly inspiring evening: Iron eye had everyone dancing their socks off with awesome drumming and horns. Quiet Marauder provided the percussive masterclass as they added all sorts of interesting percussion to a very entertaining set. Always nice to see/hear something you've never experienced before. The 3 piece really did the business with copper kettles and tenderizers along with an interesting selection of metal and tin 'cymbals'. Brilliant fun...as was the shed disco at the after party! ROCKING it was! a a r o n xAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-16738145044352885482012-05-30T00:37:00.004+01:002012-05-30T00:39:02.141+01:00What a beautiful day at Chilworth House School, oxford. I arrived, because of traffic, a little later than the usual 8.30 start I like to get in order to get set up in time for morning assembly and a strong black coffee (and chocolate) if I'm lucky. The day started with the whole school in attendance as I introduced the instruments to the keen youngdrummers.<br />
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Our first three sessions were in the hall but the afternoon saw us take the drums out into the yard and beyond the hedge border into the back outdoor classroom which was like a sort of roundhouse made from wood and had beautiful accoustics. We drummed to our hearts content interupted only by curious students who has flown the nest...in a naughty rebellion.<br />
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Our day was a blast and I'll always remember the willow wigwam lunch of sandwiches and crisps under the watchful eyes of one particular student in oak ...or was it willow class?<br />
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drum on!<br />
a a r o n x<br />
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<br />Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-43881237966445219592012-05-25T17:27:00.001+01:002012-05-26T10:51:00.849+01:00Slappingskins ready for 2012 festival season.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Slappingskins is all set for the Summer with its new tipi and small drumming marquee whose poles double up as log drums! I'm excited about setting up for next weeks Drum camp Wales 2012 and am really looking forward to catching up with some old drumming friends. 2012 promises to be a very exciting and rewarding year with new developments on the website such as an online shop and a youtube drumming tutorial coming soon! Watch this space for more developments and news of up and coming workshops, festivals and other events. Aaron xAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-20403610630229870272012-05-24T15:15:00.002+01:002012-05-24T15:15:26.056+01:00Very happy to announce the launch of the new Slappingskins website.<br />
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Thanks to Richard from <a href="http://www.redpencilmedia.co.uk/" target="_blank">Red Pencil Media</a> for all of his hard work!Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-30465001136427265292012-05-03T19:49:00.000+01:002012-05-03T19:49:05.241+01:00<h2>
Another Post</h2>
Booking Slappingskins will ensure that your event goes off with a bang
as Aaron is an enthusiastic and engaging drum facilitator who likes to
get everyone involved in the rhythm. Bookings can be tailored to suit
individual needs and group sizes.<br />
<br />Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2957613090023135670.post-13257786930118858202012-05-03T13:42:00.002+01:002012-05-04T12:30:06.256+01:00<h2>
Latest News:</h2>
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Hello and welcome to the brand new 'News' blog.<br />
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Check out all the latest activities etc etc<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: 14px;">Aaron Meli of Slappingskins</span>
has developed a unique African percussion workshop which has worked
with PRU units, hospitals, special schools, nursery, primary and
secondary schools all over the UK. <br />
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Slappingskins is available for all sorts of events including corporate team building, private party celebrations and now weddings!<br />
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Slappingskins
usually works with up to 30 drummers at a time on a coherent music
workshop which introduces different instruments from a range of
different cultures, allowing participants to have fun learning the
basics of playing these instruments. Each workshop guarantees a drum
(djembe, darabuka, bougarabou) for each participant and plenty of time
for everyone to enjoy playing the instruments. Larger groups can always
be accommodated.<br />
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Please check back soon,<br />
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AaronAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887401625783110812noreply@blogger.com