A word (or three) from the
Drumbreaks Founder,
Pete Scott

Way back in the 1990s I discovered African Drumming for myself. I bought a djembe and learned from African teachers like Babatundi Olatunji and David Oladunni. However I learned most from my friend Ben Burrow, from Totnes, whose band Ben Burrows Drums I joined. I had a fantastic time! He was and still is a fantastic drummer who I have had the privilege of playing with for around three decades in many different situations.

 

After a year or two I founded Drumbreaks - Making Music Come Alive/Come Alive Making Music. I was privileged to lead workshops based on African Drumming all over the south of England and especially in London.

 

However I am not African - I am Scottish - and I felt very uncomfortable teaching African rhythm divorced from African culture. Each African tribe or set of tribes has their own culture based around music. That was not for me, as a Westerner, to try to teach.

 

And so I developed the Drumbreaks rhythms - a set of rhythms that the Drumbreaks 'tribe' could use to come together and have fun with. These were based on African and Latin rhythms (eg Chabo, based on Latin cha-cha and Bolero rhumba; Gogo, based on Kpanlogo from Ghana; Kukumu based on Kuku from Guinea). They were simplified versions of very complex traditional rhythms, pitched at a level we novice Westerners could master, then use as a basis to progress from. 

 

In the process we shared much more than fun! We had some glorious times immersed in drumming, singing, and dance interspersed with huge amounts of laughter, good humour, deep conversation and wonderful friendship. We had performances incorporating Olu Taiwo, Ben as mentioned above and myself as Mythic Space. Into those performances we incorporated those learning to play and experienced some unforgettable moments of magic. We involved African musicians like Adesose Wallace, Henri Gaobi and David Oladunni, who were very generous and good hearted with our efforts to learn from their traditions and share good times with them.

 

Some of those who were learning from me took on teaching these rhythms to others and so the Drumbreaks Rhythms took on a life separate from me.

Life has moved on and after two frozen shoulders and fifteen years I no longer play African drums. Instead I lead Community Choirs. It's very similar, but at an older stage in my life and much less physical and energetic. Far more appropriate for a man turned 70 this year (2023). I loved the drumming but it was right to move on.

Every now and then I hear of someone teaching the Drumbreaks rhythms. It's like hearing about your child who has lived away from home for many years. It warms my heart, and I hope my child is happy.

 

Now my ex wife Felicity, the mother of my two marvellous daughters, has decided to begin Drumbreaks - second wave. I remember her when she was learning to play and her infectious laugh as she struggled to learn a new rhythm. When she succeeded the sense of triumph in the room was tangible and often resulted in spontaneous applause. She has been a fine drummer for many years and I wish her well as she takes from our shared Drumbreaks history and tradition that was so precious to so many of us and evolves with it into something new. It is lovely to see her enthusiasm and passion for using this medium to reach out to people and share wonderful times with them just as I did. However this is her journey of exploration and creativity, not mine. To all of you who travel with her I wish you marvellous times ahead. To her I say 'Bon voyage'.