Learning new kinds of drumming is so awesome! Tonight was my percussion class and we warmed up with some very basic drills. I love drills. If I could I would drill all day long. Michaelle threw in some toe-tapping  along to the patterns that made everything completely different and challenging. When I first learned taiko I was taught that if your feet left the ground that you lose your connection with the earth and all its energy. I like that philosophy, but learning to tap helps you understand the music and rhythms on a different level. It's good to get these different perspectives. Neither are wrong.

The focus of the class is conga, and though I originally wasn't interested in learning conga, the things we are learning now are profoundly interesting and informative about rhythm and its roots and its complexities that don't immediately present themselves when you first hear them. It feels so good to challenge the brain and get it out of its usual rut and comfort zone. I look forward to more learning!