Meet an online course on playing ethnic drums for beginners to advanced
At the course you will learn the basic technique on any ethno drum
Record your first accompaniment for a music track
Learn to improvise and play in a band
Who this course is for
The course is for people who dream about an unusual hobby, are interested in music, or follow spiritual practices.
For people with zero experience
For adults, children over ten years of age with zero experience of playing music, musically trained people who want to learn to play ethnic drums
Start when you like
The course doesn’t have a fixed timeframe. Upon payment, you get access to video lessons and can study at any time
Playing djembe and darbuka
We use djembe and darbuka. Nevertheless, the purpose of this course isn’t to teach you one instrument; it’s to help you develop your skills and inner rhythm. It means that you’ll be able to play any ethnic drum once you’ve finished this course
Course creator: AK Niuti
• Has 12 years of teaching experience
• Released five classical piano albums
• Attended a preparatory course in the Department of Composition at the Moscow Conservatory
• Graduated from the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music in jazz and pop singing
Get around by train, bus, car, ferry, cruise ship, bicycle, skis, or sleigh. Relax and enjoy yourself!
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Anastasiia Zhanberova, Moscow
Business partner
Playing drums opens you up, gives you freedom and an opportunity to feel the rhythm outside
Once I watched Whiplash and heard Buddy Rich playing Caravan. I was hooked by the drum solo, I had goosebumps all over my body and tears of admiration in my eyes! I strongly wanted to learn to play like that. And there I was, taking my first lesson from Niuti:)
Playing drums opens you up, gives you freedom and an opportunity to feel the rhythm outside
Once I watched Whiplash and heard Buddy Rich playing Caravan. I was hooked by the drum solo, I had goosebumps all over my body and tears of admiration in my eyes! I strongly wanted to learn to play like that. And there I was, taking my first lesson from Niuti:)
When I’m learning to play drums, I feel my spirit rising beyond the mundanity and see new horizons of the universe open
Music always was the guiding light that took me to the world of my soul. Many spiritual practices use drums. They make it easy to enter an altered state of consciousness that gives a different perception of reality. I wanted to learn to play to make sure I could enter such states. That was how I became Niuti’s student. I’d say the first thing that Niuti notices during the class is your soul...
Anechka is a professional. Under her thoughtful yet demanding guidance, I quickly got the basics and proceeded into the world of drum rhythms, and I like it more and more
My leaning towards Music became apparent at five when I tried to fix a broken tape player. I had already removed the case and started heating the soldering iron when my father timely interfered. I don’t remember when and how I first got the idea to try drums (my first instrument was guitar), but I was always mesmerized by the rhythmic vibrations...
Playing drums really takes you to a state of trance
One day at the very end of the Tea Ceremony with Niuti, everyone took a drum, and I too was given a small rhythm device. Before that, I had never taken part in anything that has to do with music. I was a listener. It was very unexpected for me. Playing drums really takes you to a state of trance. There is something special in the primal sounds, something mysterious and amazing but very relatable and simple...
She has an amazing capability to deliver so obvious things that are overlooked by newcomers and help loosen up and follow the pulse of life itself
Once I got my hands on an African drum at a forest festival. I always wanted to try the rhythm section but didn’t know where to start. There was something hypnotic in how the tongues of flame were playing with the lights, and I wanted to echo the cracking sounds. It was when I discovered the magic of this instrument and understood why the Africans are carried away into wild trance by the pulsing rhythm. The deep bass and rich palette of sounds awakened me from my sleep, and that was how I touched an instrument for the first time in many years, being convinced of my clumsiness.
She has an amazing capability to deliver so obvious things that are overlooked by newcomers and help loosen up and follow the pulse of life itself
Once I got my hands on an African drum at a forest festival. I always wanted to try the rhythm section but didn’t know where to start. There was something hypnotic in how the tongues of flame were playing with the lights, and I wanted to echo the cracking sounds. It was when I discovered the magic of this instrument and understood why the Africans are carried away into wild trance by the pulsing rhythm. The deep bass and rich palette of sounds awakened me from my sleep, and that was how I touched an instrument for the first time in many years, being convinced of my clumsiness.
Playing drums opens you up, gives you freedom and an opportunity to feel the rhythm outside
Once I watched Whiplash and heard Buddy Rich playing Caravan. I was hooked by the drum solo, I had goosebumps all over my body and tears of admiration in my eyes! I strongly wanted to learn to play like that. And there I was, taking my first lesson from Niuti:)
Playing drums opens you up, gives you freedom and an opportunity to feel the rhythm outside the musical context, in the very “physics of life”. When you’re playing drums, you become a performer, a listener but—most importantly—a creator! The course enabled me to experience these revelations.
And though I’m not a drum genius, I have this invaluable opportunity to open up, let go of the worries, and sail the waves of rhythmic pounding that’s alike to the beating of my heart.
When I’m learning to play drums, I feel my spirit rising beyond the mundanity and see new horizons of the universe open
Music always was the guiding light that took me to the world of my soul. Many spiritual practices use drums. They make it easy to enter an altered state of consciousness that gives a different perception of reality. I wanted to learn to play to make sure I could enter such states. That was how I became Niuti’s student. I’d say the first thing that Niuti notices during the class is your soul. She can speak to it, bypassing everything superficial and transient. When I’m learning to play drums, I feel my spirit rising beyond the mundanity and see new horizons of the universe open.
Anechka is a professional. Under her thoughtful yet demanding guidance, I quickly got the basics and proceeded into the world of drum rhythms, and I like it more and more
My leaning towards Music became apparent at five when I tried to fix a broken tape player. I had already removed the case and started heating the soldering iron when my father timely interfered.
I don’t remember when and how I first got the idea to try drums (my first instrument was guitar), but I was always mesmerized by the rhythmic vibrations of the drums and wanted to be able to play like that and speak the same language with the drummers.
I know Aniutka for a long time and accidentally found out that she gives music lessons.
First lessons followed shortly :)
Anechka is a professional. Under her thoughtful yet demanding guidance, I quickly got the basics and proceeded into the world of drum rhythms, and I like it more and more.
And I especially want to thank Aniutka for the cosmic jam sessions we two had, entering the states where there were only two drums and four hands that join in the stream of cosmic Music.
Anechka, thank you, and may you succeed in developing your School.
Playing drums really takes you to a state of trance
One day at the very end of the Tea Ceremony with Niuti, everyone took a drum, and I too was given a small rhythm device. Before that, I had never taken part in anything that has to do with music. I was a listener. It was very unexpected for me.
Playing drums really takes you to a state of trance. There is something special in the primal sounds, something mysterious and amazing but very relatable and simple at the same time. Rhythms filled the room and hearts and remained inside as the bright ending of a pleasurable meeting. Since I’m very close to Niuta, I know her as a good friend! I was amazed to see the same sincerity and wisdom in the professional activities of this musical girl. She’s a wonderful human being and teacher. If you want to not only learn to play but also have a powerful experience, Niuta is your person. She’s very friendly and hospitable.
She has an amazing capability to deliver so obvious things that are overlooked by newcomers and help loosen up and follow the pulse of life itself
Once I got my hands on an African drum at a forest festival. I always wanted to try the rhythm section but didn’t know where to start. There was something hypnotic in how the tongues of flame were playing with the lights, and I wanted to echo the cracking sounds. It was when I discovered the magic of this instrument and understood why the Africans are carried away into wild trance by the pulsing rhythm. The deep bass and rich palette of sounds awakened me from my sleep, and that was how I touched an instrument for the first time in many years, being convinced of my clumsiness. After some awkward self-learning attempts, I met Niuta, starting with a vocal lesson. Later we began practicing drums. She has an amazing capability to deliver so obvious things that are overlooked by newcomers and help loosen up and follow the pulse of life itself. I’m very grateful to this sunny fairy who always has a kind word and good advice to share!
This is a remote course, which means that you’ll have to buy your own drum. To prepare beforehand, download the list of reliable manufacturers and a guide to choosing a drum.
This course will give you the foundation for playing any ethnic drum. We’ll start with the basics and go all the way toadvanced techniques.
1
Your progress
Learn what drum will suit you and how to choose it
The video will show your skill progression from lesson to lesson.
Choosing a drum
• Drum types • What drums we’ll be playing • How to choose the right drum for your style of play • Where to buy drums • How to choose a drum for traveling
2
Your progress
Learn how to position your body and sound the drum with one hand.
The video will show your skill progression from lesson to lesson.
Attaining the right posture and sounding the drum
• Positioning your body and hands for playing • Adopting the correct posture to play without getting tired • Exercise: finger skills and speed • Technique: sounding the drum
3
Your progress
Learn to play a basic rhythm on a drum with both hands
The video will show your skill progression from lesson to lesson.
Developing your inner rhythm and synchronizing the hands
• Learn about the strong beat • Exercise: developing your inner metronome • Synchronizing both hands • What to do if your hands are out of sync
4
Your progress
Learn to play a complex rhythm with both hands and fast rhythms with the fingers of one hand.
The video will show your skill progression from lesson to lesson.
Moving on to more complex rhythms and developing the speed
• Mixed accents • Double accents and how to play them • Exercise: developing finger speed • How to play fast rhythms • Positioning your fingers for playing fast rhythms
5
Your progress
Learn to play fast rhythms with both hands. Learn to play with your fingers and palms at the same time. Master some complex techniques and play rhythms with rests
The video will show your skill progression from lesson to lesson.
Synchronizing hands to play fast rhythms and learning rests
• Fast rhythm technique for the fingers of both hands • How to synchronize your left and right hand • How to play mixed techniques with your fingers and palms • How to synchronize all the fingers and palms • How to calculate and sustain rests without a metronome
6
Your progress
Learn to play emotional rhythms with fade-in and fade-out effects. Feel the force of your stroke on the drum. Play a syncopated rhythm. Keep up a steady speed
The video will show your skill progression from lesson to lesson.
Playing dynamically and learning syncopated rhythms
• Dynamic articulation • How to create a fade-out effect • How to create a fade-in effect • Syncopated rhythms and how to play them
7
Your progress
Learn to combine different variants of drum strokes.
The video will show your skill progression from lesson to lesson.
Learning strokes and articulation
• Variants of drum strokes: with your fingers, fingertips, knuckles, palms, etc. • Musical articulation
8
Your progress
Get everything you need to start improvising by yourself. Learn more techniques
The video will show your skill progression from lesson to lesson.
Learning to create rhythmic patterns
• Types of rhythmic patterns • How to create rhythmic patterns • Coloratura • New rhythmic patterns: slow rhythms with long rests, fast rhythms, rhythm fade-out, etc.
9
Your progress
After you’ve completed the tasks, you’ll learn to play on this level.
The video will show your skill progression from lesson to lesson.
Improvising and playing in a band
• What matters when playing in a band • How to stay at one speed with the band • How to determine and pick the band’s speed of play • How to provide accompaniment for music tracks • Training your ears to hear harmonies
Result
You’ll master basic drum-playing techniques, open up, and learn to improvise and feel the rhythm.
Get equipped with basic techniques to play any ethnic drum
Release the tension in your hands and body
Develop an inner metronome
A metronome is a device that sets the tempo with clicks
Provide accompaniment for music tracks
Learn to improvise and play in a band
Listen to some pieces that you’ll be able to play when you complete the course
*If you do all your homework.
Course uniqueness
No metronome
Course purpose
Only practice
With very little boring theory, you’ll study all the techniques from practice
Playing without a metronome or other devices. Only a drum required
The purpose of this course isn’t to learn a specific instrument but to hone basic techniques and develop an inner rhythm. It means that you’ll be able to play any ethnic drum once you’ve finished this course