Isioma Williams, the Chief Executive Officer of Drumsview Concept, on Wednesday said that he was ready to train Nigerians on how to beat Jang-Gu, a South-Korean drum.
Williams, who had gained ample knowledge in drumming the drum, said that it had a lot of similarities with the ‘Bata’ drum used in some parts the country.
He , however, said that the former had more accessories and in-built facilities than the later.
He said that he had organised a workshop before where he trained some interested artists on how to beat it.
The Jang-Gu drum or sometimes called seyogo (slim waist drum) is the most widely used drum in the traditional music of Korea.
Williams added that this would foster a more-cordial bilateral relation between Nigeria and South Korea.
It would also help both countries to promote their traditional musicians between them.
Traditional musicians from both countries would be willing to share among themselves the experiences garnered over the years in Jang-Gu and `Bata’ drums, he said.
Williams said that the Jang-Gu drum was unique because of the musical notes attached to it; hence, no African drum had such unique feature.
” Any drummer who does not know anything about musical notes will be at a disadvantage in playing this drum.
” In Nigeria, most traditional instrumentalists do not know anything about musical notes, this is very bad and unlike the South Koreans.
” Part of the uniqueness of the drum is that, it is embedded with musical scores, notation and site reading.
” I expect every innovative traditional instrumentalist to indicate interest as we are only going to accommodate 15 individuals for each of the three sessions.
“Each of the sessions will last three months. The first session will be between April 11 and June 29, 2016,’’ Williams said.
” For each of the sessions, three people will be picked to form a Jang-Gu drumming club.
” These people will be attached to the Korean cultural centre for additional training and will be representing Nigeria in South Korea at most of their cultural festivals,” he said.
The dance-instructor said that the workshop would encourage community-based tours, cultural exchange programmes, internship or training at both national and international levels.
