Percussionist meeting in Barcelona

Relationships on the Internet can be very interesting. E-mail, one of the most used communication channels, allows very quick answers, unlimited amount of text besides offering the ability to send sound, images and many other file types. The frequency and the content of the e-mails generates affinities, common interests and even affections. But this kind of communication is characterized by the absence direct contacts, that's why it often happens that the members of virtual communities organize meetings to meet each other in person. The main ingredient of these meetings is the need to make a step ahead, to go futher then the gestation phase, to fortify the previously established and to know a little better those persons who share the same common interests. This is the case of the percussions meeting which will take place in Barcelona on May 2nd, 3rd and 4th which in its first instance has been created for the european member of the FrameDrummer Group.

The Yahoo! Group FrameDrummer includes percussionists - who play frame percussions like the pandeira, the pandeireta, the square pandeiro and other similar drums – from all over the world, among whom one day rose up the idea to organize a meeting. The problem of joining people from so many different countries is abvious and that's why, from Europe, came out the proposal to reduce the meeting to residents in the Old Continent.

After talking about it in the FrameDrummer mailing list, the initiative was taken by Gianluca Baldo, a versatile italian living in Barcelona who counts, among his abilities, the technique of some frame drums and Andrea Piccioni, a specialist of italian percussions. They started this adventure and they have the most part of the journey done for what concerns the activities of the meeting of Barcelona. All the information regarding the EFDM 2005 (European Frame Drumers Meeting 2005) is available on the net and is updated as soon as new details come up. The information includes the program, a brief biographical note of the speakers, place, accomodation, costs, contacts, sponsors, etc.

As you will see if you will visit the above mentioned web site, the acts cover two main aspects. On one side a rigorous approach with specialists who will expose their works and on the other side there will be music sessions which will involve all the percussionists present at the meeting. Besides the pleasure to meet and play with cyber-friends simply spend some days in Barcelona to join the meeting is a good way to see what is going on around this peculiar type on percussion.

Juanjo Fernández Lugo, 20/2/05

(Thanks to Gianluca Baldo for the traslation to English))

Top