Saturday, June 20, 2020

Learning to drum: Lisa Braxton's THE TALKING DRUM


HALLIE EPHRON: Several years ago, I rode home from Boston on the subway with a young woman who'd taken my class at Grub Street. The class was on writing suspense, and the woman was Lisa Braxton. Recently Lisa reached out to me and I had the great pleasure of reading her just published first novel, and it's my great pleasure to introduce her to you.

The book, The Talking Drum, feels so current though it's set in 1971, another period of ferment and turmoil. It weaves together the stories of three young couples living in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood, with race and gender politics and economic inequality taking center stage.

One of the characters is a young man from Senegal, a brilliant drummer whose dream is to start a drumming institute.  


The book takes readers into another world, seen through the lens of three young couples. I especally loved the sections about drumming, which are written  with such authority--written more like a musician than a journalist--that I had to ask her how she'd become so knowledgable.

LISA BRAXTON: When I began writing The Talking Drum, I was well into my 40s and assumed that my music lessons were long over, tucked away in the distant memory of my youth. I didn’t imagine that I would resume musical training and it would be on an instrument that I’d been under the assumption was simple to play and didn’t require much technique to perform on well. Five minutes into my first lesson I realized how wrong I was.
As I was developing the character Omar, an immigrant from West Africa trained at drumming at his father’s knee to be the drumming ambassador of the world, I felt I should take hand drumming lessons to lend authenticity to the character.

I enrolled in an adult education “Hand Drumming for Beginners” class. I wanted to know the feel of a drum on my palms when played, and the emotional places where the drum could take me. During eight sessions on the goblet-shaped djembe, I learned how to execute Base–Tone–Slap, the three main strokes used to play most large hand drums.

I was curious to learn more and signed up for a drumming circle led
by master drummer Mamady Keita. Born in a small village in northeast Guinea, Mamady is an international performer, recording artist and workshop leader. He brought his three-hour intensive to a city hall chambers on Boston’s North Shore.

Grand as it was, the room was a tight squeeze for the 75-plus students who showed up, drums in tow, ready to learn new rhythms from a man they revered. I was surrounded by drumming zealots. The man seated next to me kept grumbling, “People who aren’t serious about this should stay home!” I wondered if he’d figured me out, that I was an imposter, not a real drummer. I could feel my shoulders slumping in an effort to make myself invisible.

Mamady was small in stature, but commanding. The room went silent as he played a combination of rhythms. He beckoned us to repeat them. On the beat, he slowly strutted around the large circle, inspecting our hands closely, nodding and smiling slightly when he was pleased, narrowing his eyes when a tone or slap was made without confidence.

As I feared, Mamady detected my lack of mastery of the instrument. As he was making his rounds, he paused in front of me, raised a hand to get everyone to stop playing and worked with me one-on-one. After he tried again and again to set me on the right path I finally confessed in a weak voice: “I’m not a real drummer. I’m a writer wanting to learn to play to create a drummer for my novel.”

In that moment, the tension left Mamady’s face. I decompressed. He gave me a smile and continued circling the room. When he came back to me, he paused again. Was I hitting the drum wrong? Apparently not. He gave me a flirtatious wink and kept going.
 

HALLIE:
As Lisa was telling me about drumming, how simple it seems until you try to do it and the nuance that can be wrung from it in the hands of a master, I though it's not unlike writing. Seems easy until you try.


I heartily recommend The Talking Drum. It's a story for our times, one that leaves the reader with a feeling of hope. Which brings me to ask the question: Have you had experienced a musical instrument (in the hands of a master musician) speaking to you?

Lisa will be here today, and I hope she'll tell us more about her title and perhaps the theme of her book, "the talking drum."


Lisa and I talked about her book at a virtual book launch event with Belmont Books. 

ABOUT Lisa Braxton:
Lisa Braxton is an essayist, short story writer, and novelist. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Southern New Hampshire University, her Master of Science in Journalism Broadcasting from Northwestern University and her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media from Hampton University. Her debut novel, The Talking Drum, is forthcoming from Inanna Publications in spring 2020. She is a fellow of the Kimbilio Fiction Writers Program and a book reviewer for 2040 Review. Her stories and essays have appeared in Vermont Literary Review, Black Lives Have Always Mattered, Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Book of Hope. She received Honorable Mention in Writer’s Digest magazine’s 84th and 86th annual writing contests in the inspirational essay category.

52 comments:

  1. Congratulations, Lisa, on your debut novel . . . . I’m looking forward to reading it and learning about Omar and his drumming. Can you tell us a bit more about the book?

    I’ve enjoyed listening to others play musical instruments . . . listening to someone play the harp is quite lovely . . . but I do not play an instrument myself . . . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Harp and drum are both instruments that you enjoy by *watching* as well as listening. Performance art.

      Delete
    2. Hi Joan: The Talking Drum is about 3 young couples in the early 1970s and how they're affected when an urban redevelopment project takes over an immigrant neighborhood. Themes include gentrification, race and class differences, marital relationships. One source of tension in the novel is that an arsonist is burning down properties. Several of my friends and co-workers have finished reading it and say they loved it.

      Delete
    3. Unknown = Lisa Braxton! Blogger isn’t letting her have a name 😖

      Delete
  2. Welcome, Lisa. I've tried the djembe, too - I agree, it's not easy! I've lived in Mali and Burkina Faso, where you can hear drumming from all corners, including the street corner. It's a stirring, magical sound. Best of luck with the book - I am looking forward to reading it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For more insights into the djembe and drumming, I recommend this video of Lisa's "teacher" Mamady Keita giving a drumming workshop... https://tinyurl.com/ydbs8trc

      Delete
    2. Thank you so much, Edith. I hope you enjoy it!

      Delete
  3. Congratulations on your debut novel, Lisa. I have heard hand drumming performances both in Toronto and Ottawa (where I now live). Very enjoyable and definitely a lot harder than it looks.

    There is a musician in Ontario named Anne Lindsay that I have seen perform live a number of times. She is called a genre-defying fiddler and performs either solo or in a group.

    Here is one video:
    https://youtu.be/B0seiQ5rfeo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Annie is NOT a traditional fiddler. She may start off playing like you expect but then morphs into a unique technique. Every time I have seen her play even part of a song, she gets a standing ovation.

      Delete
    2. Thank you, Grace. I'll check out the video!

      Delete
    3. I hope you like Anne's performance, Lisa. She changes her playing halfway into the video.

      Delete
    4. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  4. Congratulations, Lisa! I will definitely enjoy reading this book. It's now loaded onto my Nook.

    In a big, quite musical family, I always say the only thing I play is the radio. My grandfather had a band and he played several instruments, uncles and cousins played, my parents both played piano, and two of my daughters played many instruments and still play piano. Two of my older cousins played bongos in the mid-60's, and I was fascinated by them.

    The instrument that most speaks to me is the harp, and I've always wanted to learn to play. I know Rhys plays a small harp, and I'd love to hear her play sometime.

    If we ever get through this pandemic, one of my daughters is supposed to have a three-year assignment in Kenya, and I hope to eventually travel more in Africa when we visit her. This will inspire me to look for musical experiences!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did not know Rhys played a small harp... I didn't even know that there was such a thing as a "small harp"...

      Delete
    2. There are several kinds of harps, including lap harps and table harps! I've seen a photo of the one Rhys has, and it might be considered a Celtic harp, but I can't say for sure. I hope she chimes in with more.

      Delete
    3. I used to play a 25-string (small) lap harp with bronze strings. Lovely, ringing tones. I enjoyed it, but I more or less fell away from my own amateur attempts when I started hanging out with serious musicians. You should try it, Karen. It's much easier than it looks. Red is C, blue is F, and after that it's just like the white keys on the piano.

      Delete
    4. That's wonderful, Karen. I hope you get to take that trip to Kenya. I went to South Africa on business twice during the 1990s and had a great time. At some of the bazaars I saw some of the biggest djembes! I actually bought one (normal size) and had it shipped back home. Haven't played it but it's a nice decorative item.

      Delete
    5. That's wonderful, Karen. I hope you get to take that trip to Kenya. I went to South Africa on business twice during the 1990s and had a great time. At some of the bazaars I saw some of the biggest djembes! I actually bought one (normal size) and had it shipped back home. Haven't played it but it's a nice decorative item.

      Delete
    6. THIS IS LISA BRAXTON RESPONDING: That's wonderful, Karen. I hope you get to take that trip to Kenya. I went to South Africa on business twice during the 1990s and had a great time. At some of the bazaars I saw some of the biggest djembes! I actually bought one (normal size) and had it shipped back home. Haven't played it but it's a nice decorative item.

      Delete
  5. Good interview Hallie and Lisa. Congratulations Lisa for The Talking Drum, I'm looking forward to reading it.
    My ex-husband was a drummer in a group that played in parties, weddings and social events in the sixties. He also liked to try his hands on many kinds of drums and instruments. I know how hard he practiced and how all his body and soul went in his music.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THIS IS LISA BRAXTON RESPONDING: Danielle I developed such an appreciation for hand drumming and the work that drummers put into it. I'll never view hand drumming the same way again.

      Delete
  6. Congratulations on your new release! I look forward to reading it.

    A jazz violin concert in a wine garden in New Orleans. Transcendent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Margaret, when my husband was stationed at the Pentagon and lived in D.C. and I was visiting, I'd go tot the mini jazz concerts in the sculpture garden at the National Gallery of Art. I loved those so much.

      Delete
  7. Lisa, congratulations on your debut novel--I love books where music percolates through the story--becomes a character, a theme, a teasing thread weaving elements of the plot and characters together.

    Music in unexpected moments in unexpected places--that's what I find sublime.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Flora. This is Lisa Braxton. Thank you for your kind words.

      Delete
  8. I'm looking forward to reading your book, Lisa. I'm always up for a story that includes "race and gender politics and economic inequality", as Hallie has described it. Not small issues to tackle!

    As for musical instruments, my skill ends at the recorder, sadly. I love the sound of the cello and the saxophone, and these summer days I am enjoying the piano music that comes from our neighbours' house: all four members of that family play the instrument and we can tell who's playing by what type of music it is. A fun bonus for us of open windows during the warmer weather.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is reminding me of when I lived on 118th Street and Morningside Drive and an across-the-street neighbor and his rock band practiced in an apartment. Windows had to be open, no a/c... :-p

      Delete
    2. Amanda: This is Lisa Braxton. I took piano lessons for years and didn't have a passion for it. But the piano lessons actually helped me memorize the rhythms as I was learning drumming. So all those piano lessons during childhood weren't a waste after all!

      Delete
  9. Hallie asks, "Have you experienced a musical instrument, in the hands of a master, speaking to you?" Well, yeah. That's kind of my job, when I get to work at it. If you want to hear one that can bring tears to my eyes, hit YouTube for the Dallas Winds performing Omar Thomas' very timely "Of Our New Day Begun." I love it.

    But I've also had experience with drums. I hung, for a while, with a West African drumming group in Dallas. They were amazing, but my kinesthetic dyslexia (don't know my left from my right unless I think about it) kicked in and I quickly learned that my brain would lock up when I tried to master even the simplest drumming patterns.

    Then, in our summer band camp, we started teaching basic rhythm and counting to the beginners through a drum circle. On the first day I overheard a sulky young lady say, "I don't know why I have to do percussion lab. I play the flute!" On the second day that same young lady raced past me, shouting to her friend, "Dibs on the djembe!" By the end of camp, those kids could count.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congratulations on your first novel Lisa! I wish you lots of success with it.

      Delete
    2. So interesting, Gigi -- And I love the kids who came around to drumming. Sounds like so much fun.

      Delete
    3. Gigi: This is Lisa Braxton. I think that African drumming can have a hypnotic affect (in a good way) on people once they get into it. It's really soothing. That's why so many people are really committed to the instrument once they try it.

      Delete
    4. I think African drumming is wonderful, Lisa. I love free drumming, where you can pound as you please, but formal patterns flummox me. I think it's great that you're introducing more people to the magic it holds.

      Delete
  10. Congratulations! This is fascinating! And I will watch the video. Lesa, you and I met such a long time ago… And I am so thrilled for you! Tell us a bit more about the book. Xxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hank: So good to hear from you. We connected when I was president of the Boston Chapter of Women's National Book Association. You were keynote speaker for one of our programs. I am so grateful that you were so generous with your time. The Talking Drum is the story of three young couples and how they are affected when an urban redevelopment project takes over a neighborhood.
      A newlywed couple in which the husband wants to open a bookstore in an urban area of the city thinking that they will benefit from the gentrification that is coming, that they will get more foot traffic. A couple that lives in the area that is set to be taken by eminent domain and the fault lines in their relationship. Another couple in which the boyfriend is working with the mayor to get businesses to move into town with the idea that they will benefit from the new development. There's also an arsonist running around wreaking havoc. It was a fun story to write.

      Delete
    2. Hank: THIS IS LISA BRAXTON REPLYING: Hank: So good to hear from you. We connected when I was president of the Boston Chapter of Women's National Book Association. You were keynote speaker for one of our programs. I am so grateful that you were so generous with your time. The Talking Drum is the story of three young couples and how they are affected when an urban redevelopment project takes over a neighborhood.
      A newlywed couple in which the husband wants to open a bookstore in an urban area of the city thinking that they will benefit from the gentrification that is coming, that they will get more foot traffic. A couple that lives in the area that is set to be taken by eminent domain and the fault lines in their relationship. Another couple in which the boyfriend is working with the mayor to get businesses to move into town with the idea that they will benefit from the new development. There's also an arsonist running around wreaking havoc. It was a fun story to write.

      Delete
  11. Last summer we were in a courtyard outside a museum in Florence and a man was set up in the corner playing water-filled glasses. The acoustics were amazing and the overall effect mesmerizing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Welcome Lisa. Your book sounds interesting--would love to hear a bit more about it. And I'm always fascinated by the lengths writers go for research!

    I love music, and listening to people play who also love music and have the talent I lack is one of my favorite things in the world.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cindy: This is Lisa Braxton. Speaking of the lengths writers go to research! I spent quite a bit of time at a Senegalese restaurant in Boston learning about the cuisine to create my Senegalese restaurant owner. I had no choice but to try all of the delectable dishes and fruity drinks. Tough gig, but you do what you have to LOL!

      Delete
  13. Lisa, welcome to JRW and congratulations on your novel, Talking Drum. It is still spring for one more week? So does that mean your novel will be published next week? Is your novel literary fiction or a mystery novel? I want to read your novel. The first time I heard of Senegal was when I was in a French language class and our teacher mentioned that people speak French in Senegal. She showed us where Senegal was on the map of the African continent. Drums was the only music I could hear and play since I lost my hearing as a very young child. I think it was the vibrations from the drums.

    Out of curiosity, when you mentioned your research to your research class, what happened?

    Diana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! This is Lisa Braxton. The publication date of my novel was a moving target. The Canadian publication date was April 29th. The U.S. date was May 30th. Amazon listed it as June 15th. The Talking Drum is classified as literary fiction. People have been very impressed with the research I've done. They've found the story about the flirtatious master drummer amusing and I actually got a couple of friends to come out with me to the Senegalese restaurant.

      Delete
  14. Lisa, congratulations on your debut novel! I love coming across a subject that piques my interest and of which I have little to no knowledge. Drumming is such a subject for me. It's funny, but I realize that I have forever and a day enjoyed beating out rhythms to a song, like I was drumming. How much fun it must be to actually learn the proper methods of drumming, with hand drumming being especially intriguing. I recently watched a street drummer by the name of Malik Dope on America's Got Talent, and he was amazing. He had a series of snare drums and using the sticks at times like twirling batons, this young man blew me away with his talent. So, from my interest in drumming to reading your new book, Lisa, will be a delight.

    As far as musical instruments go, I play the piano, but not that well, and I no longer have a piano, something I might address soon. I played the bassoon in junior high and high school, and I loved that quirky instrument so. I regret not continuing playing it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kathy: This is Lisa Braxton. It's funny. I took the drumming lessons as research for my book about 8 years ago. I did a presentation on Zoom for my book earlier this week and they wanted me to do a drumming demonstration. I was petrified! But after spending a couple of days practicing, the little bit of drumming skill I had acquired, came back to me.

      Delete
    2. I'm glad the skill came back to you, Lisa. I've had some nightmares about being in a concert somewhere with the bassoon and being expected to play it, but I had forgotten everything.

      Delete
  15. Hi Lisa, and congratulations on your novel! Your research sounds fascinating, especially the Senegalese food! I'd love to know what sort of things you tried. I'm totally non-musical, but love listening, and I particularly like the cello. I would listen to Yo-yo Ma play anything, but his Bach Cello Concertos never fail to sweep me away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Deborah: This is Lisa Braxton. A dish called Mafe (with an accent on the "e") was my favorite at the Senegalese restaurant and to make at home: Peanut Lamb stew. Very labor intensive to make at home but definitely worth it!

      Delete
  16. I play no instrument though tried violin for one semester, unfortunately the teacher was very ill and we had many substitutes so the consistency was lost, after a semester I gave up. I did sing in choirs, church and school, for 20+ years. I also would page turned for our organists for probably the last 10 of those years, when asked. As Gigi can probably tell you page turning isn't just turning the page at the end of the page. But that's off the subject. I have sung (and page turned) with an organist at the end of his career though he was pulled out of retirement more than once, one who beyond just starting his career but a bit older than me so he was considered young and one that was technically excellent but lacked the feel of his predecessors. You could blindfold me, put all three organists in the room, playing the same piece of music on the same instrument, of course, and I could usually tell you who was who.

    You book sounds fascinating, Lisa. I'm sure I will enjoy it and I think my sister would also enjoy it, we have very different tastes in books and authors.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comments Deana. It sounds like you have a very discerning ear. I hope you enjoy the book.

      Delete
  17. This sounds great. Congratulations, Lisa! Can't wait to read it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sarah: This is Lisa Braxton. Thank you, Sarah, for your support. I hope you enjoy my book!

      Delete
  18. Lisa, congratulations! I'm looking forward to reading your novel...on my way to the Indie store after I post.
    Years ago, a friend---principal cellist for an orchestra---played a duet with Yo Yo Ma. My friend was technically perfect, but revealed little emotion. With Ma, every emotion was revealed through his face, his body, the way his fingers moved, the angle of his bow. It was magical.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Victoria: Thank you for commenting. I'd love to go to a Yo Yo Ma live performance one day. Your impressions remind me of the emotion I saw from master drummers when I was taking classes. There was one instructor who would close his eyes and led his head tilt to the side and press his tongue into his cheek. He looked like he was in a trance and was interesting to watch.

      Delete