As Printed in The Belly Dancer Magazine
Practice Music for Drummers and Dancers
Volumes One and Two - Mary Ellen Donald
Reviewed By: Johonna Gamble
As I walked through Rakkasah West this spring I thoroughly enjoyed seeing many celebrating the 25th anniversary. For some it was a time to reflect on how far we have progressed towards more 'mainstream' dance, for others it was a chance to show how we are still retaining what we hold dear, and for others, like me, it was a chance to find some real audio beauties newly released to CD.
After browsing through the new to CD items at Mary Ellen Donald's table, I purchased Volumes One and Two of her Practice Music for Drummers and Dancers. Hoping I had just found a resource that would save me hours of combing through my music collection and sitting in front of my computer making CD's for my classes, I was thrilled by the idea of 18 minutes straight of a single rhythm. After taking it back to my hotel and listening I was even more pleased with my find.
With 6 or more songs in each rhythm's set, and more than 3 rhythms on each volume, any drummer or dancer could use these. Set up to have sections in each rhythm with instrumental accompaniment and no drum, these are great for practicing drums or finger cymbals as well as dance steps and taqsim work. Furthermore these sets are made up of groups of traditional songs giving listeners a good selection from which to develop an ear for middle eastern music.
The sound quality on all the CD's in these two sets, originally recorded in 1979, is very good. My only suggestion for them would have been to have one CD per volume so that rhythms not be split over 2 CD's. It is obvious though that they took extra time and attention to bring these over to CD. There is no obvious background noise, sounds like someone softly talking or another track playing in the background. They did an excellent job.
I can highly recommend these for any dancer/drummer as great practice tools and teaching aids. They don't have any vocal tracks to talk over and there is lots of time to get comfortable with each rhythm and practice. With the added bonus of two complete dance sets on Volume Two these CD sets have exactly what I was looking for and then some.
Comment from Zaina: You can visit Mary Ellen Donald’s Web Site for more information. And just a tip - - if you have not yet visited this web site you are in for a real treat -HUGE TREAT! She has audio clips, music sheets for musicians and dancers alike, and so much more - - - and of course easy access to order merchandise. This is a fantastic teaching tool for any Instructor, not only will you be helping your students build their skills, but you will "hone" yours as well.
http://www.maryellendonald.com
