Thanks Kobi

While I am starting out this blog and sending out thanks to all those who have inspired me, I have to give a special thanks to Kobi Hageol. I was very fortunate to be able to take a lesson from Kobi when he was on tour in the states last January (2005). He made a stop in the bay area and he did a special workshop at Rhythm Fusion in Santa Cruz.

I had seen his name in an email newsletter from Rhythm Fusion, but I didn't really know anything about Kobi. So I dropped him an email to introduce myself before he came over from Israel on his tour. Kobi is an amazing guy. Even though we only spent two hours together, I couldn't believe the speed and skill with which he played the drum. Amazing... Complex rhythms and a flurry of fingers rolled across the drum head. I learned much from Kobi in that two hour lesson. The most memorable tip he gave me was to rest as much as possible between each strike, taking a few milliseconds here and there to relax your arm and hand muscles, so that you can have the stamina to play for a whole evening. Good advice. Thanks Kobi!!

By the way, if you want to get your hands on one of the best engineered Dumbeks, check out Kobi's design. I've got one on my wish list... Kobi is also the author of an excellent book/CD on Middle Eastern Rhythms titled: The Art of Middle Eastern Rhythm