One-off Challenge 21: Learn The Bongos

This challenge is courtesy of...

Ben Schiller. 

The challenge

Learn the bongos. 

I am as white as they come and I do not, j in any way shape or form, have rhythm. Anyone who has seen me attempt to play a Guitar Hero game can attest to this. Still, bongos are just about a simple as instruments come, so we should be ok, yes? 

Well... 

I'm admit the first problem was not one I'd anticipated, namely we don't own bongos and nor does anyone else nearby. So I'm going to bend the rules a little and learn the djembe instead. It's a drum that you got with your hands, comes with its own string to assist in taking it to a hippie drum circle and would most definitely not be allowed in to the Court of Session. Close enough to bongos for me! 

Also, Donna owns one, so that's a plus.

I got a quick lesson from Donna on picking up the drum and then it was down to picking a rhythm to learn and some practice. (The practice was made harder by the fact that the two little ones kept on "helping" me play and that the dog tried to eat the drum every time I played it.) I kept at it, like a slightly arythmic robot, however, and by Saturday was able to knock out my chosen beat for a whole minute without fucking up. 



That'll do. 

Observations from this challenge:

1. Repeatedly slapping my right hand up and down makes my arm sore. Apparently I need to think up some sort of physical activity that uses the same  movement and practice it a lot... 

2. The drums are not my natural instrument. 

Challenge complete!
Will I be doing it again?

Drum circles are not my natural habitat in the way the drums are not my natural instrument, so hopefully not! 

Long-term updates

French words "learned" (according to the memrise app):658.

Daily photos taken? Yes.

Swordfighting learnt: None due to work. Hopefully back to it this week.

I am currently reading: I've just finished Delusions Of Gender by Cordelia Fine. I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in gender, science or, well, just life in general really. It's a good book. 

"Cheat" days on food since last week: One. A lot of snacks at roleplay on Saturday.

"Cheat" days on exercise: Yeah, nah, as the Aussies would say.

 This week's favourite drawing:
Lux!

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