A few years ago, while touring in India, I kept my eyes open for any artistic representations of musicians playing the dafli (frame drum). In Jodhpur, I found this figure in a larger group of musicians, playing her dafli with great delight. I love the way she raises her left leg and plays her drum while balanced on her right leg. I am given to understand that these traditional handicrafts are produced by whole families within a village cottage industry setting. The men of the family carve the figures out of a soft white wood and the women then hand paint each figure in the brightly coloured traditional Rajasthani style. My Dafli player stands eight inches high. I have posed her in front of a dafli which I purchased in Toronto in "Little India" on Gerrard Street.
Biblical Drumming for Worship Today
Roadie's Blog
I am Bob, Betty Lynn's partner and Roadie. When she holds a drumming workshop, I do the driving, set up the drums, make sure the PowerPoint is working, and then sort of disappear. As a hobby, I have taken to "antiquing" in the vicinity, looking for figurines and other pieces depicting frame drummers. Sometimes I am lucky, many times I am not, but as time passes our collection slowly grows. This blog, in the coming weeks, will share some of our finds with you. Perhaps you will share some of yours with us.
