In one of my favorite books, Vagabonding, Rolf Potts suggests travelers walk until their day becomes interesting. More than any guidebook list of a city's "must see" attractions, this is the piece of travel advice I follow consistently. And today that meant I ended up crashing an open-air djemebe drum class, showing off my Matrix moves, and stumbilng upon my favorite street performence so far.
Walking along Flinders Avenue, I see rows and rows of djembe (pronounced "Jim-bay") drums lined up along the steps next to the Moving Image museum. Two guys dressed in colorful patterned clothes look like they were getting ready to teach a class. Intrigued, I sit down. Moments later the steps flood with college students. Apparently I slipped into their djembe class but the instructor is ready to begin so I figure I might as well stay at this point!
He teaches us the three basic djembe striking techniques--bass, tone, and slap. Bass occurs when you strike the middle of the drum with your palm and tone when you hit the rim. Slap is a trickier movement, requiring more relaxed fingers and specific placement of the arm. The charismatic instructor strung four drum patterns together and pretty soon most of us were, more or less, following along! I had never played music in such a large group setting and it felt powerful!
Afterwards I wander into the Australian Center of the Moving Image--a fantastic ode to the history of film, television, and digital culture. In the "Games Lab" section, I indulge in nostalgia playing favorites such as Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog and Nintendo's Super Mario Brothers. Another fun exhibit is "Voices" where a series of televisions display the variations of the Australian accent. Paul Hogan's (of Crocdile Dundee fame) "Come and Say G'Day" Australian Tourism campaign from the 80s is hilarious. But the best exhibit is within the "Sensation" section called Timeslice. You walk into a small round room decorated with the classic Matrix green code. Once you've pressed the white button you wait 3 seconds then perform your "move" at which point 36 cameras will capture you from all angles. Exiting the room, you can watch your timeslice movie on a touch-screen on the other side. It is challenging to get a cool-looking move exactly on cue but super fun trying to!
My last stop is Swanston Street where I listen to a doe-eyed french guy play acoustic guitar so gorgeously I was on the brink of tears. He plays a steel string guitar but with a classical technique, picking a complex melody with his long fingernails. Next door and up a long staircase, I dine at Gopal's vegetarian restaurant. As I enjoy my coconut marinated tempeh and mixed green salad I can still hear his music from below wafting through an open window.
TWO days to go until Asia--woot woot!
Walking along Flinders Avenue, I see rows and rows of djembe (pronounced "Jim-bay") drums lined up along the steps next to the Moving Image museum. Two guys dressed in colorful patterned clothes look like they were getting ready to teach a class. Intrigued, I sit down. Moments later the steps flood with college students. Apparently I slipped into their djembe class but the instructor is ready to begin so I figure I might as well stay at this point!
He teaches us the three basic djembe striking techniques--bass, tone, and slap. Bass occurs when you strike the middle of the drum with your palm and tone when you hit the rim. Slap is a trickier movement, requiring more relaxed fingers and specific placement of the arm. The charismatic instructor strung four drum patterns together and pretty soon most of us were, more or less, following along! I had never played music in such a large group setting and it felt powerful!
Afterwards I wander into the Australian Center of the Moving Image--a fantastic ode to the history of film, television, and digital culture. In the "Games Lab" section, I indulge in nostalgia playing favorites such as Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog and Nintendo's Super Mario Brothers. Another fun exhibit is "Voices" where a series of televisions display the variations of the Australian accent. Paul Hogan's (of Crocdile Dundee fame) "Come and Say G'Day" Australian Tourism campaign from the 80s is hilarious. But the best exhibit is within the "Sensation" section called Timeslice. You walk into a small round room decorated with the classic Matrix green code. Once you've pressed the white button you wait 3 seconds then perform your "move" at which point 36 cameras will capture you from all angles. Exiting the room, you can watch your timeslice movie on a touch-screen on the other side. It is challenging to get a cool-looking move exactly on cue but super fun trying to!
My last stop is Swanston Street where I listen to a doe-eyed french guy play acoustic guitar so gorgeously I was on the brink of tears. He plays a steel string guitar but with a classical technique, picking a complex melody with his long fingernails. Next door and up a long staircase, I dine at Gopal's vegetarian restaurant. As I enjoy my coconut marinated tempeh and mixed green salad I can still hear his music from below wafting through an open window.
TWO days to go until Asia--woot woot!
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