Defi: From Epirus to the Southern Balkans
Description
The workshop begins with the Epirus def and expands its exploration to related instruments, rhythms, and playing styles from the broader region of the Southern Balkans. The goal is to become more familiar with the instrument’s sound, to organize the strikes with greater clarity, and to gain a deeper understanding of the structure of the rhythms we play.
Starting with the split-hand technique and its expanded application to the defi, we will work on different ways of moving, alternating hands, and connecting beats. This technique is used to achieve greater ease, clarity, and awareness of rhythmic subdivisions.
We will also study rhythms outside the usual Epirus repertoire. Through this comparison, we will return to the distinctive meters of Konitsa and Metsovo, examining how they are structured, how they flow, and how they acquire their unique character. At the same time, we will explore the “dahare” through selected musical examples from Drama.
The workshop is based on many years of experience in playing and teaching, as well as on organized exercise materials and audiovisual documentation.
This class is also recommended for beginners; however, the material will be tailored to the group’s average skill level.
Instruments used: upright frame drums. Specifically, primarily defs and, by extension, bendirs, dahares, daires, tamborellos, and similar instruments.
Alexandros Rizopoulos
Alexandros Rizopoulos (Musician, Ethnomusicologist, PhD) was born in Ioannina (1982), received his musical training in Thessaloniki, and lives in Athens. His music is associated with both the traditional and the art music scenes. For years, he has focused on the study of percussion in festive performances. He has composed music for interdisciplinary productions (Aurekios the Messenger) and is active as a recording artist primarily with the groups Alenti, People of the Wind, and “Sima Vounou” (solo performance). He teaches traditional percussion in the Department of Music Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.