Calabash-Gourd Workshops

A gift of Mother Nature, the calabash gourd offers incredible versatility; a vessel for carrying water, holding food or even as a bassinet.

In the realm of African music the calabash is used as the resonating chamber for the kora (21-stringed harp), the kamele n’goni (young person’s harp) and the donso n’goni (hunter’s harp).  As a drum it is the perfect ‘kick and snare’, or, when placed on the surface of water it produces such an epic resounding bass note the listener can be forgiven for thinking this purely organic instrument is amplified, electronic, sounding just like an ‘808’.

Elliott Orr of Talkin the Drum imports calabashes from West Africa. He both performs with other musicians and has also developed a world-first ‘Calabash Gourd Drumming Workshop’. When playing in the water he goes by the stage name ‘Splash Gourdon’. Featured at the Island Vibe and Woodford Folk Festivals, this is set to make waves in the world of drumming. 

Whether in a hot tub, a swimming pool or in a lake this is the perfect ‘Byron Bay experience’; immersed in a lush natural setting while simultaneously enjoying a drum circle.