Always on
This project successfully funded on 3rd October 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
This project successfully funded on 3rd October 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
To create/promote diverse Frame Drum & singing cultural traditions; to cover venue hire, artists fees, marketing & promotion
About Me
Hello, my name is Elizabeth Nott. I'm a musician, percussionist, drum circle facilitator, sound healer, and tutor. I studied Ethnomusicology at SOAS over 20 years ago, focusing on the music of the Middle East. Since then, I've performed with artists such as Maya Youssef, Ahmed Mukhtar, Tatcho Drom, and Amira Kheir, and have led workshops in Middle Eastern and Balkan percussion traditions for 15 years (mainly on the Frame Drum and Darbuka). For more information about me go to www.elizabethnott.co.uk
Why This Crowdfunding
My aim is to create and promote monthly series of events that showcases artists from different cultures of the frame drum (from Kurdish Daf and song, to the Galician pandereta, Tamburello and pizza from Italy, Arabic song and percussion from Syria, Brazilian pandeiro and beyond) — allowing us to learn from their unique approaches, techniques, and musical contexts. Song and drumming go hand in hand, and so this series combine these two musical elements to give a better/more complete context to the rhythms and melodies learnt. I believe this kind of cultural exchange is both musically and spiritually enriching.
But I can’t do this alone. I can not just depend of ticket sales. I need to book in advance venues, artists transport, for this and for next year, and make sure artists fee are paid no matter what.
Your support will help me cover:
Room hire
Sound technician for concerts
Artist fees
Accommodation
Marketing
Promo Material (I.e videos, posters )
The aim is to start the series in the last week of October 2025 or beginning of November, with one event per month until July 2026. With the rewards you get from this page you make sure you secure tickets for workshops and concert in advance!
About the Frame Drum
A frame drum is a type of hand drum characterised by a shallow, circular frame that supports a drumhead (typically made of animal hide or synthetic material). The width of the drumhead is significantly larger than the depth of the frame. It can contain cymbals around the frame (e.g riq or tamburello) as well as chain of rings hanging from the inside (e.g. Daf), or not have any of that at all (e.g. tar, bendir, shamanic drum)
The frame drum is one of the oldest instruments in the world, with origins in Central Asia and the Middle East. It has travelled along trade routes like the Silk Road, adapting to local cultures across Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and Latin America.
Traditionally, it's been played in rituals, ceremonies, and celebrations — from weddings and seasonal festivals to healing and spiritual practices. And they always accompany signing! Though often played with the hands, variations like the Irish bodhrán use and the shamanic drum use sticks, showing the instrument’s incredible diversity.
Modern players like Glen Velez and Zohar Fresco have helped evolve a new, hybrid technique — and I’ve had the honour of studying with both of them. The depth and versatility of this drum still amaze me! So, there will also be workshops about this "new tradition" in which the drum takes the main role and is played mainly as a solo instrument.
If you want to be part of our Frame Drum community you can join our Facebook Page "Frame Drums UK" following this link HERE
Thank you for taking the time to read and support this project — whether through a donation or simply spreading the word. Every bit helps bring this vision to life.
Warm wishes,
Elizabeth
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made