Van De Velde Dworsky A. & Sansby B. - Slap Happy !
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Information
Information
Manufacturer Information
Van De Velde
https://www.van-de-velde.fr
info@henry-lemoine.com
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Safety manager:
Hexamusic
Email: hexamusic@wanadoo.fr
Address:
Summary of This Method
Slap Happy! offers a playful and very concrete approach to familiarize yourself with African and Afro-Caribbean rhythms, without instruments. The principle is simple: the body becomes your percussion. By tapping feet, clapping hands, and combining different strikes, you quickly develop listening skills, coordination, and a sense of pulse.
This method is designed as a true idea box of rhythmic games: proposals to perform solo to work on regularity, in pairs to learn rhythmic dialogue, or in groups to create a collective dynamic. It is a resource particularly suited to contexts where making music easily is desired (classroom, workshop, animation, family practice), while maintaining musical rigor: placement, tempo stability, precision of attacks, and quality of unison.
The content is based on rhythms and grooves from strong traditions, with an openness to several cultural areas. You will thus discover the Kuku from Guinea, the Sunguru Bani from Mali, the Bomba from Puerto Rico, and the Conga from Cuba, and draw inspiration from them to build sequences, responses, overlays, and call-and-response games. An ideal way to approach polyrhythm and the sensation of cycles, while remaining accessible to all levels.
In practice, Slap Happy! helps establish essential foundations: tempo grounding, independence of gestures, rhythmic memory, group listening, and confidence in movement. A lively method, perfect for learning while moving, feeling the groove, and making the music "sound right away."
Technical specifications
| Theme | Music theory | ||
| Instrumentation | Body percussion (hand claps, foot taps) | Genre | Rhythmic method, introduction to African and Afro-Caribbean rhythms |
Questions frequently asked
Is an instrument required to work with Slap Happy!?
No instrument is required: hand claps and foot taps are the percussion methods used in the method.
Is this method suitable for beginners in rhythm?
The approach is based on concrete rhythmic exercises and remains accessible at all levels. The exercises address regularity, listening, and pulse through movement.
Can this method be used in group workshops or in the classroom?
The method offers activities solo, in pairs, and in groups. Collective games develop rhythmic dialogue and unison precision. Its content adapts to classroom, workshop, or family practice contexts.
Which African and Afro-Caribbean rhythms are covered?
The content is based notably on Kuku from Guinea and Sunguru Bani from Mali. Bomba from Puerto Rico and Conga from Cuba are also included among the references presented.
Does the method help to understand polyrhythm?
Layering, sequences, and call-and-response games allow the approach to polyrhythm. The sense of cycle is worked on using African and Afro-Caribbean grooves.
