Sound & Rhythm Drumming Studio, Portland

Clifford Koufman’s fascination with drums of all kind has taken him around the world in search of guidance from renowned musicians by the likes of Bruce Becker, Arabic master drummer Souhail Kaspar, Guinean Grandmasters of the djembe Famoudou Konate, and Mamady Keita. Koufman has used his refined drumming powers and extensive musical experience for good as a therapeutic music specialist who has visited several Portland-area children’s hospitals and as the founder of Sound & Rhythm Drumming Studio. There, since 1999 he has specialized in teaching one-on-one and group West African drum lessons on authentic djembes and dununs, demystifying concepts such as beat displacement and polyrhythms for his hand-drumming protégés. Students can also bring drumsticks and learn to tame a standard drum kit, learning the music theory and time-keeping techniques needed to perfectly execute Rachmaninoff’s little-known triangle solos. Nashville-based musician. Nashville numbers system, African drumming and drum set.