How does a drummer transition from keeping time to playing "inside the music"? In this session, Sergio Bellotti (Berklee College of Music) and handpan master Loris Lombardo explore the sophisticated role of the drummer as a melodic architect. When paired with the handpan—a world of fixed pitches and delicate resonances—the drumset must be reimagined as a full percussion ensemble.

Bellotti demonstrates how to cultivate melodic and dynamic awareness, teaching drummers to orchestrate various textures and sounds to complement the duo's unique sonic landscape. The clinic focuses heavily on the physics of dynamics: how to play with intensity and groove while maintaining the extreme sensitivity required to respect the acoustic character of the handpan.

Simultaneously, the duo explores a reciprocal exchange where the handpan absorbs vocabulary, linear phrasing, and rudimental language from the world of drumming. Through original compositions and arrangements, attendees will learn how to bridge the gap between "dreamlike" meditative sounds and a high-energy, rhythmic-driven performance.