Berlin frame drum school
frame drum courses for all levels
Join the frame drum community, develop your musicality and indulge in the rhythmic flow! I’m Borys Slowikowski – percussionist, educator, and psychologist. I offer individual and group classes in modern frame drums, as well as drum circles, drumming retreats, and rhythmic couching for musicians.
The lessons are adjusted to the needs of student – whether it’s professional goals, hobby, meditative practice, self-development or boosting rhythmic skills.
If you already play frame drums, I will help you systemise your practice, develop your sound, improve dexterity and take your playing to another level.
If you have never studied any instrument before, I will guide you step-by-step, building up an ability to play, re-accessing your musicality and finding joy in making music.
There is no such thing as ‘lack of the sense of the rhythm’ or ‘lack of musical skills’. Everyone has capabilities to become a musical being.


approach
In my artistic and teaching practice I focus on three instruments from the world of frame drums: modern ‘lap-style’ frame drum, modern ‘upright’ frame drum and riqq. I have studied each of them under the guidance of Zohar Fresco since 2010 as well as riqq from Yshai Afterman in 2020-2022. Click the button below to read more about frame drums and the techniques that I teach.
I provide my students with exercises and compositions to expand their understanding of rhythm and develop their playing skills. We work with traditional grooves and their countless variations, become friends with odd time signatures, practice limb independence, make first (and further) steps in improvisation, learn to compose our own rhythms and phrases… All in a very systematic approach, adjusted to the pace of each student.
music is movement!
Music is a basic human need, a practice crucial for individual and communal health. Developing one’s musicality for me means also developing one’s relationship with their body and sensuality. A method I use to teach rhythmology, is what I call Bodies In Pulse!-Pulse in Bodies! (BIP!/PIB!) that I have been researching since 2013. It relies both on developing rhythmicality through an intuitional somatic practice, and on deepening the understanding of rhythm.
Also when it comes to teaching drum techniques, I pay a great attention to the body: it’s posture, breath, presence, responsiveness. The whole playing system of Zohar Fresco is built around the topic of ergonomics of movement, which makes it quite unique in the world of traditional percussion. Being a somatic practitioner and dancer, I continue to research his approach, developing exercises which help to make learning more intuitive.

Types of courses and classes
Discovery workshops
Introduction to basic techniques and rhythmics
Drum circles
Sessions focused on rhythmic development and group playing.
Regular groups
In-depth studying in a systematic approach
Frame drum camps
Intensive workshops in natural settings

Individual lessons
In-person or online.

impressions
Borys Slowikowski is a fantastic teacher. To learn with him is a gratifying experience driven through curiosity; exploring rhythm and the elasticity of time-travel. The emphasis is on strengthening listening and assimilation while we play together.
Borys is a very skilled teacher, who can move seamlessly in one lesson between a purely technical approach to rhythm analysis and playing the instrument on one side, and a more intuitive playful approach on the other, so he always manage to find the leverage point for the learning process to happen. Highly recommended also for individual lessons!








EVENTS
past courses and workshops
Weekly classes for beginners 2023
A new frame drum course is starting on 29.03 in Berlin!
Explore the frame drum! Introductory workshops
This workshop is an introduction to the world of frame drums, open to participants of any level – including those that never played any instrument before!
Rahmentrommel Intensivkurs | Frame Drum course ⬤ June-July
24th of June – 11th of July
6 classes / 2 hours per class / 12 hours in total
An opportunity to learn the solid basics for playing a hand frame drum, open to participants of any level, starting from the complete beginners.
Classes in Poznan, Poland
In case you are interested in joining, please send me an email: borys.drums@gmail.com new group for beginners in Poznan: open call! TO BE ANNOUNCED! start: September 2025 Intensive weekend workshops twice a month. Write me if you'd like receive the updates. Poznan...
Introduction to frame drums – classes in Berlin
A possibility to get to know the frame drum, learn basic techniques and play together. Spots are very limited!
Frame drum courses in Berlin – part 1. New groups starting in May and October
10-weeks course to build solid basics in the lapstyle frame drum technique