Kora classes at Mama Santchaba

Greetings. I'm back in Brikama after three nights at Mama Santchaba resort near Kartong. Moriba has had classes where he teaches Kora and Djembe to about 4 people a day. The classes are about an hour and a half long. I've actually had the chance to sit in with him on a few classes, acting as a mentor to the students. They usually ask me the questions that Moriba cannot understand, such as "Where is the beat" or "Which note comes next" or "What was the first note of that last variation you just played". All of which are valid questions, but none of them really have a definitive answer when it comes to the Kora. Listening to some of the questions presented brings me back to the mindset that I used to have when I first started playing the Kora. I believed that the music would be easy to follow and somewhat standard in terms of the notes played, and what was played when. It's not that was at all. There are definitely "melodies" that are played which define particular songs, but rarely are they played the same by two Kora players. And variations are merely whatever fancies you at any given moment. I would describe Kora music as 80 percent improvisational.
I don't know what else I can really say in this post. Driving back from Kartong to Brikama with Peter and Moriba, the road was lined with army men in uniform, with heavy automatic machine guns. We all suspected that the president was near.
I'll be here in Brikama for a few days, then back out to Mama Santchaba early on Monday for more classes.

I hope all is well back in Olympia, Seattle, or wherever you may be reading from.

Salaam aleka