Drumming & Storying
I recently submitted an article to Soul Pilgrim, an eletronic journal about "walking the sacred path in everyday life." I'm hoping that the artist will let me post a link on my site so my visitors can download this journal in pdf format.
I wanted to post my article here as well....as always please feel free to comment.
Blessings,
Kris
Listening to your Soul’s Rhythms
Where I come from we say that rhythm is the soul of life, because the
whole universe revolves around rhythm, and when we get out of rhythm,
that's when we get into trouble. For this reason the drum, next to the
human voice, is our most important instrument. It is special.
--Babatunde Olatunji
Nigerian drummer
One of my greatest personal challenges in life has been to follow my own lead, my own beat. As Babatunde reflects, “the whole universe revolves around rhythm,” and I imagine this as a driving heartbeat that never ceases. I’ve spent many years meditating and sometimes channeling the universal rhythm into my body. Like cosmic stardust, it is a great healer. I wonder how this universal rhythm operates in tandem with the universal harmonic: the harmony of the spheres.
All of the planets in our solar system and indeed the whole cosmos each vibrate at their own frequency. Astrologers would say this is why each individual has a unique harmonic blueprint, since our bodies are made of stardust. The same can be said of different drums. Each drum has its own voice that is expressed through contact with human hands. No one can play my drum and make it sing the way I do; that doesn’t mean that I am superior in any way. All it does mean is that the alchemical combination of my soul and the drum’s soul create a unique sound.
Even the material that a drum is made of, whether it is metal or wood, imprints it with its own voice. The drum is considered a living, breathing sacred instrument in many cultures all over the world. For example, in Africa the drum is venerated partly because of its ability to mimic the voice of the gods and goddesses, and also because it is an extension of nature:
Among the Yorubas of Nigeria (and presumably in other areas of Africa also), the very first step in the making of a drum is the ceremony which placates the spirit inhabiting the tree that is to be cut down for the wood from which the drum-frame will be subsequently carved. (Spencer 69)
Nature is the driving force behind the sound of the drum. Each drum has a singular sound because of the tree it was carved from. When played, the voice of that particular tree spirit emanates from the drum. Humans do not choose drums, the drums definitely choose their humans.
For many who have never played a drum–please try it, it will change your life!-rhythm is never further away than your own body. The breath is rhythm, the heartbeat is rhythm. The body grows and changes, the body decays and dies. Rhythm is both circular and linear, vertical and horizontal. It moves in all directions and connects the past and the future with the present. The pulsating beat of a drum allows the consciousness to break from linear, temporal space into the eternal space-time continuum. Drumming is an integral part of the shamanic journey.
To accomplish the shamanic journey, the shaman enters into a specific type of altered state of consciousness that requires that he/she remain alert and aware. In this state, he or she is able to move at will between ordinary and nonordinary reality [...]the set and setting are dictated by the beliefs and ritualized ceremonies of the culture and, most relevant to this study, the rapid and sustained use of percussive sound. (Maxfield 1994)
In my own work, as performer and as workshop facilitator, I’m always amazed at how natural improvisational drumming is for beginners, sometimes even more so than for professional musicians. Although, learning correct hand technique and style are important skills, I emphasize listening and self-expression, along with a series of easy to play, yet complex rhythms. Most beginners learn the beats used in the drumming circle in less than forty-five minutes! A great accomplishment since many are learning authentic African, Middle Eastern and Latin American rhythms for the first time.
Once the different rhythms are under their belts, I lead them through a series of exercises that helps them to relax, play and speak at the same time. Once we do a run-through of the rhythms and everyone has had a chance to improvise, we begin to go around the circle and tell our stories and our dreams. With the rhythm putting the participants in a light trance, the stories take on a life of their own and fly through the atmosphere. What better way to celebrate the spirits, the faeries, the deities and the ancestors...and most importantly, ourselves.
Each year I become closer to my own internal rhythms and consequently it becomes easier to express the stories that are flowing out of my soul. Story is so personal, and each human being needs to hear another’s story as well as speak their own within the community. The territory of “storying” is shapeshifting and fluid, it is a powerful sacred space where magic, wonder and love is born. Connecting threads come out of our story and joins with others on a community and maybe even a global level. Drumming brings us together in a collective voice, while at the same time allows for individual expression.
The rhythm of your heartbeat tells a story--paint it, draw it, write it, act it, dance it, and of course, if so inclined, drum it.
Works Cited
Maxfield, Melinda. “The Journey of the Drum.” ReVision, Spring94, Vol. 16 Issue 4, p157, 7p.
Spencer, Jon Michael. “Rhythm in Black Religion of the African Diaspora. Journal of Religious Thought 44 (1988) : 67-83.
I wanted to post my article here as well....as always please feel free to comment.
Blessings,
Kris
Listening to your Soul’s Rhythms
Where I come from we say that rhythm is the soul of life, because the
whole universe revolves around rhythm, and when we get out of rhythm,
that's when we get into trouble. For this reason the drum, next to the
human voice, is our most important instrument. It is special.
--Babatunde Olatunji
Nigerian drummer
One of my greatest personal challenges in life has been to follow my own lead, my own beat. As Babatunde reflects, “the whole universe revolves around rhythm,” and I imagine this as a driving heartbeat that never ceases. I’ve spent many years meditating and sometimes channeling the universal rhythm into my body. Like cosmic stardust, it is a great healer. I wonder how this universal rhythm operates in tandem with the universal harmonic: the harmony of the spheres.
All of the planets in our solar system and indeed the whole cosmos each vibrate at their own frequency. Astrologers would say this is why each individual has a unique harmonic blueprint, since our bodies are made of stardust. The same can be said of different drums. Each drum has its own voice that is expressed through contact with human hands. No one can play my drum and make it sing the way I do; that doesn’t mean that I am superior in any way. All it does mean is that the alchemical combination of my soul and the drum’s soul create a unique sound.
Even the material that a drum is made of, whether it is metal or wood, imprints it with its own voice. The drum is considered a living, breathing sacred instrument in many cultures all over the world. For example, in Africa the drum is venerated partly because of its ability to mimic the voice of the gods and goddesses, and also because it is an extension of nature:
Among the Yorubas of Nigeria (and presumably in other areas of Africa also), the very first step in the making of a drum is the ceremony which placates the spirit inhabiting the tree that is to be cut down for the wood from which the drum-frame will be subsequently carved. (Spencer 69)
Nature is the driving force behind the sound of the drum. Each drum has a singular sound because of the tree it was carved from. When played, the voice of that particular tree spirit emanates from the drum. Humans do not choose drums, the drums definitely choose their humans.
For many who have never played a drum–please try it, it will change your life!-rhythm is never further away than your own body. The breath is rhythm, the heartbeat is rhythm. The body grows and changes, the body decays and dies. Rhythm is both circular and linear, vertical and horizontal. It moves in all directions and connects the past and the future with the present. The pulsating beat of a drum allows the consciousness to break from linear, temporal space into the eternal space-time continuum. Drumming is an integral part of the shamanic journey.
To accomplish the shamanic journey, the shaman enters into a specific type of altered state of consciousness that requires that he/she remain alert and aware. In this state, he or she is able to move at will between ordinary and nonordinary reality [...]the set and setting are dictated by the beliefs and ritualized ceremonies of the culture and, most relevant to this study, the rapid and sustained use of percussive sound. (Maxfield 1994)
In my own work, as performer and as workshop facilitator, I’m always amazed at how natural improvisational drumming is for beginners, sometimes even more so than for professional musicians. Although, learning correct hand technique and style are important skills, I emphasize listening and self-expression, along with a series of easy to play, yet complex rhythms. Most beginners learn the beats used in the drumming circle in less than forty-five minutes! A great accomplishment since many are learning authentic African, Middle Eastern and Latin American rhythms for the first time.
Once the different rhythms are under their belts, I lead them through a series of exercises that helps them to relax, play and speak at the same time. Once we do a run-through of the rhythms and everyone has had a chance to improvise, we begin to go around the circle and tell our stories and our dreams. With the rhythm putting the participants in a light trance, the stories take on a life of their own and fly through the atmosphere. What better way to celebrate the spirits, the faeries, the deities and the ancestors...and most importantly, ourselves.
Each year I become closer to my own internal rhythms and consequently it becomes easier to express the stories that are flowing out of my soul. Story is so personal, and each human being needs to hear another’s story as well as speak their own within the community. The territory of “storying” is shapeshifting and fluid, it is a powerful sacred space where magic, wonder and love is born. Connecting threads come out of our story and joins with others on a community and maybe even a global level. Drumming brings us together in a collective voice, while at the same time allows for individual expression.
The rhythm of your heartbeat tells a story--paint it, draw it, write it, act it, dance it, and of course, if so inclined, drum it.
Works Cited
Maxfield, Melinda. “The Journey of the Drum.” ReVision, Spring94, Vol. 16 Issue 4, p157, 7p.
Spencer, Jon Michael. “Rhythm in Black Religion of the African Diaspora. Journal of Religious Thought 44 (1988) : 67-83.
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