Drum 101 author: greg roberts version: DRAFT 0.31 date: 2002-11-12 table of contents introduction the concept of the drum circle chaos and order - slippage and synch yin and yang - drummers and dancers djimbe 101: general techniques practicing tips during free or circle play you and your drum further experiences introduction Drumming is perhaps the first form of human music, preceding perhaps even vocal arias and songs. The ability to amplify sound through the precussive striking of a hand, or a mallet, on a resonant surface (be it a hollow tree trunk, a rock, or stretched flesh), and to repeat such a sound in a rhythmic manner over time, is surely one of the simplest and most intuitive acts for the human body to commit. It can be positively stated that ritual singing and drumming preceded any more organized form of song and musicianship. In understanding this, we understand that the art of drumming can transport us backwards to, and reconnect us with, the very roots of our humanity. If you find the voice of the drum speaking to you, and if you drum long enough, you will surely find yourself at one time or another entering a trance like state. When you get there, the gateways open, and real magic can happen, in your life and the lives of others. So drum away, pay attention, relax and enjoy! the concept of the modern day drum circle In cities, towns, parks, festivals and parties throughout America, children and adults alike are rediscovering the magic of the primitive drum, and more importantly, its practice as a community ritual of healing and dance. The formula for this entertainment and pseudo-spontaneous celebration is quite simple, in fact: get a few people together in a large public space without inane noise ordinances, have them bring a bunch of acoustic drums (preferably african, but any will do), and strart drumming. As long as there are extra drums lying around, people from surrounding areas will naturally gravitate to the beat to see whats up. Eventually, a stranger will pick up a drum, and join in. If all goes well, and the time and place become semi-regular, people will start to bring their own drums to the party, and in time, a full fledged drum-circle ritual can develop. That's the hard way. For a more contrived, yet still immensely freeing experience, take a captive audience (say, 20-40 classmates), throw them in a room with an equal number of drums, and tell them to go at it. IT DOES NOT MATTER IF NO-ONE HAS EVER PLAYED A DRUM BEFORE. Sure, there are a few simple tips on basic African drum playing later in this document (Djimbe 101), but essentially, every human being on this planet knows how to keep a rhythmn by striking their hands on a flat surface. If you can clap, you can drum! chaos and order - slippage and synch There is one concept that will help keep neophytes sane, and that is this: THERE IS NO MASTER BEAT. YOU DON'T NEED TO 'KEEP' THE BEAT. JUST LET IT FLOW. Think of a drum circle as more of a place to "make noise" with reckless abandon, following your inner child, rather than as composing an improvised symphony suitable for recording, and you're on the right track. The entire point of a drum circle is that it ROLLS IN AND OUT OF SYNCH, FROM CHAOS TO ORDER, FROM ORDER TO CHAOS, AND BACK AGAIN. Your only role in the circle is to play your own beat, to follow your instincts, to relax, to hit (and to pause) as it feels right. You need to let yourself go in order to do this. Sometimes, you need to smack your drum so hard that it drowns out all other sounds, to physically assert your beat above all others. Other times, you may want to slip into a deep meditative state, slowly but surely building your own private rhythmn, soft and steady, focusing your entire mind on your own hands and instrument, consciously shutting out all others. And still other times, some that become truly magical in nature, you may find yourself slipping serendipitously into perfect sync with your drumming neighbors, even the entire group, as order emerges naturally from chaos, and what was 30 independent bodies becomes, for a moment or an eternity, one huge, interconnected, pulsing polyphonic organism, in perfect harmony with each and every one of its parts, united in purpose and rhythmn. ying and yang: drums and dancers A final component that natural drumn circles attract is the Yin of the percussive yang: the drum dancer. Again, if you are in a more contrived scenario, you can request that those who feel called (and there will typically be some) dance while the others drum. The drummer fuels the body movements of the dancer, and the dancer gives amplification and physical manifestation to the beat of the drums. The interplay of drummers and dancers taps into a very primitive sexual energy, and can add blissful hours to the ritual, not to mention quality and entertainment, for all parties. If you're uncomfortable drumming, dance! And vice versa. Find your rhythmn. ITS CALLED A DRUM CIRCLE BECAUSE THAT'S THE GENERAL SHAPE OF THE THING. ITS NOT CALLED A DRUM LINE! Don't get stuck on a bench or a curb and have all your drummers form a long line. This formation can be especially destructive to the neophyte drummer, as they are isolated to the rhythmn of their two nearest neighbors. A drum circle, on the other hand, with all drummers facing inward, gives all drummers an equal chance to rhytmn surf, to make connections, and to switch poly-beats as the time and the rhythmn flows on. djimbe 101: general technique What follows are some basic tips for producing primitive, quality sounds from your drum. These are written with the African Djimbe in mind, as in my limited drum experience, I have found ti the easiest drum for novices to play, "out of the box" so to speak. They should be easily adaptable to any traditional drum, however. Follow these few simple tips to begin your journey! 1. keep the drum opening off the ground. This is the simplest and most effective tip for beginners. The majority of the acoustic energy released from a drum is from the hole in the bottom opposite the skin, or striking, surface. While it seems perfectly natural to set a large drum on the ground like a table, and smack its top, this in fact kills 90% of the acoustic energy, and thus the sound, generated. Simply canting the drum by 15 degrees or so will greatly amplify and improve the quality of the sound. Removing the hole from floor contact entirely, along with sharp hits, makes a world of difference. 2. posture. In order to keep the base off the ground as stated above, there are 2 postures that work best: A. sitting on a bench with your legs wrapped around the drum, so that the drumhead sits neatly between your thighs, canting the drum slightly and lifting the base off the floor, or B) laying the drum horizontally on the floor, and straddling it like a horse. This latter tip works better for large drums (heads of 12" and larger), which may be too heavy to support comfortably otherwise. In contrast, the sitting position works ideally for small drums, which do not offer an adequate surface for straddling. smack palms on the rim, and "thwack" your fingertips for deeper bass, play skin center... for sharper highs, play the rim for bigger bass, hit palm sharply against center, no rim the key to volume is the rapidity of the hit the longer you linger, the more muted the sound more advanced: double beats As your rhytmmn and speed naturally improve over time, the movement of your hands may take on a life of its own, free of conscious effort. You simply cannot think thoughts to make your hands strike at over 100 beats a second! One of the first things that may happen along this path is the "double beat". This occurs when your fingertips bounce off the skin surface in reaction to their initial impact, but the momentum of your forearms causes them to impact the skin again mere milliseconds later. This produces a wonderful double hit which is immeasurably quicker than you could ever produce with a voluntary muscle movement. The key is to keep your wrists limp, your fingers firm, and let your body do the rest! Once you've hooked into this technique, you can experiment with stiffness and speed of attack, noting how it varies the second beat. more advanced: training individual fingers The final thing we'll mention here on the "advanced techniques" is using your fingers. At first, and perhaps for a long time, your mallets will be your hands, palms, and fingertips... and each hand will generally act as a united whole. practice makes perfect practicing to a CD find a CD with a drum track / bass beat you can follow, and play along with it. This can be immensely frustrating at the beginning, but in the end will teach you some incredible polyrhytmns, and undeniably increase your appreciation of the complex rhythmn structures of even everyday pop music you listen to. practicing anywhere on your thighs, with rocks, sticks, on countertops, with plastic spoons, cups, etc. The rhytmn is there, just bring it alive! tips during free or circle play start slow take breaks scramble your own rhythmn vary volume and tone find your own beat you and your drum find your own style There are as many drum types and styles of play as there are people in the world. More to the point, there is no right or wrong way to play a drum. If it makes noise, and the noise pleases you, then that's perfect! (forget about the neighbors and sleeping children momentarily :) If you find a style of play that specifically attracts you, study it... if you can, approach the drummer and ask for an orientation. This article has focused on the African Djimbe because that is what I am familiar with... don't let it limit you, if you find something that strikes your fancy better, play it! buy your own drum     coming soon think about a case     coming soon care and feeding     coming soon drumheads, heat, and humidity     coming soon reskinning     coming soon make your own drum     coming soon further experience visit your local neighborhood african drum shop ask where and when local drum circles are held. if the clerk doens't know, ask to speak to anyone who gives traditional drum lessons (they will be better hooked up with the local drum community) visit your local neighborhood drum circle ask the drum shop where it is. in absence of that information, troll local parks on sunday afternoons, and listen. or go to a folk arts festival, and listen, and ask. listen to rusted root: when i woke: drum trip (CD track 1) this is as good as any when it comes to simulating a real see a performance of STOMP: live expands your idea of what can make beuatiful rhythmn; a troupe of street performers rattle, rock and roll every possible piece of junk they can find to make incredible polyrhytmns. Just TRY to stay in your seat! watch STOMP OUT LOUD: the video can't make it to san francisco or boston for the live affair? check out the next best thing! make sure to crank up your stereo LOUD! watch playhouse disney