Dear Blob, (asks WestCoastGal)
What do you think of the new religion of Drum Circles?
Don't think I haven't heard the whispers; "Sure he mocks euphoniums and trombones but what about his instrument. Why do the drums get a free ride???" True, I'm a percussionist by trade and equally true, there's been precious little in the way of ridicule about my instrument of choice. Leave it to WestCoastGal to get the ball rolling and with no less a topic than drum circles. Some of you may not be familiar with the term so let's listen to Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart explain: "Typically, people gather to drum in drum "circles" with others from the surrounding community. The drum circle offers equality because there is no head or tail. It includes people of all ages. The main objective is to share rhythm and get in tune with each other and themselves. To form a group consciousness. To entrain and resonate. "
Got that?...basically it's a percussion jam session where anyone who can get to the chosen venue with some sort of drum is allowed to participate regardless of ability and at it's best it has a lot to offer. These events can be therapeutic and fun and are often used for team building workshops. Sometimes they have an expert who acts as a facilitator and other times they don't...the music is allowed to evolve organically and players can join in as the see fit. Of course, just like every other good idea we've come up with we also find a way of screwing it up.
What drum circles often end up being for some are a way to meet free-spirited,braless, hippie chicks and self-absorbed, would be belly dancers and if not to meet then simply to ogle unabashedly. I don't have any proof but I bet pedophiles love these things too because lots of people try to re-enact the 60's by letting their little ones dance around nude. Check out this video and play spot the lecher: http://drumdude.net/SIESTADANCE9.htm
As far as it being a religion there's also a whole new age bent to the drum circle movement with paganistic, shamanistic rituals held at the full moon or on solstices, songs to the earth goddess and a return to one's primal self after a long day at the office. Nothing too offensive but these drummers have bestowed upon themselves the ponderous title "Community" which means there's money to be made: getaway drumming weekends, books of songs and rhythms, special drums, T shirts and a host of other paraphernalia.
Don't get me wrong...usually all you need is one or two strong drummers and a host of others willing to follow and stay out of the way and this can be an amazingly fun time. More often than not you'll get some attention starved guy who can't keep a beat ruining the activity for everyone else (We call these guys Circle Jerks).
Trained percussionists stay away from these things unless they're making some cash as a facilitator, need an excuse to get away from the wife, or are cruising for hippie chicks, because they aren't that much fun for us. It's not about snobbery though....if you taught English Lit. you might well go to a book club meeting but probably not one where they'd be discussing Jackie Collins' Drop Dead Gorgeous.
So go to a drum circle, have a great time, but don't forget to pay respect to the roots of this tradition. Here's how they do it in Senegal: (Ed. note- you may want to let the clip load and skip ahead to the 3 minute mark) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTDC7hJEqT4&mode=related&search=
3 comments:
There's no drum circles on Provo. Just thought it would be a fun, drunken thing to do on the beach during the full moon. Not a shitload of stuff to do there. I was told that when one first moves to the Turks you spend all of your time doing water and beach sports for about 3 months then after that you become a professional drinker when you're not working. My obsersations can attest to this...they even have a bar set up during parent teacher nights!!! Gets a lot of the parents out!
Hey Blobbie! You know me, I never criticize (and I certainly never mock, because that would be wrong!), I merely observe. It seems to me your little piece about drums and drum circles did not resonate with the masses. It has, as they say in England, "failed to set the Thames on fire". Of course, no one could ever question your literary skills; one is left with only one conclusion-the subject-matter is as stale as last week's bagels. Yes, Blobele, you're an excellent drummer who loves drums (and a fascinating little subject it is), but surely you should stick to what your adoring public wants and loves, and what you do best- lots of sex and of course more in the way of celebrating the euphonium and the trombone (and of course the fine men and women who play them!!!).You're welcome!!!
You're preaching to the converted Mike. I NEVER devote space to my chosen family of instruments but I was asked a question and answered it in a thorough fashion BLOB style. There is no subject too mundane to be tackled here and if it fails to, as you say, "resonate with the masses" (an apt description of drum circles actually) then so be it.
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