blessed danu... With your dear drum in hand...
or... perhaps hold + hug your drum close... heart-to-heart... close your eyes... go within... take a big belly breath...
then, allow that breath to gently fall out... connect in... say hello to the beautiful drum spirit you care for... the spirit of your drum... a living, breathing being of sound-light... say hello... listening...
“listen, listen, listen... to my heart’s song...
listen, listen, listen... to my heart’s song...
i will never forget you... i will never forsake you...
i will never forget you... i will never forsake you...”
-Parmahansa Yogananda
The above is one way you can connect with your drum - particularly from a spiritual perspective... i have held weekend workshops where we explore building a spiritual relationship with one’s sacred drum...
Of course, the best way to connect with your drum is to simply PLAY your drum... and have fun playing... that is most important...
It’s interesting... i hear from some folk who share with me, that they feel they can’t or don’t know how to drum... i often reply, asking them... “what do you think is the first sound you ever heard was?”
It was the sound of your own Mother’s blood pulsing through her veins while you lived in her womb for nine whole months... all you heard (once your ears were formed) was the flowing of your Mother’s blood... aligned with her beautiful pulsing heart...
You sure do know how to drum because of that First Sound... that first Pulsing from within your Mother... you KNOW this sacred sound well... Our Mother taught you well... this sacred Pulse is a part of who you are... since conception imbued in Rhythm... you are Pulse... Pulse is YOU... and that Rhythm connects us all... heart-to-heart to each other... and, to our blessed earth Mother’s beautiful pulse... Her Heartbeat... the Heartbeat of our Mother...
So, if you feel you can’t drum or wonder how you can drum... just hold your sweet drum right up to your heart... hug that dear soul right to your own heart... connect to your drum’s heart for a moment... make that time... just get quiet... and, with all your senses... listen... what are you feeling?... what are you sensing?... what may you be hearing?... what are you smelling or tasting?... Connecting... exploring and knowing what senses come forward for us, let’s us know how we can connect and access the subtle messages that come from Spirit... from our dear Mother... through our sacred drums...
Building a relationship with our drum is a practice and... to get to know each other better is to simply practice connecting... the more we practice connecting on this spiritual level... the stronger the relationship builds...
The sacred drum is + represents the beautiful ‘voice’ of our dear Mother earth... and, what better way to re-connect with our dear Mother than with our sweet drums... sooo... i welcome you go for it... just drum her beautiful voice... have fun + play your drum...
Below, is a wonderful list of ‘true drumming basics’ that have been shared by Dr. John Diamond who wrote the book, “The Way of the Pulse’”... what i love about this section of his book is how to ‘get out of head’s’ when playing our drums and to simply... drum from our beautiful hearts...
and, please... don’t forget to have fun... lots of fun!!
or... perhaps hold + hug your drum close... heart-to-heart... close your eyes... go within... take a big belly breath...
then, allow that breath to gently fall out... connect in... say hello to the beautiful drum spirit you care for... the spirit of your drum... a living, breathing being of sound-light... say hello... listening...
“listen, listen, listen... to my heart’s song...
listen, listen, listen... to my heart’s song...
i will never forget you... i will never forsake you...
i will never forget you... i will never forsake you...”
-Parmahansa Yogananda
The above is one way you can connect with your drum - particularly from a spiritual perspective... i have held weekend workshops where we explore building a spiritual relationship with one’s sacred drum...
Of course, the best way to connect with your drum is to simply PLAY your drum... and have fun playing... that is most important...
It’s interesting... i hear from some folk who share with me, that they feel they can’t or don’t know how to drum... i often reply, asking them... “what do you think is the first sound you ever heard was?”
It was the sound of your own Mother’s blood pulsing through her veins while you lived in her womb for nine whole months... all you heard (once your ears were formed) was the flowing of your Mother’s blood... aligned with her beautiful pulsing heart...
You sure do know how to drum because of that First Sound... that first Pulsing from within your Mother... you KNOW this sacred sound well... Our Mother taught you well... this sacred Pulse is a part of who you are... since conception imbued in Rhythm... you are Pulse... Pulse is YOU... and that Rhythm connects us all... heart-to-heart to each other... and, to our blessed earth Mother’s beautiful pulse... Her Heartbeat... the Heartbeat of our Mother...
So, if you feel you can’t drum or wonder how you can drum... just hold your sweet drum right up to your heart... hug that dear soul right to your own heart... connect to your drum’s heart for a moment... make that time... just get quiet... and, with all your senses... listen... what are you feeling?... what are you sensing?... what may you be hearing?... what are you smelling or tasting?... Connecting... exploring and knowing what senses come forward for us, let’s us know how we can connect and access the subtle messages that come from Spirit... from our dear Mother... through our sacred drums...
Building a relationship with our drum is a practice and... to get to know each other better is to simply practice connecting... the more we practice connecting on this spiritual level... the stronger the relationship builds...
The sacred drum is + represents the beautiful ‘voice’ of our dear Mother earth... and, what better way to re-connect with our dear Mother than with our sweet drums... sooo... i welcome you go for it... just drum her beautiful voice... have fun + play your drum...
Below, is a wonderful list of ‘true drumming basics’ that have been shared by Dr. John Diamond who wrote the book, “The Way of the Pulse’”... what i love about this section of his book is how to ‘get out of head’s’ when playing our drums and to simply... drum from our beautiful hearts...
and, please... don’t forget to have fun... lots of fun!!
some true drumming basics...
by Dr. John Diamond - an excerpt... with a few additions from me...
- Play with your heart: wholehearted. And with Passion: all your fire, filled with Enthusiasm...
- Every musician emphasizes a different aspect of the totality of the song. Yours is the most important – for rhythm is the most basic as it commences at the beginning of life, in the womb.
- Choose the drum whose soul you can most easily find. This will be the one that most expands your chest, opens your heart. (or let the drum choose you!)
- Feel your chest resonate with the drum.
- The more your palms are up, the more you can give – as your arms come down, think up – always up. Let the music lift. Let it rise up.
- Loose wrists, body free. Let your whole body do the playing.
- Love your left hand. (or your less dominant hand) It wants to play easier – and it will.
- Don’t judge your playing – for then, it is not play, but hard work. Just aim to refine your intention.
- Think of the drum as your Mother. Are you treating her right? We don’t beat Her... we play with Her!
- Remember the sacred drum is an instrument of of love – not war.
- It’s not the volume, but the intensity of the feeling, at even the quietest level.
- Feel the Music flowing through all your body.
- Don’t play the drums – allow them to play you. This is called the transcendental experience.
- Always keep in mind that all of you, your Totality – body, mind and spirit – is transmitted in each and every note.
- Give all of yourself. This is me. Here I am. All of me, now.
- Music can be the easiest way to Heaven on earth – if we want it to be.
- Look at your hands dancing like Fred Astaires’ feet.
- Be free – take risks. You are safe.
- Always play the melody – and sing it.
- Imagine the drum is your heart, open in song. The music its pulse.
- Be always aware of your breath. Never jam it. It must always be free, for only then are you free. You can’t breathe freely to a metronome or click track. For they are the beat. The free breath ebbs and flows to its own deep pulsations.
- When you are playing on the Pulse, it feels like the drum is playing you... and She is...
- Get on the wave of the Pulse, and ride it effortlessly all the way to the beach!
- I am real, I’m alive, I breathe. I pulsate. I am not a machine. If they want the beat, they can buy a metronome.
- Don’t count – feel. When the math comes in, the joy goes out.
- Play with joy, with a smile. If you aren’t enjoying it – stop.
- Never just practice – that’s just the brain.... Always play, play + play = have fun!!! :o)
*The above excerpt from...
The Way of the Pulse by Dr. John Diamond >>
One of my most favourite drum books of all time... i highly recommend it being a part of your library...
with much love, weaver x (((o)))
The Way of the Pulse by Dr. John Diamond >>
One of my most favourite drum books of all time... i highly recommend it being a part of your library...
with much love, weaver x (((o)))
