Drumming for Health & Well-Being

Drumming affects us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually in profoundly uplifting ways. This is why people all over the earth have drummed in some manner throughout history. In the past few years, studies conducted in hospitals and universities (some commissioned by the U.S. Senate and the Veterans Administration!) have documented the health and healing aspects of drumming. Playing drums, whether solo or with a group of people, relieves stress, increases vitality and puts us in the trancendant state of clarity and heightened awareness that athletes sometimes call The Zone. In fact, drumming is very much like athletics, and martial arts.

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Traditional Methods of Learning to Drum

For thousands of generations people all around the world have drummed to raise their spirits, energize their bodies, release tension, strengthen their community bonds and celebrate the pure joy of being alive! Whether we drum by ourselves, with bands, or in drum ensembles, drumming has very specific, very positive, effects upon our bodies and minds. This is especially true when approached in ways that traditional people drum. In the past few years, studies conducted in hospitals and universities (some commissioned by the U.S. Senate) have documented the health and healing aspects of drumming. Drumming is very much like athletics and martial arts. In all three we practice repetitive movements over and over until they become effortless, reflexive and intuitive. In drumming these movements result in patterns of sound, that is, rhythms. The constant repetition can put us in a transcendental state that athletes call the "Zone", where we become very alert and focused and able to react effortlessly and spontaneously to our surroundings.

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The Physical & Emotional Effects of Drumming

Drumming affects us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually in profoundly uplifting ways. This is why people all over the earth have drummed in some manner throughout history. In the past few years, studies conducted in hospitals and universities (some commissioned by the US Senate and the Veteran's Administration) have documented the health and healing aspects of drumming. Playing drums, whether solo or with a group of people, relieves stress, increases vitality and puts us in the transcendent state of clarity and heightened awareness that athletes sometimes call the Zone.

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Drumming for Community Building

Imagine this: a clan of early humans is scattered the ledge of their cave hundreds of generations ago. Each person is busily engaged in their own private task: scraping hides, chipping flints, breaking bones open for marrow, crushing nuts with stones. These are tasks they have done many times before, each working alone for long tedious, repetitive hours. Suddenly the sounds of scraping, chipping breaking and crushing fall together accidently in a spontaneous, repetitive rhythm!

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Tuning Your Conga Drums

Conga drums have their roots in West Africa and evolved into their present form in Cuba where they are known as Tumbadoras. In this Afro-Cuban tradition there are three main sizes of Tumbadoras, the largest diameter, low pitched Tumba, the middle sized, mid range Conga and the smallest diameter, high pitched Quinto. There are no universally accepted pitches, scales or intervals used when tuning congas. Each player finds his or her own signature "sound" by listening to the ways more experienced conga drummers tune their instruments (take the time and effort to train your ears to really hear and recognize the sounds) and by exploring the nature of the instrument (by playing it and experimenting with it's tuning).

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The Nature Of Drumming

Picture this: a group of early humans is gathered on a ledge outside their cave home thousands of years ago. They are busily engaged in individual tasks: some chipping flints to make tools, some scraping hides for clothing, some grinding wild nuts for food. These are the same tasks they have done many times over. They are tedious, repetitive and physically demanding. They also require a high level of focus in order to do properly. This day is different, though. Suddenly, by chance, the chipping, scraping and grinding sounds fall together into an interlocking rhythm. Time passes. One by one each person realizes they have been working together like this for a while now. More time passes. The rhythm gets stronger as the workers fall deeper and deeper into an effortless flow together. Someone grunts in time with the effort of his or her task. "Unh!" Someone else answers with another sound, "Ha!" also in rhythm. Another grunt, and another. More time passes, the finished work piles up. Someone laughs out loud at the feeling of pure joy and wonderment of the experience. More chipping, grunting, scraping, laughing and grinding. At the end of the day the people are amazed at how much was finished, how energized they are and how good they feel. Drumming and singing have been discovered!

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