Sent to: Yahoo! Groups: DrumCircles: Message 9087
Date: Thu Oct 23, 2K3 12:52 PM
Melodic Instruments at Drum Circles By Reverend R Clark
Greetings Folks!
First a setup question: Are drums melodic instruments?
At 09:38 PM 9/1/2003, RBdrumguy@a... wrote:
I've seen Christine facilitate a drum circle with a saxophone,<snip>
Wae kule.
As far as someone bringing a melodic instrument into a drum circle, I have never had a person bring a guitar to my drum circles,
I have seen (literally) acoustic guitars played and they've been largely
over amped by the drums. Seen and not heard.
but people bring flutes, recorders, ocarinas and didgeridoos.
While such instruments can be heard to some degree the sound is usually
devoid of every subtlety being attenuated to a fife-like twitter or a drone
(didge) as the only clearly attended parts of their tonal spectrum.
<snip>
when they start to play their melodic instruments I showcase them by getting the group to play a little softer.
The consensual (may be read unfacilitated or alternatively what some call anarchistic, both rather negative words I eschew as surplusage) circles I attend usually have a permanent volume setting of eleven much like "Spinal Tap's" amplifiers <grin>. Occasionally a spontaneous lowering of volume does take place as folks tire and the groove winds down and such times these lower volume instruments can make an especially welcome support to the melodies already present in the rhythm.
"Melodic" instruments or more accurately "tonal" voices that are loud and do get heard are what is generically classed as ideophones specifically the "iron and wood" sound of bells, jingles, and steel drums (pans) and the "wood" sound of the clave, krin, temple blocks or balaphon/marimba.
This thread is of especial interest to me as I took a petite homemade xylophone with a cave resonator to the Paralounge, SEasternUSofA, regional circle I recently attended and it was not loud enough either, even when played with really hard knobs really hard. On the closing note of the first rhythm of the evening the largest key broke in half! Bitter Sweet and I respect that the instrument made the ultimate gesture of sacrifice with out reserve, resting in Peace.
I feel inclined to bring my far less portable and Much louder balafon to the next consensual circle (DrumO details) and see how what I like to play will "play well with others."
Perhaps this being the next logical step in the order of things, for I started with Ashiko, then Djembe, then Dunun, then an expansion of the number of voices into a Dunun kit, now Balafon, this trend seems to show an evolutionary progression or a branching out toward what I call tuned percussion. Yet I've always been drawn to the various sounds to be found in most any instrument and have used them to rhythmically melodic advantage. My theory is that if what I am doing sounds good to me, it is.
Though it depends on the situation. I remember in an early drum class with Abou Sylla where he stopped me from butchering a traditional Guinean rhythm, Sinte', as I recall and stressed that there were only three sounds to be made with a Djembe (Bas-Ton-Slap).
In my practice, I find that there are a multiple waves of tones, overtones, gee I've even almost 'drownded in summa dem wide undahtones' <grin>. Variables of sound production include what part of and how much of my hand I strike the drum with; what mallet or stick; how hard; where on the head; which drum; whether I and my hands are relaxed or tense and so on.
I hope this Helps!
Thanks for Everyting!
Drumming P's and Dancing with Wolf, R“To understand a problem obviously requires a certain intelligence, and that intelligence cannot be derived from or cultivated through specialization. It comes into being only when we are passively aware of the whole process of our consciousness, which is to be aware of ourselves without choice, without choosing what is right and what is wrong. When you are passively aware, you will see that out of that passivity - which is not idleness, which is not sleep, but extreme alertness - the problem has quite a different significance; which means there is no longer identification with the problem and therefore there is no judgement and hence the problem begins to reveal its content. If you are able to do that constantly, continuously, then every problem can be solved fundamentally, not superficially.”
- Jeddu KrishnamurtiRelated:
Drumming 'n Drugs
Drumming As A Form of Prayer by Jim PathFinder Ewing (Nvnehi Awatisgi)
Drumming Peace One Oh One
Drum Reiki
Drums: How they beat stress by By Ann Trieger Kurland
Finding Healing Music in the Heart by Corey Kilgannon
Healing, Drumming & Praying by Jim PathFinder Ewing (Nvnehi Awatisgi)
Melodic Instruments at Drum Circles
Sound
Prayer
Shamanism: Drumming and/or Drugs
Voices at Drumcircles: Testimony and TheoriesLiterary and Graphical Freeware: Not for Commercial Use.
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