BackDrum Etiquette
By Antonio in Fort Myers
- Do not wear rings, watches, or dangling bracelets while playing drums. This protects the drumskin and drum body from accidental "hammering".
- Ask permission before playing another's drum. But... drummer's do share, yes?! It's how we all first started.
- Remove your drum from the Circle if you are not drumming and room is needed. Make room for everyone to play comfortably.
- Use a folding chair to sit on, a floor cloth for your feet, and shoulder straps for your drum. Take the load off your back, and leave your body free to drum.
- Drumming is a very physical art form! Wear loose clothing, for ease of movement, and don't fear sweating. Feel free to move!
- Listen as much as play. By listening to what rhythm is being played, one senses how & where your beat can add to it.
- Support the fundamental Beat that is drumming already. Let your creative spirit experiment with new beats while sustaining the established rhythm. Join in, then "wail"!!
- Don't play all the notes. Leave space for other's beats, too.
- Please, Don't be a "rhythm robot", and hold the same beat till it "kills everything it touches".
- A Drum Circle isn't like drumming alone. Lead AND follow!
- Quiet notes are as powerful as loud ones, if played in harmony with the rhythm. Play softly enough to hear the others.
- Support the dynamic changes in volume and tempo that happen throughout a Drum Circle. Be "responsive" to the moment!
- Sharing a "drum dialogue" throughout a rhythm creates excitement for "soloists". Engage your peers, and inspire the others!
- Don't smoke in the Circle. Drumming is a high-energy musical form. Please respect the need of everyone to breath clean air.
- Challenge yourself to grow rhythmically. And to becoming a better musician and drummer. Grow!
Advice for Beginners
So... thanks for the read. And, should any of you wish to visit our Drum Circle (over 5 years drumming!) in Fort Myers' Centennial Park on Saturday nights at 6:30, PLEASE DO! :-) Antonio (with thanks to all the folks who've helped me conceive this list) 239-731-1130 Drumcircle.Etiquette_00.html
- Enjoy the journey, and cause no pain. Listen, play, learn.
- Don't worry if you think you are "rhythmically challenged". Just... get started drumming, and let loose the natural rhythms already inside you.
- A drum isn't even necessary. Add to the beat with a shaker, bell, wood block, two sticks, flute, a song or chant, a dance... These are as important as anything!
- Get UP and dance while playing your drum. You'll be amazed at how the music lends sureness to your steps, which then inspires one's hands and heart to play better. And happier!
- Don't play so softly that your drum never finds it's "voice". A
- drum's whole purpose is to be heard, so...don't merely "massage" it.
- A drum has a wide tonality, but it needs percussive hand-strokes to produce it. It's mute without that, and an insult to it's existence! Fingers may "tingle" at first, but playing conditions them fast.
- The basic rhythm will always be there for one to "grab" on to, if one "get's lost" while playing. Stop and listen for it.
- Don't fear "exuberance" and, simply, Accept you'll make mistakes. Hey... Who don't?!
- Your drumming skill is secondary to how much of yourself you add to the circle. Share your spirit and have fun. The drumming will naturally come.
Listen to all the world music genre you can. The library has lots to borrow from. Spanish, caribbean, Native peoples, European, Asian,.... The entire world has a rich history of celebrating life with drumming. Hey... motown, "oldy goldies", and rock music contain wonderful beats to learn. My personal drum anthem is..."boom-shaga-laga-laga-boom"! What we have all listened to is what's imprinted in our sub- conscious. Just... let your fingers recreate it!!
- Our drums are not "drum kits". drumming like they are makes new "world drummers" play too fast, and with too many beats. Sometimes that's "good", and sometimes it makes a drum circle play "crazy". And, usually, "boring" the majority of others. Lead and follow!
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