Subject: [Spam] [DrumCircles] Digest Number 1980 From: DrumCircles@yahoogroups.com Date: 22 Dec 2006 16:27:46 -0000
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There are 4 messages in this issue. Topics in this digest: 1. New Drum Circles-Drum and they will come From: Beverly Nadelman 2. bold and reckless From: LuixSalda˙fffffffffff1a 3a. Drum Circle Etiquette From: Arthur Hull 3b. Re: Drum Circle Etiquette From: Bill Saragosa Messages ________________________________________________________________________ 1. New Drum Circles-Drum and they will come Posted by: "Beverly Nadelman" PrismConcept@Yahoo.com prismconcept Date: Thu Dec 21, 2006 10:37 am ((PST)) Hi Frederick- You have already received a great deal of extremely useful information. I will add just a little from my own very early experience. About a week after first having experienced the joy of drumming for the first time myself, I gifted myself with first drum for my birthday on July 1. About a week later, having drummed myself silly every second I could I realized two things: I wanted to drum with other people it was summer and the park beckoned. I posted notices on index cards for a drum circle in the park, all welcome, no experience necessary, and included a time and a precise place to meet in the park in: the local food co-op message board all the local bookstores the bulletin board in the local supermarket the bulletin board in the bank a couple of take-out food places the "messages" area of one of the local restaurants anyplace else local proprietors would allow and I called the two other people I knew who owned drums, one of whom knew about 2 things more than I did about drumming. I will not say I "facilitated" the group. Rather I gathered it-about 7 people showed up-and we blundered along together, occasionally locking, which would so surprise us that we usually lost it, then stopped to talk about it. People gathered. A few asked if they could bring their drums the following week. Others just looked on or clapped. Most moved on shortly. We were BAD, and I don't mean that in the good sense. The next day I put up notices for the following week. This time I billed it as a "pot luck picnic and drum circle". People like to eat. I also made some tin can shaker/guiros to be able to hand out to people who wandered by, and got the name and telephone number of someone who was reputed to have a bit of experience. I BEGGED her to come to help us get started, bribing her with picking her up before and dropping her off after the circle and feeding her. Twenty-five people showed up and more gathered. It was our high point in terms of numbers. Perhaps they would have stayed high if anyone knew enough to properly facilitate, but with that many people it was easy to fall apart even with the help of the "experienced" drummer, whom I later realized was only a step or two ahead of me. We continued meeting weekly until October. Generally there were 7-12 people plus whomever we gathered. Each time a new person showed up I got contact information and left phone messages for the next meeting. We gradually got better. I learned to start with a simple rhythm that everyone could do. Objectively we still stank. We didn't care. The following year, the first time we gathered, we actually sounded OK, but we ran afoul of new park rules. One now needed a permit to play music in the park, (although huge groups could tune a bunch of suitcase sized boom boxes to the same station and blast out everyone in the area) and only one was issued per weekend. That permit was owned by a large ethnic oriented group that had been meeting for years (over 30 now and counting) and played on the other side of the park, about 3 1/2 miles away. There would be no more drumming in the park except as part of that circle-believe me, we tried hiding out places and drumming softly- but in the interim I had learned how to make inexpensive instruments to lend, had igured out how to build some drums as loaners, and had almost a year of lessons and monthly attendance at a large, well established drum circle behind me. Arthur Hull's books, recommended by others are a wonderful assist, as are Jim Greiner's and Kalani's materials. There are others on this line who have also published excellent materials to help fledgling facilitators. KenneThomas' "Drum Circle Cook Book"s come to mind. They are obtainable at KenneThomas.com. They are very beginner facilitator oriented, and, as the name implies, give you "recipes" with"ingredients" fso that anyone can get and keep rhythms going. Others of you, please forgive me if I am blanking on your materials. I know I have bought and read them. To paraphrase-"If you build it, they will come". Beverly Walk in beauty on your path. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Messages in this topic (1) ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 2. bold and reckless Posted by: "LuixSalda˙fffffffffff1a" peacedeluix@yahoo.com peacedeluix Date: Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:43 pm ((PST)) Hola dear listers here yo-luix just had a drumcircle experience that i will like to share with you all. for sometime now i have been toying with the idea of holding a corporate drumcircle with no planning and zero preparation... just heart and experience and just a matter of experimenting the chance came last week when i was hired trough an agency to do a drumcircle for a group of 70 in cancun. this done trough an agency, never had a chance to meet the event organizers and i just received all the info by e-mail... so i choose not to read the specifics and only inquired about the number of participants. so there i flew into the unknown, percusions, drums and all. Adding to my mad plan the great spirit became my accomplice... mexico city was enveloped by a dense and thick fog and all flights were delayed. i arrived at the place just one hour before the programed time... fancy huge hotel, the location was outdoors, in a rush i did set up chairs, instruments and soundsystem... and guess what? it stared to rain, so run to the emergency location and set up again... now normally i am a very professional planner and normally before my circles i do a bit of yoga, meditation, shower, nice clothing and run mentally the planned agenda and other specifics... just like a good boy but at this time no, no time for any of that, they were coming, i have my city clothes, was unshaven, sweaty, wet and totally out of my head... i took a deep breath and a double tequila with lemon and started one of the craziest, boldest, freakish and most fun drumcircles i ever held... i facilitated them to a frenzy where together we invented many rhythm games combined with phisical moves and fancy posing, we danced, played, sang, put a rhythm and a melody to their motto which was "nothing will stop us" and which we all sang at the top of our lungs, facilitated a laughing catarsis with executives, highlevel sales people and beautiful secretaries dropping in the sand kiking and holding their stomachs from so much crazy fun... then i changed the pace into a soft and meditative heartbeat, all eyes closed, peaceful thoughts until we all cooled off, then we drummed and drummed until the management came to close up the location... i got great comments, many thanks, a nice fat paycheck and a second contract. my biggest learnning, i will not do this again... the great spirit is a big joker, far bigger than myself. second biggest learnning; tequila can be a great buster, but it can push you to a dangerous edge i will love to hear your comments on this one and learn if any one of you have had a simmilar experience __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Messages in this topic (6) ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 3a. Drum Circle Etiquette Posted by: "Arthur Hull" arthurian@drumcircle.com villagemc_aol Date: Fri Dec 22, 2006 2:03 am ((PST)) Nice thread on Drum Circle Etiquette. A lot of drum circle etiquette is about respectful personal and musical relationship. Such as; Good volume dynamics create good relationship dynamics. Below you will find the drum circle etiquette section from my new book "Drum Circle Facilitation, Building Community Through Rhythm". It starts on page 118 • in Chapter 6 • in the chapter " Call of the Drum" I have also included a piece that is entitled " Advice for Beginning Beginners". Enjoy ... Arthur Drum Circle Etiquette Dynamic interactive musical and personal relationships are an integral part of all drum circle events. These relationships are based on a simple set of unwritten guidelines. When players adhere to them, it is easier for them to attain their highest musical potential. In culturally specific circles, the unwritten guidelines have evolved through centuries of play- ing, through the wisdom of our ancestors. These guidelines apply to contemporary drum circles as well, from freeform drum jams to facilitated rhythm events. These unwritten musical and personal relationship guidelines are expressed within what I call Drum Circle Etiquette. To most drum circle regulars, these guidelines are nonverbal agreements that everyone adheres to in order to create a fun and exciting musical experience together. Below are my Drum Circle Etiquette suggestions for playing in most community drumming environments. Using these Arthurian suggestions will help you comfortably merge into an ongoing drumming circle without being obtrusive. When you adhere to these guidelines, both you and those around playing around you will enjoy the drum circle experience more. You will be a fully participating and contributing member of an in-the- moment, rhythmical alchemy orchestra, sometimes called a drum circle. Basic Drum Circle Etiquette: • Do Not Wear Rings, Watches or Bracelets While Playing Hand Drums. This protects the head on the drum, as well as the drum itself from the metal. It also protects your hands. Rings can be flattened if they hit the wooden rim of the drum. • Ask Permission Before Playing Someone Else’s Drum. For some drummers, their instrument is a very personal possession. If someone leaves the circle to get a drink or go to the bathroom do not immediately jump in and take their seat or play their drum. In some drumming communities, drummers will put something on their seat, cover their drum with something or lay their drum on its side to signify that they will be back. • Listen As Much As You Play. By listening to what is happening in the circle as you play, you will have a better sense of how you might fit into the groove that is being created. • Support The Fundamental Groove. There is a fundamental rhythm groove that you hear in the drum song being created in the circle. By supporting that groove with your rhythm you connect yourself to the group experience. You need not be a rhythm robot and hold down the same part all night long. There is plenty of freedom within the fundamental groove to experiment, while expressing your rhythmical spirit. • Leave Rhythmical Space. By leaving rhythmical space for other players in the circle to express themselves, you create space in your own rhythm to hear and enjoy the group’s music. Do not fill the space with your own notes so much that there is little creative space left for the other players. • Play At The Volume Of The Group. Good volume dynamics create good relationship dynamics. Play softly enough so that you can hear everyone around you. While you are drumming, be sure to follow and support the dynamic changes in volume and tempo that the group will go through during a drum circle event. If you can only hear yourself, you are unlikely to be having a constructive musical relationship with the other players in the circle. • Share The Solo Space. If you are at the advanced level of rhythmical expertise where soloing with your drum is available to you, then you know the excitement and pleasure of being able to play over, around and through the drum circle groove. Soloing through a drum circle groove is very much like a bird flying through the forest. But the “solo air” above can accommodate only a few solos at the same time. If there is more than one soloist available in a circle be sure to share the solo space. An excellent way for two or three drum soloists to play through the groove together is to have a drum dialogue with each other. In a facilitated drum circle, a facilitator will hopefully find the advanced drummers in the circle and showcase them individually or encourage them to share a dialogue or trade solos. • Do Not Smoke In The Circle. Drumming is a high-energy aerobic exercise. Respect everyone’s need to breathe in the closely packed environment. • Advice for Beginning Beginners Along with the standard Arthurian Drum Circle Etiquette suggestions, I have some advice for beginning-beginners who are joining a drum circle event for the first time. • Enjoy the journey. In all the excitement, remember to have fun. Although it will help you to follow the simple Drum Circle Etiquette guidelines, you need not be an experienced drummer to fully participate and have a good time. • Do not worry. Even if you might think that you are rhythmically challenged, do not worry. Just get started and you will find rhythms inside of you that you did not know you had. Simply participate actively in the drum circle and the excitement and rhythms surrounding you will motivate you to express exactly what fully contributes to the group song. You need not even play a drum. You can bring a simple percussion instrument such as a shaker, a bell or a wood block. They can be a lot easier to play than a hand drum. • Support the drum community experience. If you are participating in a drum circle for the first time, have an attitude of humility and support. Be very observant of the actions and reactions of the more advanced drummers who are playing in the circle and you will learn a lot quickly. • Keep it simple. The pulse will always be somewhere in the music. Listen for it, then play along with it or around it. It is like keeping the side of the pool within reach as you learn to swim. The pulse will always be there for you to grab onto, as is the side of the pool, if you get rhythmically lost while playing. Once you are comfortable with what you are playing, you can explore deeper rhythmical waters, while keeping the pulse in sight. • Just ask. Every rhythm event is different, and has its own particular variations of Drum Circle Etiquette. If you are unsure about what is appropriate, ask somebody. They will likely respond with supportive suggestions. As a basic agreement of community drumming events, each person in the circle comes to share their rhythmical spirit and personal energy with their community. This group consciousness is the catalyst for a very powerful, yet intimate experience for everybody as they create unity in their community by drumming together. The musical part of any drum circle will take care of itself when every player is there to share their spirit and have fun. I hoped that this helps. If you like what you have read, you can order the book from my office. An order form for my new facilitation book will be up on my web site by the first of the year. Life is a dance...... Arthur []';-) Arthur Hull Village Music Circles(tm) 719 Swift Street Suite 65 Santa Cruz CA 95060 1-831-458-1946 arthurian@drumcircle.com http://www.drumcircle.com/ Messages in this topic (6) ________________________________________________________________________ 3b. Re: Drum Circle Etiquette Posted by: "Bill Saragosa" bsaragosa@yahoo.com bsaragosa Date: Fri Dec 22, 2006 7:14 am ((PST)) Hi Arthur, I like the format you use for the Drum Circle Etiquette. The bullet points cover the main general concepts and then the elaborations refine them further. Even our Blithe Curmudgeon friend will be able to set aside his mighty snippers... and just read the bullet points. I especially like the reminder to "Just Ask"..... indeed, and not assume all Drum Circles are the same thing every time..... Merry Drumming Christmas to All.... Bilhelm Messages in this topic (6) ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DrumCircles/ <*> Your email settings: Digest Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DrumCircles/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:DrumCircles-normal@yahoogroups.com mailto:DrumCircles-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: DrumCircles-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. 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