SACRED DRUMMING
The drum has a place in most of the world's Traditional cultures. A powerful symbol ,it is often linked to sacred and Spiritual practises as well as to the culture of a warrior.Strangely enough in Celtic society it had a lower Spiritual significance than other forms of music such as the harp. However Celtic drumming in Scotland and Ireland is highly developed, sophisticated and powerful.The Celtic Frame Drum, the Bodhran, though largely superceded in Scotland by Highland drumming (Pipe Band) lived on strongly in Ireland as an instrument of ordinary people during the decline of the Bardic period and the frame drum of which the Bodrhan is one of a family is a universally known symbol of Spiritual musicality. Native American drumming is well known as a Shamanic tool and though quite unsophisticated has great power and qualities. The frame drum is seen across South America, in the middle East as well as in Europe and Africa. Shaman in various cultures use the drum to travel to Spirit Worlds and in Celtic Spirituality, musical sound is a magical tool for meditational and devotional purposes.The study of Druidic sacred music involved many years of intense study and was also linked to "shamanic" practices... Hereditary Harpers and later Pipers in the Scottish Highlands were known to "journey" to bring back their Sidhe / fairy music by lying alone in caves, with cloth around their heads and held down by stone for up to 3 days. Such music composed in this way exists today in the existing repertoire of music known as Piobaireachd. The Bodrhan provides a readily accessible way to access the power of Sacred sound more easily than study of Clarsach / Harp, Gaelic song or Smallpipe and enables the Pagan to reach into the Celtic world with an authentic instrument. When the basis of Celtic magical music is married with drumming concepts from other spiritual cultures then an incredibly powerful effect is produced.
Magical Music - an Introduction.
Magical music has power for a number of reasons, and is demonstrated particularly well with the drum ....The baby in the womb grows with the sound and vibration of its Mother's heartbeat.Thereafter, the child is born into a world full of movement and sound and nowhere on Earth is there complete silence. Even when stillness surrounds us, we hear the sound of our own blood rushing through our veins. We live with this sound and it is our constant companion. Our heartbeats follow a rythmn which mirrors a regular count of 1-2-3-4 and as a result most popular music is based around this rythmn.This demonstrates the human need to continually connect with it - often known as common or 4/4 time. However, modern popular music rarely connects fully with the inner conciousness due to its un-natural, artificial structures and lack of emotional content. Musical sound is created through vibration transmitted to the human ear and thus into the concious and unconcious mind. Steady, even vibrations create pleasant, regular sound and uneven vibrations are unpleasant. Regular rythmns are soothing,relaxing and trance enducing, while loud, unpleasant noise disturbs living things. Some musical sound is quite monotone and appears to have no actual rythmn. This has a profound affect and is quite magical (and is the basis of much Celtic spiritual practice). This sort of sound seems to act as a vehicle to transport spiritual energies and magnify their effect. Surprisingly a frame drum even has the ability to produce this effect in addition to its rythmic qualities.The power of this type of sound is demonstrated through music created from such sources as didgeridoo,plain chant,organs,bagpipe drones and singing bowls, all of which resonate in a similar way to the ocean,the wind and other powerful natural phenomena. Such effects stir the human psyche and animals in a deep way and have the effect of altering conciousness. As a cleansing energy both monotone and rythmic sound are effective in clearing space of negative energy. If one imagines a pond disturbed by many splashes and uneven ripples,one can see that such disturbances are settled down by a series of powerful but regular waves. This is similar to an environment around us being filled with powerful and even tones from a drum, chant or instrument such as in a room disturbed by traffic noise, to be used for meditation.
Millennia ago, when mankind had no language as we know it now, he communicated with primeval sound as do others in natures kingdom. People are still moved deeply by such primeval sound... just look at how affected we are by the sounds of the animal kingdom...dolphin and whale voices, bird song,the cry of an eagle, a whimper,the growl of a big cat, the tiny squeak of a mouse.These sounds greatly affect our emotions.The souls of animals speak to our souls through universally understood sound. This is why some forms of chant are so powerful, they reflect the nature of primeval sound and our own naked souls. Some modern music forms come very close to reaching the soul through evocative, primeval sound, for instance- the music of Evanescence. Other examples would include - Deep Purple's Child In Time, Mettallica's No Leaf Clover and Within Temptation's Mother Earth.
Truly spiritual music is simply the unadorned voice of the soul. In the Scottish music tradition it has been said that individual notes have certain qualities which resonate directly with human emotion. Pipers talk of High G being the note of sorrow, Low G the note of gathering, the F as the note of love, the B as note of the challenge and D the note of anger and battle etc... there is no doubt about the ability of that instrument to affect people in a profound and emotional way. It is said that it is based on scales which generate emotions such as sorrow wrapped in joy at the same time so it is hardly surprising it was used by the Highland Clans in battle and for lamentation.
Modern science proves the universal power in vibration. String theory,M theory and other aspects of quantum mechanics and astro physics back this up. All matter is created in the form of "strings" resonating at their own frequency, like the strings of a violin and frequencies resonating together create harmony - allowing the universe to exist. M Theory forms the basis for the latest scientific thinking which supports multi dimensional space... and which supports traditional ideas on "other realms" which can be accessed through Shamanic travel - in Celtic mythology, - Tir nan Og, the lands of the Sidhe or fairies.
The Ancient Celts believed strongly in the magic of "in between" or liminal places...places which are neither here nor there, such as in a doorway or at waters edges. These are the gateways to the lands of the Sidhe and our inner consciouness. Many legends are of fairy / sidhe music being heard at liminal places and of these being doorways between worlds. Liminal times are also significant such as at Samhain / halloween. The Norse too had their magical music... in the singing of the Runes, such as in the Icelandic - seidr workings. An excellent example of this in a modern recording is that of - Songs of Yggdrasil by Freya Aswynn. Music with its Magical qualities used correctly, is a wonderful tool for people to explore the Western Pagan Traditions...the bodhran is a fantastic way to connect with our joint Celtic and Norse Spiritual Traditions.
Drumming For Meditation.
A properly played Bodhran is every bit as effective as any form of Native frame drum. Unfortunately, many have one but are unaware of the way to ensure the drum sounds right. It is in fact, quite simple to ensure the drum is sounding right and being more accessable to buy than other forms of frame drum, it is perhaps good to just use an inexpensive Bodrhan. However, any form of drum with a traditional sound - as opposed to modern snares etc is suitable for Sacred drumming and using the basic universal rythmns outlined here. The important thing is simplicity... the more complicated the rythmn, the more man made it becomes and further removed from sacred practice. There is no need for musical knowledge and after a few days practice, anyone can gain great benefit from the drumming. It is suitable for solo use or in groups. However, the basics of sacred drumming in the Celtic style provides a wonderful platform from which to go on and drum for everyday enjoyment should you so wish. Traditional drumming with other musicians is a wonderful way to connect with people and provides a universal language anywhere in the world. To combine drumming with authentic forms of chant such as Gaelic Fonn is perhaps as powerful a form of magical music as any on Earth. Anyone who has heard the Pe le lew lament chanted by a Gaelic singer must testify to this.
The 6 simplest ways to express different rythmns on the drum can be related to the elements and the Gods. These 6 basics are distilled from all forms of drumming and cannot be reduced further. They are truly the universal basics of musical rythmn.
The 6 Rythmns - 1. The Gods, 2. Earth, 3. Wind, 4. water, 5. fire, 6. Spirit.
Additionally there are 3 more rythmns which reflect the mundane and are suitable for simple human celebration:
7 stroke, 8 stroke, 9 stroke rythmns- these are more commonly known in jazz and traditional music - 8 and 9 stroke being of reel and jig time in Scotland, Norway and Ireland.
The Female aspect is related to rythmns based on even drumstrokes per beat and the male is based on odd drumstrokes per beat. The Divine and Spirit contain both aspects... the divine being the highest power is the assigned the most universal - 1 drumstroke (which cannot be divided), Spirit having 6 - multiplying together 2 and 3 signifying balance and unity of Spirit yet maintaining the separateness of male and female energy.
The process is outlined according to Deosil movement in a circle - with 1 stroke per beat rythmn to the Divine around the entire circle, Earth rythmn of 2 strokes per beat at the North point, Wind rythmn of 3 strokes per beat at the East point, Fire Rythmn of 5 strokes per beat at the South point, Water rythmn of 4 strokes in the West and Spirit rythmn of 6 strokes per beat in the centre.
The rythmns are playable in any permutation required for whatever ceremony or ritual one wishes to follow. The intent behind the ritual supported by the vehicle of sacred sound makes it very powerful whether that be for healing, magical working, meditation or relaxation. The drummed rythmns are perhaps at their most powerful when used for healing... and even just the simple physical effects of the drum have amazing strength. The differing rythmns used for differing elemental effects works very well to sooth, generate warmth, energise, encourage healing, break down pain etc can be quite amazing. There is a certain spot on a drum which when played in a certain way creates a resonant hum. This effect is quite incredible when found and has a clear affect on the conciousness.
Meditational / shamanic drumming is described in many cultures as requiring a rythmn of a speed between 160 and 220 beats per minute. This method employs a very even continuous beat with no apparent accent in the rythmn. The Spirit rythmn in the Celtic style of play enables very deep relaxation into trance and at a speed of 180 discernable drummed downstrokes per minute. The reason it is so powerful is due to a number of reasons... it combines the male and female aspects through multiplication of the numbers 2 and 3. This has the effect of concentrating both hemispheres of the brain together to understand the rythmn. There are actually 6 up and down strokes contained within each beat and on one level the mind hears this. There are 3 accented downstrokes discernable between each beat and on another level the mind understands this. The overall tempo is of 1 beat per second and on the third level, the mind understands this. The pace of 60 beats per minute matches the heart rate very closely and the overall result is of very deep calming and relaxation. Perhaps the easiest way to understand this simply is to think of BEATS as footsteps in a slow, steady walking pace... left pause right pause left and so on. On each foot step beginning a new set of drum STROKES - 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 However these are only the downstrokes... on a subliminal level, the mind hears the upstrokes of the rythmn which is actually - 123456123456. Thus in the Celtic Spirit rythmn, the journeying person is benefitting from a trilogy of rythmns - 60 beats pm, 180 accented strokes pm 360 strokes pm.......It is truly powerful and the unity of logical thinking mind with creative mind and the soul all in harmony with the relaxed physical body has profound benefit.
There are a few basics which allow very quick progress in sacred drumming and these will follow soon. In the meantime a quick tip to help with the Bodhran is to make sure that the skin is not too tight and tinny... a common mistake for new players. The skin tension is maintained through damping with a damp cloth or sponge. For an overly loose skin, a gentle heat source is required. It is best not to use a stick / bata / Tippin which is too light and tappy. A stick no longer than 8 1/2 inches long with a padded head is best for sacred drumming. The drum shown here has a tunable skin and has no need of tuning with heat and moisture but it is more expensive. A light, less expensive drum such as a non - tunable frame drum is all that is needed for sacred drumming though the best drums - (tunable) on the market are heavier. There are many fine drums made in Ireland and Scotland with arguably the best hand crafted in Orkney.
In playing the Bodhran for shamanic ceremony, there really is no need for "musical knowledge". It is possible to learn the technique for highly skilled play with only some basic techniques and "knacks". There are 3 main aspects to this and these are:
holding the stick for controlled play
dividing beats into the 6 elemental rythmns
meditation and ceremonial techniques
The starting point is to think of rythmn in the form of beats... counted as footsteps - 1 2 1 2 left right left right at a speed of approx 48 steps per minute or 8 in 10 seconds.
Next just tap the drum (straight up and down to start with) to coincide with the beat. Stick to one rythmn at a time to become comfortable with it before trying the next. as you become more regular, the natural quality of each rythmn will become clearly apparent. With a little practice, you will be able to switch seamlessly between the rythmns and thus able to work Deosil with the elemental positions in the 4 directions - North, South, East, West and within..... 1 tap for the Gods, 2 taps for Earth, 3 taps for Air, 4 taps for Water, 5 taps for Fire. The element fire is the most difficult and it will take concentration to start with, just persevere as it is a very powerful rythmn for meditation and healing.
In conjuction with herbs such as Lavender smudged by feather and meditations begun and ended with Celtic Chant or flute, a sacred drumming meditation is an incredibly powerful experience.
The next stage is to move onto Celtic stick play and this brings a whole new dimension to the drum. This article will be updated to teach this style of play and all other associated techniques.
MORE TO FOLLOW - see article on eagle feather
bravenet.com