Drums, Rattles, & Shakers
Communication, Community, & Healing-
In ancient and indigenous cultures the drum is considere sacred. It has three basic and interconnected
functions: Communication, Community, & Healing.
In many parts of Africa, one can still find very large drums positioned throughout forest regions.
Often these would be placed near bodies of water for amplification purposes. These drums occur in a network, through which
messages may be relayed long distances. Aboriginal, African, and some American Indian people have employed a wide variety
of percussion instruments used to facilitate communication.
In many cultures, the drum has been used for bringing communites together for prayer, religious ceremony,
celebrations, and important events. When gathering around a drum most traditions involve the circle. The circle is representative
of the cycles of life, but it also creates an equality among all of those gathered. No one person is closer to the center
and the power of the drum.
Drums and percussion are also used for healing in shamanic cultures. Frame drums and rattles are frequently
used by many groups, while hand drums are used by others. One way that the drum is used in healing by traditional
healers as well as modern music therapist is through the concept of entrainment. "Discovered" in the 1600's by physicist
Christian Huygens, Entrainment describes the phenomenon by which two bodies in motion in close proximity will move together,
or entrain. A healer first matches the rhythms of the body and gradually changes the rhythm to one that is more healthy. Another
way the drum is used is to play certain rhythms to induce specific states of awareness. Modern research has shown that specific
rhythms can induce specific states of consciousness. This process is sometimes referred to as "auditory driving". These states
of consciousness can be used to facilitate healing and reduce senstations of pain, anxiety, or discomfort.
Talking Drum
This is a portable instrument from West Africa in the shape of an hourglass with heads on either end.
Long strands connect the two heads. The pitch may be changed by applying pressure on the strands while playing. Master talking
drummers can make it sound as if the drum is speaking and in some places a language for the drum was actually developed.
Log Drum
Some of the very first drums, and very first instruments for that matter, were likely hollow logs
which were played with sticks or hands. Later slits were added to create a variety of pitches. This is a fun instrument that
creates a variety of sounds with a warm tone.
Hand Drums (Djembe, Conga, Ashiko, Tubano, Doumbek)
These have been used in several cultures for different purposes, but they are assiciated mostly with
African and Arabian cultures. Rhythms could be played to go with a particular time of day and for specific ceremonial
reasons. Instruments such as the Conga later became an influence in Latin music traditions as well. These instruments are
played with the hands and create a wide range of tones depending on the shape of the hand and the angle at which it hits the
drum.
Frame Drums
From the healers of Tibet, to the healers in ancient Celtic traditions, to the healers of the Plains
Indians, frame drums are a nearly universal instrument. They are used in both sacred and secular traditions. They are a simple
instrument: A wooden hoop, with a head on one side, and a support frame made of wood or animal hide. The instrument can be
played with hands, but most often with a padded mallet. They can vary in materials and tone, but they are basically quite
similar in most traditions. These instruments are also wonderful for self expression.
Medicine Rattle
Rain Stick
