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My first drum circle

Posted: 23 Jan 2018, 12:28
by Belinda2
My local New age shop has different classes and events and I am planning on going to my first drumming circle. I talked to the lady who owns the shop, you don't need any experience, and also they provide the drum (no rhythm needed).
Have you been to one what is your experience ?

Re: My first drum circle

Posted: 23 Jan 2018, 13:36
by kyan
i’ve been to two and they were both fun, but different.

one was indoors with a varied group -all ages from kids to seniors — and the drumming was erratic and cacophonous and not especially calming or empowering. it was moderated by a healer who tried to guide the group but frankly, most of the participants did not have very good rhythm and it was almost comical. but the kids had fun and that was good. lots of erratic banging and some native american sounding chants and hollering haha.

however, the circle ended with an amazing singing bowl demonstration and meditation and that in itself was worth it. there was palo santo burning (love that stuff) and bird sounds and bells and the amazing droning tones of the various sized crystal bowls... it helped to calm everyone down.

the second one was a large group, outdoors on an early full moon evening or something. that was much better! there were several seasoned drummers with large drums from the world over (the turkish drum was amazing!) that helped establish the rhythm and so even if people didn’t have much musical sense they were drowned out by those that did. but if you can tap your foot to a song, you’re probably good to go. i suspect that even those with pusillanimous tendencies can enjoy themselves. (that word showed up as a suggestion in autocorrect and i decided to use it haha)

the bigger outdoor circle provided an outlet to expend physical and psychic energy and judging by the smiles throughout the ceremony, i believe everybody there had a great time.

i hope your first drum circle is awesome!

Re: My first drum circle

Posted: 24 Jan 2018, 13:49
by Belinda2
Thanks for your long post, the drum circle is on Thursday I will post and say how it goes. It must be pretty popular because she does it a few times a month, many of the same people so they must enjoy it. I think we will be outside I was told to bring a jacket.

Re: My first drum circle

Posted: 24 Jan 2018, 16:31
by kyan
sounds like a good time. yeah, stay warm... consider fingerless gloves! :icon_e_wink:

bang on!

Re: My first drum circle

Posted: 28 Jan 2018, 12:35
by Belinda2
It was too cold so we ended up doing it inside, I guess it varies on the amount of people when I went there were seven people. It's led by the shop owners daughter, in between we did have different meditations a few sitting to standing.

At this one point we did what's called flying paper, since this was geared towards getting rid of last year and bringing in the new year, We wrote on the paper about 10 things that we wanted to get rid of from last year than We burned the paper and paper would fly a little bit in the air releasing it to the universe. ( earlier I tried it at home when I bought a set from the shop owner.
Myself and my niece had problems doing it, because number one : we were afraid of fire so we did it outside and there was a breeze and number two : we folded it too tight so wouldn't stand up) . We will try to do it later since I still have the paper.

As far as the drumming itself went at first I was not too sure, I ended up getting the kind of drum you hold in your hand and beat with a stick, The first set was very fast, I seemed to pretty well be able to keep up, and keep on beat for the most part( I was a bit worried I might embarrass myself in that regard).
By the end I kind of liked it but I do envy you for having the crystal bowl meditation at the end. ( but the cost was only 10.00 so what can one expect).
They lit Sage everywhere, you had to get rid of your negative energy by putting it around your body, that was pretty strong.

Re: My first drum circle

Posted: 28 Jan 2018, 15:02
by kyan
sounds like a varied drum circle, belinda! the flying paper ritual is interesting, tho i would think twice about doing it indoors too. then again, sage was being burned so the air quality was already compromised, lol. :icon_rolleyes:

the hand drum sounds like a native american drum or a shaman’s drum, those can be fun but i prefer using two hands rather than one hand holding a mallet. a shop here often hands those drums out for their drum circles. the large ones are great and offer a deep, booming base “heartbeat” sound. they’re also great for painting and adding your spirit animal totem or other spiritual design.

maybe this will inspire you to get drums and play at home? drive those negative energies away, and maybe also the neighbors, haha! i have djembe drums and mine haven’t said anything... yet.

Re: My first drum circle

Posted: 28 Jan 2018, 16:05
by kyan
i highly recommend this video about group drumming that describes the healing effects of drum circles:



it’s a mother-daughter-granddaughter team who effectively and humorously discuss and demonstrate the benefits of drumming. i love the term “percussion discussion” and can see how drumming can be a healing force for people of all ages.

“[Sally Robinson] facilitates African drum circles in settings such as schools, hospitals, nursing homes. She strongly believes and has demonstrated the power of music to heal, reduce stress and anger, connect people, and strengthen the immune system.”

(there’s quite a few tedtalk videos on drum circles!)

Re: My first drum circle

Posted: 30 Jan 2018, 15:11
by Belinda2
Thanks for the video. I am thinking about going to the group two times a month. Might buy a drum if I really get into it. It will give me a chance to get out more, and forget temporarily about some present challenges I am having.

Re: My first drum circle

Posted: 30 Jan 2018, 15:27
by Abrac
I've been to a few. The experience you'll have really depends on the group and the reason for the circle. In my case it was just an excuse to drink beer and socialize. It was fun but nothing profound. :)

Re: My first drum circle

Posted: 30 Jan 2018, 15:40
by kyan
Belinda2 wrote: 30 Jan 2018, 15:11 Thanks for the video. I am thinking about going to the group two times a month. Might buy a drum if I really get into it. It will give me a chance to get out more, and forget temporarily about some present challenges I am having.
it’s a great diversion for sure. getting out more is a plus. i loved the method described in the video of chanting and verbalizing a drum beat... a percussive mantra, so to speak!
Abrac wrote: 30 Jan 2018, 15:27 I've been to a few. The experience you'll have really depends on the group and the reason for the circle. In my case it was just an excuse to drink beer and socialize. It was fun but nothing profound. :)
:icon_lol: yeah beer would loosen inhibitions for sure. decades ago i would watch the big sunday outdoor drum circles on the UC Berkeley campus, before i had a drum. they were always having a great time, with all manner of drugs, i’m sure. hopefully they’re still going on today.