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> March, 2005 Newsletter
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
This
issue includes:
- The
Gratitude Attitude: Respecting Tradition
-
Pamela’s Picks: "Inspiring Drummers"
- Upcoming
Events & Announcements:
- Cameron
Tummel: Freestyle vs. Traditional
- "Be
Thankful" Poem
1. The Gratitude Attitude: Respecting
Tradition
Traditional
drummers -- and anyone committed to maintaining and preserving
traditional music and culture -- deserve our utmost respect,
appreciation and gratitude.
After
re-reading the outstanding book "The Drummers Path"
by Sule Greg Wilson, I once again feel grounded in my passion
for drumming. I highly recommend this insightful book; it
is full of knowledge and wisdom pertaining to the drumming
community.
Mr.
Wilson tells "how he developed into a person that could
write this book - it details the worldview that shaped my
perceptions." This I can understand because I believe
my style of "freestyle" drumming can be directly
attributed to key events in my life that shaped my perceptions.
In
that regard, I am mostly a self-taught artist, not because
I chose not to have traditional training, but because my circumstances
prevented me from being able to study traditional drumming.
The positive side of this is that I’m constantly seeking
knowledge and insight from many different sources. (And I
love to share with you the things I learn along the way!)
Whether
you’re new to the world of drumming or not, it’s
important to take the time to learn about traditional styles.
You don’t have to study one particular style, but you’re
doing yourself a disservice by not taking the time to learn
whatever you can about musical traditions and culture.
Spring
is just around the corner, and now is the perfect time to
give an extra boost to your inspiration. As drummers we are
fortunate to have books like "The Drummers Path"
to learn from and inspire us.
Please
remember, Drummers: always show gratitude, respect and appreciation
to those who maintain "tradition" in any art form.
For
more information about Sule Greg Wilson and to find out more
about his Drumspeak programs visit http://www.drumpath.net.
"Let
us be grateful to people who make us happy: they are the charming
gardeners who make are souls blossom." - Marcel Proust
2. Top Picks - "Most Inspiring
Drummers" to listen to:
Mamady
Keita, Master Drummer from Guinea, West Africa - U.S. Tam
Tam Mandingue Site - http://www.ttmusa.org
Mick
Hart, Percussionist Extrodinaire, Author, Performer. Mickey
Hart is best known for his nearly three decades as an integral
part of an extraordinary expedition into the soul and spirit
of music, disguised as the rock and roll band the Grateful
Dead. - http://www.mhart.com
Babatunde
Olatunji, Master African Drummer - http://www.olatunjimusic.com
Hossam
Ramzy, Egypt’s Ambassador of Rhythm & the world's
leading name in Egyptian Dance and Music - http://www.hossamramzy.com
"The
happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts."
- Marcus Aurelius Antonius
3. Announcements:
"The
Wild Woman Within" - Workshop for Women
- Date:
Saturday, March 12, 2005
- Time:
7:00 - 9:00 PM
- Location:
Swara Inspiritations, #130 - 12031 First Ave., Richmond,
B.C.
- Your
investment: $40.00 CAD
- Call
before March 7 and receive $10.00 Discount
- Call
Now! Limited seating! Call Pamela at 604-505-2249.
Drums
have a powerful way of making a woman feel fearless, confident
and energized. There's no denying it, we all face numerous
challenges in our daily lives. You need strength and motivation
to cope with these challenges. Join us in this fun-filled,
interactive workshop that will help you rediscover passion,
joy and fun in your life. During this exhilarating workshop
you'll discover what it means to be a "Wild Woman"
by having fun and expressing your true self.
No
more holding back. It's time for you to let loose and have
some fun! Invest in yourself! You deserve it!
- Fully
interactive. Absolutely no musical experience or ability
needed!
- All
world drums and percussion instruments provided.
Contact
Pamela Lynn
Web site: http://www.FreestyleDrumming.com
Email: Pamela@FreestyleDrumming.com
Phone: 604-505-2249
Empowerment
Drumming: Rhythms for Wellness
Note:
This is a Richmond Women's Resource Centre program.
Women:
group drumming is exciting, uplifting and empowering. It's
also good for your health! Now you can empower your life AND
improve your health with a fun activity that takes no musical
talent or know-how and will leave you laughing, energized
and filled with a sense of well-being.
This
is a six-week program.
- Time:
Monday evenings, 7:00 - 8:00 PM
- Dates:
March 7/14/21 & April 4/11/18, 2005
- Place:
Women's Resource Centre, #110-7000 Minoru Blvd., Richmond,
B.C.
- Cost:
FREE (Richmond Women's Resource Centre membership required)
- Call
now! Space is limited and pre-registration is required.
Contact Pamela Lynn at 604-505-2249 or the Women's Resource
Centre at 604-279-7060.
Contact
Pamela Lynn
Web site: http://www.FreestyleDrumming.com
Email: Pamela@FreestyleDrumming.com
Phone: 604-505-2249
Freestyle
Drumming Lessons for Women: A Creative Non-traditional Approach
to Hand Drumming
-
Dates: March 11/18, April 1/8, 2005
-
Time: 7:00 - 8:30 PM
-
Location: Swara Inspiritations, #130 - 12031 First Ave.,
Richmond, B.C.
-
Your investment: $60.00 CAD
-
Call Now! Limited seating! Call Pamela at 604-505-2249.
Freestyle
Drumming for Women is for anyone and everyone. This program
is not intended for professional drummers but rather as a
course for all those that want to play for the sheer enjoyment
of being able to play with passion.
You
will learn proven techniques that will…
- Guide
you through step by step, to get you started off right and
sounding great.
- Provide
you with invaluable skills you need in order to build a
strong rhythmical foundation.
- Develop
your ability to play with creative style.
- Improve
your self-confidence.
- Help
motivate and inspire you to drum with passion while enjoying
the enormous benefits that drumming has to offer.
What
you do with what you learn is up to you. You are capable of
anything. What are you waiting for? Learning to drum just
got easier, so go away give it a try!
All
world drums and percussion instruments provided. No musical
experience or ability needed!
Contact
Pamela Lynn
Web site: http://www.FreestyleDrumming.com
Email: Pamela@FreestyleDrumming.com
Phone: 604-505-2249
Free
Rhythms
March
Free Groove is Now Online!
Canadian
Facilitators Training with Arthur Hull
If
you have any interest in learning how to facilitate a Drum
Circle this is the training you need to get you started. Arthur
Hull is one of the world’s finest Drum Facilitators
and ALL of his workshops are worth attending.
Join
Arthur Hull for his first Canadian Facilitators Training
Creative
Play * Inspired Leadership * Community Building
The
Weekend Facilitators’ Playshop begins on Friday evening
and ends Sunday afternoon. These 2 1/2 days are packed with
information and experiences designed to give the participant
the confidence and inspiration necessary to build a rhythm
community in their home environment.
Described
by many as a life changing experience, the Facilitators’
Playshop pulsates with rhythm, facilitation and fun!
You do not need to be a musician to participate in a Village
Music Circles Training. Arthur’s Facilitators’
Playshops are structured to allow people of all backgrounds
and experience levels to achieve successes. Arthur will provide
a strong rhythm foundation for both musicians and non-musicians.
Who:
Village Music Circles
What: Facilitators’ Playshop Training with Arthur Hull
When: May 27-29 UBC Vancouver BC Canada
Contact:http://www.drumcircle.com,
831-458-1946 or Email:
lululeathley@telus.net
"Do
not look where you fell, but look where you slipped."
- African Proverb
4. Perspective: Freestyle vs. Traditional
- by Cameron Tummel
[I
would like to introduce you to a good friend of mine, and
fellow facilitator Cameron Tummel. I’m pleased to offer
you this article written by Cameron about his perspective
on Freesytle vs. Traditional. He is a great source of inspiration
to me and I thank him for his contribution.]
Greetings
fellow rhythmatists!
I
truly appreciate Pamela Lynn’s perspective of respecting
traditional drumming while also enjoying a "freestyle"
approach. I also completely agree with her: BOTH are beautiful
and offer us enjoyable and valuable experiences.
I
consider myself blessed to be able to drum, teach, and facilitate
drum circles nationwide and internationally. Every year I
spend some of my time playing very traditional arrangements
with very dedicated traditional players, and most of my time
facilitating (non-traditional) drum circles. While the perspective
of a traditional player may be quite different from the drum
circle participants, it seems to me that the best option for
all of us, is to try to have empathy and respect for each
others’ style.
As
a student of West African djembe and culture, I dearly love
the results which can be achieved by an ensemble of well trained
and disciplined players. Within a skilled ensemble, when the
accompanying parts are played well, and the parts all fit
together precisely, the soloist is completely free to fly.
It is the precision of the polyrhythms fitting together which
creates such a beautiful groove, and which can make the music
feel so vibrant, energetic, and cohesive.
As
a facilitator and lover of freestyle (totally "non-traditional")
drum circles, I have experienced innumerable moments of profound
joy during jams in which we are all completely free to improvise.
There is nothing quite like the thrill of being in a drum
circle where you are totally free to play whatever you want;
free to help the music get better in whichever way you choose;
free to play whatever rhythms feel right for you.
The
moments where the two different approaches (freestyle and
traditional) can conflict are usually the result of different
expectations. I have now played with over a quarter of a million
drummers in over a dozen different countries, and not once
have I ever seen someone intentionally try to mess up the
music which was being played by the drummers around them.
But I have certainly experienced many moments where freestyle
drummers have been offended by traditionalists who tried to
make them play by certain rules, and many moments when traditional
players have taken offense at someone’s freestyle playing
during their traditional drum arrangements.
So,
what is the problem?
Answer: Expectations and perspective.
An
example: Imagine a situation where drummers are playing (or
learning to play) a traditional rhythm...
Everyone
has their own part, which they are learning to play "correctly."
They are learning to fit the different rhythms (a.k.a. "parts")
together "correctly" in order to play the entire
rhythm "correctly." They may have been studying
that particular arrangement for days, weeks, or even years,
diligently trying to play it as accurately as possible. Their
teachers probably taught them that it is very important to
learn to play the parts accurately, so these students of traditional
drumming probably have the perspective that there is a "right"
way to play the rhythm, and that doing it differently would
be "wrong."
Now
imagine the reaction these traditional players might have
if someone were to walk up and start completely improvising
their own freestyle additions to the traditional music...
The freestyle player just wants to join in the fun, and they
do so by making up rhythms which feel right to them. They
play with total abandon, completely engrossed in the joy and
freedom of jamming to their heart’s content... and soon
realize that all of the other players are extremely displeased.
It might very well cause the members of the ensemble to be
offended, since the freestyle improviser may have given them
the impression that he/she had no respect for the fact that
there was a v-e-r-y specific piece of music being played.
In
that situation, the freestyle player can end up feeling rejected
by the group, or may be told that they must "play by
the rules, or leave." That is the kind of moment which
can give the freestyle player the impression that the traditional
drummers are "stuck up," or "too opinionated,"
or that "traditional drumming is far too stifling."
The
traditional drummers, on the other hand, might walk away from
that moment wondering how on earth the improviser couldn’t
respect what they were doing - wondering why the improviser
was "clueless" enough to "mess up" the
traditional piece they were playing.
Please
be aware that many of our traditional rhythms have historically
been fought for, protected, and in many cultures, drummers
and/or drum teachers may even have been put to death by outsiders
who tried to extinguish their traditions. Some traditionalists
value their music just as passionately as devoted members
of a religion may value their cosmology. If a freestyle player
steps into a group of traditional players and plays a rhythm
which is not traditionally a part of that arrangement, it
may offend the traditionalists, and it may cause very negative
reactions to the freestyle player’s music.
A
different example: Now imagine you are at a community drum
circle where everyone is free to create their own music, and
to play whatever they feel is best, and they are having a
rip roaring good time improvising together... They sway in
time to the music. They smile. There is a tangible vibe of
harmony and cooperation as each player expresses themself
however they choose.
Up
walks an extremely experienced traditional drummer. This person
has spent years with their teacher, studying very specific
techniques and very specific rhythms, and they have been trained
to correct any "imperfections" as quickly as possible.
Perhaps this traditional drummer is used to leading their
group by playing louder, stronger, and by inspiring the group
by playing lead (a.k.a. "soloing") most of the time.
The traditional player walks up to the community drum circle,
and what do they hear..? Total cacophony. To their trained
ears, the drum circle is rampant with "imprecise"
notes and "sloppy" playing, not to mention "bad"
technique. So what might they do? START SOLOING, as loudly
and as intensely as possible. They are trying to help in the
way they have been trained to do so.
However,
the traditionalist’s method of "helping" the
group is completely contrary to the consciousness of the drum
circle players. To the freestyle players, this newcomer isn’t
playing harmoniously with everyone else, they are trying to
"dominate" the circle, and their constant soloing
seems "selfish" and "insensitive," and
even "rude." They cannot understand how someone
could join into an ensemble where everyone is an equal part
of the music, and "turn the whole group into a back-up
band." They are not the slightest bit interested in the
skills of the traditionalist - they only know that the freedom
and cohesiveness of the music has been lost, and that now
everyone is listening to a single player, rather than the
collective song of all the instruments together. To them it
is a tragedy, because the group’s magical connection
has been broken.
Now,
out of these two examples, who is "right," the Traditionalist
or the Freestyle player?
Both,
of course. Neither of the players did anything wrong when
they entered into the musical situation. Neither player intended
to harm the music in any way. They just wanted to drum, and
they did what they believed was best. The difficulties arose
from a difference in perspective, which unintentionally caused
a conflict of interest.
But
consider this: what might have happened if the freestyle drummer
had asked to join into the traditional ensemble, or had asked
what to play? Or, might the traditional player have seemed
less "dominating" if he/she had paid less attention
to the "imperfections" in the music, and paid more
attention to the harmony and synergy of the drum circle?
As
our culture gains a deeper and more educated awareness of
drumming, it is my belief that we will all benefit. The traditional
rhythms will continue to be held in high esteem, and we will
continue to practice them, and to try to play them "correctly."
And, we will continue to love our freestyle drum circles,
where each of us is an equal part of the music-making, and
where we are completely free to create our own rhythms, and
share them with the players around us.
As
drummers, we need to respect both forms of playing. Respect
can be as simple as asking other drummers for their permission
to join in and play. Respect is remembering that we are all
an equal part of the music, and that everyone has something
unique to contribute to our song. Respect is listening to
players who have more experience than we do, and being open
to their suggestions. Respect is honoring the cultures which
gave birth to the drums and the rhythms which we play today,
and respect is also the appreciation of new inventions and
different styles. Most of all, respect is the appreciation
of every drummer, regardless of age, gender, color, language,
or style.
Be
considerate of others while you play. Be aware of when you
may be entering into a situation which has a certain style.
Remember that compliments and suggestions are usually much
more successful than criticism or ultimatums. Most of all,
play with an open heart.
Thanks
very much for listening, and I hope we get to play together
some day.
In
rhythm and spirit,
Cameron
Cameron
Tummel is a charismatic drummer, drum teacher, and drum circle
facilitator whose career spans fifteen years, 275,000 participants,
and several continents. For more info or to contact Cameron,
please visit http://www.RhythmsOfTheC.com.
5. Poem - "Be Thankful"
Be
thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be
thankful when you don't know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be
thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be
thankful for your limitations
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be
thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be
thankful for your mistakes
they will teach you valuable lessons.
Be
thankful when you're tired and weary
because it means you've made a difference.
It
is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE
can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
~
Author Unknown ~
If
you would like to contribute any insight or if you have an
inspirational story that you would like to share in an upcoming
newsletter please contact me at Pamela@PamelaLynnMusic.com.
I’d love to hear from you.
Peace and Blessings,
Pamela Lynn
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