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DRUMMING: THE PULSE OF LIFE

by David and Laurie Rugenstein

Existence, as we know it, is in a constant state of vibration, from the rapid pulsations of sub-atomic particles, to the ponderous movement of stars and galaxies. Only a small frequency band of this vibratory dance is observable through our sense, and an even smaller band (approximately 20 through 20,000 cycles per second) is perceived as sound.

Since prehistoric times, humans have been fascinated by the frequency spectrum known as sound and have experimented with combinations of sound and silence. Patterns of sound and the silences between them create rhythm, the most elemental aspect of music.

Rhythm provides access to the pulse that is the flow of life. Our bodies are symphonies of rhythm, from the pulsations of individual cells to the cycles of breathing and heartbeat. We respond to the rhythms of the earth, night and day, the moon, and the changes of the season. African-rooted ritual drummer, Sule Greg Wilson, states that "drums are not of the intellect. A drum is a mantra machine, something whose vibrations interact with your own to effect change." The drum allows us to actively participate in the rhythmic matrix surrounding us, including the rhythm of interacting with others.

As drumming has increased in popularity during the past several years, groups of men and women are beating on drums, experiencing the energetic release that comes with creating percussive sound. However, those who truly wish to experience the magic of the drum soon feel that something is lacking in the drumming circles in which each person is playing as isolated pattern on his or her drum.

Questions arise. How could the energy of the group be brought together and focused? One possibility would be for everyone to play the same pattern: "boom... boom... boom... boom." However, while appropriate for some musical situations, this can become rigid and allows no room for creative expression. Can an individual express him/herself creatively and still contribute to the cohesion of the group? What is the magic that allows both of these things to happen?

The magic may be unseen and unheard, but it is felt. It is what your body experiences when it listens to music. The impulse to move, dance, or tap you foot is an expression of this mystical element that forms the ground of music. This element is the PULSE. Musicians say they are "in the groove" when each part relates to the pulse and an inner awareness of oneness is experience.

There is an underlying pulse in every human activity from walking to talking. Generally, in music, the pulse is experienced as a constantly recurring reference point equidistant in time and space from the points that precede and follow it.

The pulse could be compared to a walkway made of stepping stones placed at an equal distance from one another. When walking with an average stride, you might step on each stone. When walking with a long stride, you may step only on every second or third stone. When walking with a short stride, you may stake several steps between stones. When skipping, you may land on some stones and between others. The stones serve as the reference point for your journey, your place of safety, your home, a refuge to return to when you explorations have taken you off of the path. We all have an innate ability to experience and relate to the pulse in music. However, body tension and anxiety can shut down our natural responses. Many of us have critical Inner Judges who tell us we are not musical, we are unable to keep a beat, or we are clumsy and uncoordinated. These judges simply add to body tension and remove us from the experience of the present moment.

"Drumming the Pulse of Life" was created as a teaching method to bypass the Inner Judges and access the body's innate wisdom. The five basic elements of this approach are:

  • Learning to sense and embody the pulse.

  • Using sixteenth notes as the basic building block.

  • Using familiar language to articulate rhythmic patterns.

  • Engaging the body through movement and sensorial stimulation.

  • Having fun

Learning to sense and embody the pulse:

The pulse can be most easily sensed when the body is relaxed. Students listen to pieces of music with different tempos and rhythmic feels such as a march, a waltz, a samba, and a rock beat. They are encouraged to be aware of any impulse to move and to express that movement through their bodies. Motion that engages large muscles groups is encouraged.

Using sixteenth notes as the basic building block:

Most traditional drumming methods begin with quarter note studies. Because there is a relatively large amount of time/space between quarter notes at a moderate tempo, the student often feels ungrounded and has difficulty maintaining a steady tempo. Also, when a student has been taught that quarter notes are the basic building block, the introduction of more notes per beat (eight and sixteenth notes) can feel threatening and confusing.

In "Drumming the Pulse of Life," students are initially taught sixteenth notes and how to relate them to the pulse. After developing a feeling for playing sixteenth notes, students are introduced to notes of other rhythmic values (eights, quarters, halfs, etc.) The grounding in sixteenth notes allows the students to easily grasp notes of longer duration, including dotted noted and syncopated patterns, experiencing them as various combinations of sixteenth notes.

Using familiar language to articulate rhythmic patterns:

Even if we are not musicians, we have an extensive repertoire of familiar rhythmic patterns available to us through our spoken language. Engaging students through using patterns that are already in place in their everyday vocabulary takes advantage of existing skills and maximizes success.

Familiar words are used to articulate various grouping of notes, and to relate these notes to the pulse through the natural syllabic accent on the words.

Engaging the body through movement and sensorial stimulations:

Students use sight, sound, touch, and movements to integrate pulse and rhythms. A new rhythmic pattern is introduced and intergraded using the following steps:

1) Seeing

Students are given a visual representation of the rhythmic pattern in the form of standard musical notation. With young children, grouping of wooden blocks, pieces of fruit, plastic cows, or other objects may be used for visual illustration.

2) Vocalizing

Students verbalize the rhythm, using familiar words, while relating to a steady pulse, which is played by the facilitator.

3) Embodiment

Students vocalize the pattern and play it with their hands on their bodies, while maintaining the pulse with their feet. This process is also reversed with the pattern being played by the feet, while the pulse is maintained through clapping the hands

When the visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic senses are engaged in this way, the rhythmic pattern is encoded in a variety of ways in the brain, and the student has more avenues to access and recall it.

Instruments are not introduced until a pattern has been assimilated through h the preceding steps. These rhythmic patterns can them be successfully articulated on a drum, small percussion instruments, piano or any instrument the student is able to manipulate.

Drumming, or playing any instrument, should be an outward expression of what is already there. Real music comes form the inside out.

Having fun

Students are encouraged by example to have fun, to explore, and to experiment. They learn the joy that comes from experiencing themselves "in the groove." As drummer-author Bob Moses maintains, "Our goal is to groove...Creativity is not a goal; Creativity is. Everybody is creative, but not everybody grooves." However, everybody can learn to groove with the Pulse of Life.

David Rugenstein is a professional drummer, percussionist, and "groove master" with 35 years of performing and teaching experience. In addition to live performance, he has worked as a studio musician in Nashville and has performed on radio and television. He recently co-produced and performed on "Gateways," an album on men's drumming and chanting, with Jonathon Goldman. David developed "Drumming the Pulse of Life" from years of experience with students and personal reflection. He teaches classes focusing on self-expression through drumming and facilitates drumming and chanting circles and drum-making workshops. He uses drumming in his work at the Center for People With Disabilities.

Laurie Rugenstein is a professional musician and registered music therapist. She is director of the Masters Degree Program in Music Therapy at the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado. She has a private practice in music therapy and has developed a music therapy program with Boulder County Hospice. Laurie, originally trained as a classical musician, has overcome her fear of sixteenth note syncopation and polyrhythms through her experience with "Drumming the Pulse of Life" she facilitated drumming and chanting circles and drum-making workshops and uses drumming in her music therapy practice.