Drums & Vibration

I admit it. I have a special fascination with vibration and how each thing, whether matter or energy, interacts with its own vibration and the vibrations around it.

Though in the beginning (over 25 years ago!) I learned to make and love the traditional Native American style Four Direction drums, the fact that I felt such an amazing and strong connection to the drum even though I am not Native American got me curious. I started learning how indigenous and traditional cultures world wide have used the drum for tens of thousands of years (that we know of) to create vibrations designed to affect themselves, those around them, the physical world and the deities, spirits and ancestors.

I have become a little obsessed with studying different styles of drum making around the world, including the variations created by each individual type of hide and the properties of different kinds of wood in different thicknesses and depths. The traditional construction of drums in various parts of the world inspires me to experiment, both so I can hear the essence of the drums for myself despite being unable to actually travel to their home, and so that I can create drums that have the roots of tradition , the immediacy of modern times, and the creative spark given me by the deities, the spirits and the ancestors.

My life partner (Luke) is a percussionist and electronic musician who has dedicated his life to intensely creating and understanding the science of sound. Our connection leads to an innovative and unimagined blend of right and left brained design in our drums. They really are designed for incredible sound as well as amazing energy. The vibrations that our drums create are intentional and directed.

Vibrations can do everything from calming the soul to collapsing a mountain; it is just a matter of degree. Some quantum theory states that everything is made of vibrating energy, and that it is only frequency that differentiates matter from energy. Looking at the science of music, we see that every note is a vibration that is changed and affected by everything around it, including sound waves, of course, but also the environment in which the sound is created. Different materials, weather, moisture and even the mood of the musician can totally change the vibrations created from any instrument from moment to moment.

Many of us have had experience with playing in a drum circle where everyone present "entrains", i.e. starts playing and actually living in the same rhythm: Hearts beat in unison, the breath is in rhythm, the mind silences itself and moves into the group vibration. If you've never participated in a drum circle, I highly recommend it, though if you're like me, it lasts until you notice it, and then it's the monkey mind all over again. Practice makes perfect, though, and even a short time of feeling in tune with the planetary vibrations is well worth the effort.

Looking at drums, then, and considering the magic of manifestation or change, the mechanism is both simple and complex. The reason that every culture has their own version of a drum is that there is something both primal (the mother's heartbeat) and incredibly sacred (the song of the universe) that happens when vibrations are created and sent out. These vibrations can affect your inner being, modulating your personal energy to reduce stress, create focus, change brain waves (from alert to trance, for example) or increase strength of will. These vibrations also affect the world around you, whether you play quietly in your apartment or exuberantly in public, as sound waves are much bigger than we can perceive with our limited senses. The vibrations you create modulate the vibrations that are being created around you, whether those of your neighbors fighting, cars passing, the couple downstairs making love... The vibration of your drum, made and played with love and in a sacred way, will magnify those vibrations that are similar and will reduce the vibrations that are different. This is why every group of people on the planet have their own version of the mother drum. Those who are spiritually inclined, the medicine people, the priestesses, the shamans, the healers, those who work for the betterment of the tribe; these people understand how the vibrations of the the drum create pathways for change. Even when the ordinary person doesn't understand the drum, or thinks it strange, the vibrations created by the drum still interact with their own vibrations to create room for change...and when there is room for change, there is a possibility of great things manifesting.