or How to fake your way until you stumble into a groove.
I am not a drummer. I like drumming. I have fun drumming. I even have a close friend that is a drummer. But, I don’t happen to be a drummer.
I drum by inspiration. In fact, the friend mentioned above is one of my PUPs (Parallel Universe Personaes) that knows how to drum. Once upon a time folks would talk about coming under the influence of the Muse — being struck by inspiration. Using the language of parallel universes this can be understood as tapping into one’s PUP from some universe or other.
You might prefer to think of this as tapping into a PUP, divine intervention from one of the Muses, chance inspiration, or just getting lucky and falling into a groove. Whichever way you think of it, there is that time period before lightning strikes in which it is just you a drum and no inspiration.
If someone else is responsible for setting the starting rhythm then no problem. Just hang back and follow whatever is laid down.
If for whatever reason you are called upon to “start us off with a beat” then you need to:
- Be a real drummer — in which case you know real drumming stuff that you can call upon
- Be able to tap into your inspiration instantly
- Have some way to bide the time until inspiration hits.
This article is for folks that fall into category 3.
Here are a few experiments you can play with that can give you sometime to do while waiting for that elusive lightning to strike.
Here are a few truths about hand drumming.
- Hand drumming involves hitting a drum with your hands.
- If you hit the drum so that every beat is the exact same sound it will sound like garbage.
- If the interval between beats is the exact same it will also sound like garbage.
- If you are a non-drummer (like me) then it is pretty much impossible to strike the drum with different tones and varying intervals on purpose.
So what is to be done? I trick myself.
To make different tones I strike the drum in different places. Since I use a djembe and/or doumbek there are two very distinct places to strike the drum head
- In the middle of the drum head
- Near the edge of the drum head
Be advised for a real drummer the middle of the drum head can mean many different things, and the edge of the drum head can mean several different thing — knuckle here, palm there, thumb over, hands at 45 degrees, elbows in/out, slappity, bongity, and bang. Basically tons of possibilities.
Relax, for us dummies that just need a way to get through the next five minutes without imploding there is the middle and the edge. That is enough to get started.
I guarantee if you hit the drum head in the middle it will sound different then if you hit the drum head on the edge. Also because we are untrained beginners, hitting the drum head in the middle with the right hand will sound different than hitting the drum head in the middle with the left hand. Same goes for the edge.
Thus you are pretty much guaranteed to have at least four different tones.
Now what about making sure that we do not beat the drum with the exact same interval between strikes? That is handled by striking the drum in the two different parts of the drum head. Because it is necessary to move one’s hands (and arms) in order to strike the middle versus hitting the edge you are again pretty much guaranteed to have different intervals. Later when you are a practiced real drummer you might be able to move your hands all over the drum head and maintain a constant interval. But as a beginner that little extra distance will add and/or subtract a little time from the interval.
Thus if you use a pattern that involves hitting the drum in different parts of the drum head you will get different tones and non-equal intervals between strikes.
To make this experiment/exercise work we will use a pattern of Right Left Right Left Right Left ad infinitum.
Let’s use a O to indicate middle of drum head (a bass kind of tone).
We will use a _ to indicate edge of the drum head (a higher pitched tone).
Check out the pattern _ _ O O (sometimes called mama papa).
This is a very simple rhythm. Right edge, left edge, right middle, left middle, rinse and repeat.
Play this rhythm and allow it to evolve into a groove. Make no effort to have the interval constant. Allow the hands to do their thing. Just keep up the right, left, right, left, right, left alternating hands. And concentrate on edge, edge, middle, middle. This will make a rhythm.
But what if you want to try for a different rhythm? There are a few things you can try. Just for the fun of it, let’s try the following: O O _ _ — that’s right. This time it is middle, middle, edge, edge.
Because of how we are, the #1 beat sounds different than the 2, 3, & 4. So if the #1 is edge then you will be lead into a different groove than if the #1 beat is a middle. There are other alternatives you can try as well. Such as O _ _ O, or _ O O _ . And, if you start with left rather than right you have even more patterns.
Above I mentioned there are a few things you can try to get a different rhythm. The first experiment was to begin our same pattern in different parts of the pattern. Another thing you can try is a different pattern. For example: O _ _ O _ _
Try this new pattern. Be sure to alternate hands — right, left, right, left. You should have a pattern that looks like this: Right middle, left edge, right edge, left middle, right edge, left edge, back to beginning.
Hopefully this will give you something to do while waiting for that elusive inspiration.
I put links to a few books that you can check out on Amazon. I don’t recommend books. I’ve purchased books, I’ve tried using books, I’ve started and stopped with different books. And every time I work with a book I do get a little something out of the book. But, it is a very little (almost tiny) something. The only place I seem to actually learn anything about drumming is from being in a drumming circle. However, I still keep a few books (I like the kid’s books best) around. And, I work with them periodically. I just don’t recommend it. The thing I do recommend is getting into a drumming circle. From that you will draw your necessity and inspiration.