The drum circle is truly an amazing experience to witness.
People from around the world show up for one reason,
to play the drums together, be creative, and just have fun.
And somehow, it all sounds great...It's the drum circle magic!
You can just pop this CD in, close your eyes, and imagine you are out
at the drum circle. No need to wait for the weekend.
The style of the drum circle rhythms we play range from Latin, African,
Carribbean, Middle Eastern, to some plain old funky Freestyles.
We jam out for 10 or 15 minutes - then, somehow, it stops.
We take a breath, and somebody starts it up again with a new drum
beat. Then everyone joins in, finding their own unique place in the mix.
The drum circle is really fun for all, including the onlookers, some of whom
are just innocently walking by, get caught up by the drumming sound and
begin to watch. Then ever so slowly they begin to move a little,
then more and more. Gradually they head to the center of the
circle and start groovin'. It's kind of amusing to watch this process.
Gradually, they always give in to the rhythm of the beat.
They haven't got a chance. It always overcomes them, and in they go.
Even the shyest of types can only hold out for about 5 minutes.
It happens every time, It never fails. The drum rhythm is going to
get you. Some of them really are good enough to be professionals,
others just have fun expressing themselves in the drum circle.
The fascinating thing is the variety of styles you see.
Just as the drumming frequently takes an ethnic turn, so
does the dancing. Every kind you can imagine, from all sorts
of different countries. Many of the drum circle participants come
dressed according to their cultures, or just their own personal sense
of style. A lot of them show up just to unwind from a long week, and let
off a little stress. Nothing like a little drumming to help you relax.
I have to go drum jamming at least once a week or I just feel like
I have missed something.
Many of these dancers really are good, and as the drum beat drives them,
they drive the beat. As the drummers express rhythm through sound,
they express it through movement. And as they move in front
of the drummers, the musicians play harder. As a result,
it goes on and on, until it's like being in a trance!
It usually drives us to the point of exhaustion,
but who cares? It's just too much fun.
As we drum to the setting sun, we pound it down into the sea in a kind of
a weekly ritual of ours. Then the "Fire Guys" come out, the guys that
twirl fire-lit batons to the drum circle beat, making for quite a
spectacle in the dark of night with the waves of ocean silver
as a backdrop to the spinning fireballs lighting up the beach.
Sometimes it's inspirational, sometimes it's just plain beautiful.
A lot of the drummers, and onlookers are from different
cultures and don't even speak the same language. Most use native drums
from their own countries. Such as Djembes, Congas, Doumbeks, Ashikos,
Bongos, and many other fun smaller percussion instruments.
Such as Boomwhackers, shakers, rattles, wood blocks, tambourines,
triangles, and many other home made gagets. One time I saw a guy with
a cow bell that looked like he grabbed it right off his cow.
There is always a lot of variety in the drumming experience. Occasionally,
someone with something other than a percussion instrument will show up to
add a hint of melody floating over the beat, like a wood flute or something.
The unspoken drum circle rule is that you must have your own instrument
of some sort, and then you can swap with other drummers and try out
other kinds of drums people have brought. That's always fun.
The drums do the talking, in a musical event that has pretty much swept the
world, now called the Drum Circle. You can hear the "Call and Response",
"The Echo", and many other forms of drumming communication. None of
this is planned, it just happens spontaneously. The international
blend of characters is what really makes the drum circle such
a good time for everyone, onlookers and all.
This amazingly unique Drum Circle CD we have made is a full one hour and 12
minutes long. 72 minutes worth. It's from The Clearwater Beach Drum Circle.
You can hear for yourself how much fun this is, and you will more than
likely listen to drum jam over and over again. It captures the wonderful
spontaneity and magic of drummers in a big drum circle communicating
with each other using their drums. Many have said they can feel the
happiness, and joy in the drum rhythms while hearing this drums only CD.
This Drum Circle CD was professionally recorded over the course of
6 Sundays with different drummers and it really sounds fantastic.
It's amazing how this all came together, and how it sounds so good!
You can to listen to all these fascinating rhythms from different parts
of the world. Or you can use this CD as sort of an instructional tool to check
out some new drum beats and styles to play for your self, or even to play along with.
Most of the drum jams are about 10 minutes in length with anywhere
from 5 to 10 drummers (including myself) participating at any one time.
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