RockOm

COLUMN: Commentary on Theories of Spirituality through Music
Article 1.102 - Western Music Theory and The Seven Major Chakras
By John Staedler

To reiterate from my last article, the word chakra is literally translated to mean “wheel of light." Often they are explained and depicted as colored wheels of light spinning from seven major points in the body however there are infinite chakras in everything. For the purposes of this column I will start with the seven major chakras.

When I first started studying the chakras it was an interesting hobby but the more I learned about them, the more I was surprised with how much they lined up with all kinds of other things such as:

➢ The seven major chakras
➢ Seven notes in a western scale
➢ Octaves (the 8th note in a scale which is a higher vibration of the first note)
➢ The seven Western musical modes
➢ The seven colors of the rainbow/color spectrum

Also the division of twelve;

➢ The 12 half steps of a western scale
➢ The 12 Western, Chinese and Mayan zodiac signs
➢ The 12 total chakras (minor & major)

I will elaborate on this more in future articles. For now I want to start with the first chakra and common associations with it.

The First Chakra

A.K.A. – The Base Chakra, Root Center, Muladhara Chakra

Color: Red

Symbol: 4-petaled lotus

Location: At the base of the spine connected to the tailbone. The first chakra opens downward.

Representative time in life: 1-7 years of age

Positive associated powers: stabilizing, grounding, tribal power, collective unconscious becomes accessible

Basic principle: physical will to be, life energy and trust, relationship to the earth and the material world, stability, power to achieve and succeed, innocence, purity, childhood joy, dignity, balance

Purpose and function: connection to the physical world and kundalini energy, it is the entrance of the life force (prana/chi), sushumna, ida and pingala (the three main energy channels) begin here.

Commonly associated parts of the body: spine, bones, teeth, nails, hips, legs, feet, intestines, cell multiplication, prostate gland, blood, adrenal glands, adrenaline, noradrenalin

Harmonious functioning: deep personal relationship with the earth, rooted in life, awareness about natural cycles, primordial trust

Disharmonious functioning: focus on material possessions, indulgence, violence, fixations, difficulties to give and receive freely

Insufficient functioning: weak physical constitution and emotional stamina, lack of stability

Associated element: Earth

Associated Astrological Signs: Westen: Aries/Mars, Taurus. Chinese: Rat & Ox

Associated nature experiences: dawn, sunset, fresh soil

Styles of music: strongly rhythmic, stomping beat, drums

Vowel - Tone - Mantra: "eh" - C - lam, hum

Color Therapy: clear, bright red

Associated gemstones: gamet, agate, bloodstone, red coral, ruby

Associated aromas: frankincense, cedar, clove, angelica, ginger

Form of Yoga: Hatha Yoga (postures combined with breathing), Kundalini Yoga

In the next article I will go into the 2nd chakra and common associations with it as well as further connections between Western Music Theory and The Seven Major Chakras.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John Staedler is a professional recording and performing artist incorporating world, psychedelic and experimental music with theater, comedy and spoken word into an unforgettable live experience.  Find him online at http://www.johnstaedler.com.

An Interview with Medeski, Martin and Wood drummer Billy Martin
By Trevor Harden and Tom Crenshaw

The earth is populated with thousands upon thousands of musical acts who write, record and perform within their comfort zones, using the live stage to rehash their recorded music. Sparse are the bands willing to experiment, improvise and truly "play" in the playing of their music. Medeski, Martin and Wood, however, are one of those bands.

With as broad of a musical palette as any ensemble, MMW explores and experiments with sound, rhythm, and melody, unafraid to take chances or even to fall on their faces. But don't expect that often, as the group's well-honed skills and superb musicianship are the envy of musicians and fans worldwide.

Now in their eighteenth year together, MMW has completed a new series of albums entitled The Radiolarians Series (the last of which, Radiolarians III, was released on August 4th). The project itself was innovative in that it thwarted the tired, age-old pattern of touring in support of an already recorded album. Instead, they wrote the music on tour, performing (or even creating) fresh pieces for live audiences, only to return later to the studio to record the new pieces.

In this interview, drummer Billy Martin talks about the Radiolarians process, the band's openness to change, the "motherly" power in creating something new and tapping into higher dimensions through music.

RockOm: We recently spent some time with Brazilian vocalist Flora Purim and her percussionist husband Airto Moreira talking with them about their heritage, Brazilian rhythm and sound and how they’ve contributed to its evolution. Before becoming part of Medeski, Martin & Wood, you were a part of the NYC Brazilian scene in the 1980s. What led to your discovery and joining into that scene and why do you think the Brazilians seem to know something intrinsic about rhythm that the rest of the world envies?

Billy: The Brazilians have a unique rhythmic vocabulary unlike any other, which for me was very magical. When I was younger I discovered and fell in love with it so I dropped everything and for two years only played Brazilian music. It changed my life. It's a different way of being and a whole different world. I still love it and I learned a lot about African rhythms through Brazilian rhythms, really. The way I phrase and play drums is heavily influenced by that style. But once I learned to play Brazilian-style, I realized I couldn't only be a Brazilian drummer or percussionist. I had to take it my own way and reinterpret it.

RockOm: You’re also a visual artist with your printmaking, painting, pencil and pastel drawings, and other mediums. Do any of the creative attributes of visual artistry help with your creating musically?

Billy: Absolutely. It comes from the same place of exploration and experimentation. When I make art, it's usually through an improvising technique where I'm not sure what I'm going to end up with, which is the same way that I create music.

RockOm: Medeski, Martin & Wood has successfully experimented and reinvented itself many times over the years. What do you think has contributed to your being open for change - which seems to be a problem for many other bands?

Billy: I think it's just our personalities, where we're coming from and where we're going, and the chemistry we have. It's also the love we share for creating new things, keeping it fresh, being involved with growing and learning, and not being afraid to take chances. We all share that in this band. There's no real strong personality that says, "I just want to play the same thing every night. I don't want to be challenged. I just want to make the money. I just want to play the same thing and play the same little trick I do every night that makes people go 'Ooh, ahh!' Let's collect the check and play it safe." For us, that's like the fuckin' devil. It's just not the way we work.

RockOm: Many of your songs are thematic in that the song title and the composition or expressed feeling all seem to be communicating a certain theme. How much of your writing starts with a non-musical idea - where you want to write a song about a certain subject and then you put music to that idea - as opposed to just writing music and naming it later?

Billy: Only a very, very small percentage of anything is conceptual where we say, "Let's do something that's about this or let's take this title and create a piece of music." It's more that we want to communicate with sound and use our musical vocabulary to see what happens. We just get together and see what happens when we have a musical discussion. Then we will take notes on it, record it or just think about it. But there's only about 5% of our music that comes in [conceptually].

RockOm: Reflecting back now that the Radiolarians project is complete, would you say you and the group have accomplished your objectives with what you were aiming for in this collection of albums and tours?

Billy: Definitely. I think originally we were going for four different "seasons" but to me this is even better. I like the number three: we're a trio, three is a powerful number, and three volumes of music is perfect. It's asymmetrical; I like that. I am really happy with what happened. We didn't know where it was going to end up and each record evolved out of the previous one. And that was the whole point, that it was an evolving process of writing. That theme is in there: evolution, revolution, re-evolution.

RockOm: What would you say you learned most about the band or just in general through the Radiolarians process?

Billy: It's hard to say; we've been together for eighteen years. Musically, we're changing all the time and so as far as what we learn, it's almost hard to put words to it. I guess patience, learning how to be patient and how not to repeat ourselves. But that's an ongoing theme. On a more technical level, I'd say we're learning about making records and releasing them ourselves. We're learning how to be a record company. The things we've dreamt about are becoming true now because we've been involved with other labels and this is now our own thing. We're also learning to do more with less, financially. With Blue Note, Capitol or Indirecto there was some money there. I mean it wasn't our money... but then we didn't own the end product. It was our music but physically the recording wasn't ours and that kind of sucked. The trade-off was investing in ourselves and taking the money out of our own pockets and all the sudden you get more serious about it in a way, because now it's our responsibility to package this thing and get it out there. We've become a little more careful how much time we've spent on recording, mastering, editing or whatever.

RockOm: There’s a freedom inherent in music as well as a long history of cutting edge, innovative jazz that touches on or hints at a higher dimension in music besides the norm. What’s your experience with sound as a vehicle to higher dimensions, or higher levels of consciousness, and would you describe MMW’s music as a means to reaching those states?

Billy: Yes, it's the quickest way for me to "get there," as far as reaching another level of communication. I'm not very good with words and I've developed my own way of making music and using sound that is my own. It's been an inspirational and spiritual self-discovery that I've gone through. There's magic in there; it's real magic. Sometimes I'm doing it and I don't take it so seriously. I mean I'm always focused and trying to do my best but there's times when I don't take myself so seriously that I say, "Check me out, I'm a master and you're going to learn from me." I don't do that unless I'm teaching. I'm only going to say, "This is who I am when I'm being sincere. I'm going to do some stuff - some of it is going to work and some of it isn't - and I'm not going to be so serious about myself." But then people come up to me and they say, "Oh my God, you changed my life." To me that's the magic, the power of that stuff. Sometimes maybe when I'm not witnessing this spiritual thing that's happening, other people may be getting it. It's really cool in that way. Sometimes I'm conscious of what I'm doing and what's happening and other times other people see it.

RockOm: Do you notice those magical or mystical moments when improvising with your bandmates and you lock into a groove that seems to have come from beyond yourself?

Billy: Yes and a lot of it comes through the improvising when we make these discoveries. We look at each other like, "Oh my God, how in the hell did we just decide to do that? We didn't plan this; it just happened." We look at each other with our mouths open sometimes and that's the beautiful thing about it. Just being creative and not repeating yourself note for note is probably one of the greatest things you can do because you're creating something that hasn't been done before. When you're doing that you're creating a new thing and putting a new thing into the world; it's very powerful. Not powerful in a warrior way, more in a motherly way of creating a new being. That's a spiritual thing.

RockOm: Camp MMW has wrapped it's 2nd year. Tell us about the camp and what you've learned in working with musicians of varying levels.

Billy: We do it upstate New York in the Catskills which is in this area called the Full Moon Resort. It's a beautiful spot on hundreds of acres and the way it's set up is just perfect. We have the barn for master classes where we show films and there's other spaces in which we teach. John, Chris and I will have workshops at the same time so some of the student body comes to my thing because I'm going to do Afro-Brazilian rhythms or I'm going to talk about improvising and soloing or they'll go to John's where he's going to talk about his keyboard setup or what it means to improvise. It's a very intimate setting where we're getting hands on with the students, we're creating ensembles and they're getting to play with people they've never played with before under our direction. They also get their own time to do jam sessions at night with other people and cross-pollinate. We give them the juice and the ideas or concepts they can use and we end up having a really good time. It's only our second year but I'm confident that it's something we'll keep going.

RockOm: You're about to embark on a new string of fall tour dates. What are you anticipating about this coming tour?

Billy: We're always into writing new music but now that we have all three volumes of Radiolarians, we'll throw those out. We'll sprinkle the set with Radiolarians tunes and improvise on that and then we'll start experimenting with some new ideas. We may even get into a little more visual stuff too - video that relates to the Radiolarians - if it works out. But basically it's going to be the same guys up there trying to do some new shit. [laughs]

http://www.mmw.net

Thanks to Myles Grosovsky and Sneak Attack Media

By Tom Crenshaw, tom@RockOm.net

Yesterday I interviewed the legendary percussionist Airto Moreira for an upcoming feature planned at RockOm. For those who may not know of Moreira, Arito has worked with Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Francis Ford Coppola, Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain and Flora Purim (Moreira’s wife who is a celebrated Brazilian jazz singer herself) to mention a few. I can only say his unpretentious viewpoint of his accomplishments precedes his reputation as a musician - quite impressive for someone who has contributed some of music's greatest rhythms. I was particularly struck by how Moreira expressed his acting as a channel from which a rich spiritual joy pours forth. It was when joy overtook him that he knew he was creating and performing music of the most extraordinary kind.

How can we, as Moreira, become a channel or a vessel for Spirit to express joy in the carrying out of our obligations - be it creating or performing music, or simply performing our daily work, no matter how mundane our tasks may seem?

One of the most effective ways to “get out of our own way” and express joy in the moment is to recognize the moment for what it is: it is sacred. This moment is, as the greatest teachers of spiritual enlightenment have taught for thousands of years, all that we can truly exist in. In recognizing the moment, instead of reliving the past or anticipating the future, we can begin to witness our being carrying out what it is we are doing in a new light. We become present and capable of being a channel to express joy.

Another way we can express joy is to not judge what it is we are doing in the moment so quickly. We tend to jump right in, right away at any given moment and define what we think is going on before Spirit has the opportunity to color our awareness and shed its light on our being. Take for example playing music. There isn’t a right way or a wrong way to play a note in music- there is simply the most effective way to communicate how you are feeling in the moment. How can we perform passionately while we're worrying about the last note that just tanked and anticipating the notes to come, hoping they won’t turn out like the notes before?

The same can be said for experiencing music as a listener. Upon hearing new music we tend to anticipate where we think the music is going.  Again, we’re not in the moment but referencing experiences from the past (“this sounds like such and such song”). We can’t experience the full joy of the music because we aren’t present – we’re anticipating or judging what it is we think we’re going to hear.

Today, spend some time being fully present in the moment in whatever you are doing and open up your being to become a channel for expressing joy. You’ll know when you are recognizing this sacred moment when you’re quickly filled with all that is good and joyous. When you can’t contain anymore, all that goodness will spill over and out, out into those around you and into the world.

You are designed from joy, to be filled with joy and to share that joy with those around you. Be present and open, don’t judge and become a channel. You have beautiful music inside you that is already in-tune with all that is good.

Watch for RockOm’s interview and podcast featuring percussionist Airto Moreira coming in September.

[See Part I of this interview, "Every Instrument Has a Spirit," here.]

Trevor: As we at RockOm have been exploring the bond between music and spirituality and deeper meanings, percussion keeps coming up. Do you think there's some sort of essence about drumming or rhythm that's different?

Zakir: I guess rhythm is part of us from the time we're in our mother's womb. The heart is pumping, there is a pulse, so we respond to that. If you notice, most of the songs that are a hit are songs that you can tap your feet to or you can sing while you're walking. The tempos of the songs that have become hits are the tempos that either you walk in, you breathe in, or you make love in. So the rhythm is a central part of music which leaves an imprint on your mind. It's a very important part simply because you as a human being naturally respond to rhythm more quickly than you do to melody. Composers over the past many years have simplified and watered-down the melodies enough so that you can just as quickly relate to melody as well [sings “Na Na, Hey Hey, Kiss Them Goodbye” and the end of “Hey Jude”]. The composers have brought the melodies to the point where they almost are rhythmic. That's why rap is a big hit.

Shiva is shown with the damaru. He is the destroyer, but also the creator. His son, Lord Ganesha is shown with the pakhawaj, he's the protector. So the two very important gods in India are shown with drums. It is said that when Lord Shiva was called upon by the gods to go down to the earth and kill all the asuras (demons) he came down and he did what they call the “dance of destruction,” tandava. Now, Lord Shiva probably smoked a lot of weed. Because when he got into doing something, he just kept on doing it. (laughs) The point was that he started to destroy the demons and then there were not too many demons left, so he kept on destroying whatever was out there. And the gods got very worried and went, “Ok, pretty soon there's going to be no planet earth. So what to do?” So they sent out Parvati and her other name is Lasya, which means lust, romance, whatever you want to call it. She did the dance of lasya to calm down Shiva and established a balance, an order to all the chaos. Now it is believed that since the first word of the dance of destruction, tandava, is ta – and the first word of lasia, the dance of love and peace and order, is la - that's where the word “tala” comes from, which is rhythm.

So it is really written into the whole source of creation and because of that, I guess human beings are born with that connection, that connection of rhythm. The earth, when it rotates, creates a tone and that tone is Bb. When I hit this [hits table], there's no note, but if it's played a million times fast, it becomes a tone - “mmmm” - and that's Bb.

In the old days they used to bang the temple bells and the old drums to call people to prayers. When the king wanted a new law passed people went around the town, beating the drums and having people come and then explain to them what's going to happen next, who was going to get killed. Messages were sent on the law drums and there are talking drums in Africa to talk to. I guess it's all part of our process of living. And rhythm, pulse, heartbeat, and drums are an essential part of it – not just an important part of it. It is necessary to have that.

Tom: Would you say there could be an analogy in “ta-la” and, from the Bible, “in the Beginning was the Word”?

Zakir: Or in the word Om? We all draw upon something that we've heard and appeals to us. For instance, the growing up process of a musician in India is, OK now you want to become a professional artist. So you're to do the Chilla where you go away into the forest by yourself into that little hut where all the old gurus have gone before you. You live off the land, it doesn't matter how old you are - 15, 18, 20, whatever – and for forty days, you play your music. Where did the number 40 come from? And of course when you're living off the land, you're alone, you're with just your music, you're playing your music 16, 18, 20 hours a day. The vibration of it, the sound of it, the tone of it hypnotizes you. You see things; revelations come. You discover many things – what's inside of you. If there's ugliness inside of you, it will emerge, it will manifest and it may frighten you and tear your mind apart. It's like having an LSD experience of the most negative kind. Or if there's honesty and purity inside of you, that will emerge and enlighten you. So, the forty day period – the 40 days of Moses – the 40 days of flood or rain – that's what I wanted to say, that yes, there is this connection where 40 becomes a very important thing.

Why do we all have the same 12 notes whether we are in deep Africa or on the river in China or anywhere? Why do we have do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do and the flats and the sharps? It's the same in India and here and everywhere. And we say our music has been around for over 2,000 years, but we tuned our sitars and tablas to the machine 440, what the pianos are tuned to now. Why is that? Who knows? 4/4 is the same, 6/8 is the same all over the world. It has not changed or mutated into something else. Some people have gone further with the rhythmic signs, but in the west they've mainly still remained with 4/4 and 6/8. Dave Brubeck came in with “Take 5” and then that became known, while we have about 360 different ones in India which we play. The dance of destruction from Lord Shiva was supposed to be 14 beats; Lasya is supposed to be 8 beats.

Tom: Let's talk about some of your work with other instruments. You've worked with some unusual pairings before, pairing the tabla with the banjo, the bass, cello...

Zakir: It's not so unusual to me and I'll tell you why. Growing up as a young kid, our apprenticeship was in the Bollywood orchestras in India, film orchestras. Bollywood orchestras were all in one large room. At one end of the room was the string section: violins, violas, cellos, basses. Next to them on this side was the piano. Opposite the piano on this side of the room was a big riser which set the sitar player, the sarangi player, flute player, sarod player and there were two mics in there in between them. At this end, on the side of the indian musicians were the indian drums, tablas and all that. Opposite side on the piano line were the (western) drums. So, that's where we were and that's where we played. Under the baton of the conductor or composer, we all played together. That's what I grew up doing, playing with western musicians. Some days there would be a horn section there while we were doing the background score for a film. In those days the composer did not arrive with a complete, composed chart. He would look at the film and would see what the timing was and write the music there. So all of us had to be present because then he knew what he had at his command and what he could write for, what he needed at that time. At that time while he was doing that, we were jamming. The sitar player was sitting with the guitar playing and saying, “What do you got there?” – or the flute player is hanging out with the oboe player (coming up with ideas). So this was a common happening, day in and day out. For me, there wasn't anything unusual about these pairings.

100 years back, or even 60 years back, before that period, it was not so common for Indian musicians to play with musicians of other origins. But my generation, yes. My father was traveling with Ravi Shankar all over the world and would come home with records, LPs, of all varieties. That's where I first heard the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Starship, Yusuf Latif, Duke Ellington, The Doors, Bitches Brew or all these milestone albums. Having arrived here (in America) it was like walking right into the recording room with all those (Bollywood studio) musicians – the only thing was that the faces were different, the language was different and the approaches to the instruments were different.

When you pair with people, that's all one aspect of it – the other one is whether you get along. You can be with the greatest of musicians and sitting on the stage together and nothing happens. You just don't see eye to eye. Nothing's wrong with that, it just happens. So the pairings happen only because there's a connection, you see the same lighted path and you walk that path together so that connection is made and never broken.

Trevor: What do you have ahead of you, do you have new pairings you're working at, or what other adventures lie ahead?

Zakir: I'm still trying to strengthen the old pairings. Say, Mickey Hart for instance; I've known him since 1972 – that's when we did our first record called Rolling Thunder and I'm still working with him. The thing is after 10 or 12 years of working with someone, the valleys, the little corners and nooks and all, start to reveal themselves. I was a punk Indian musician wanting to impress the daylights out of everybody; I was gonna get on that drum and play as strong and as fast as possible. And I did that, but by the time I reached John McLaughlin and those guys, I understood that I needed to get to know them as people; I needed to go live where they lived, eat what they ate, go for walks with them, you know? Just be there, day in and day out. I went to the Shaman villages in South America with Airto (Moreira) to hang out there to just learn and to learn what Airto was all about, what Babatunde (Olantunji) was all about. That whole tradition – you can't just learn by listening to a record and saying hello to a person. That's just the surface; you've got to get to know them, then once you get to know them, that's when you can start finding the connection. Unless your hearts meet, your minds connect, and your eyes see the same lighted path, it's not possible to be paired together and make music together. I've been paired with a hundred different musicians over the years but there have been 2 or 3 that I am still working with because that walk has been taken. Sadly, some of those I have not been able to revist and maybe find that road and so the pairings didn't continue. But hopefully there are some more – like working with Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer. This is something that just began two years ago and has the makings of a very special brotherhood, so let's see what happens.

Discuss this article

More about Zakir

Moment Records

Photography by Susana Millman

Thanks to Regina Grande

I once had a very profound spiritual experience many years ago when I was a young musician. I took the entire day to myself at our studio (where our instruments and drums were set up) to just explore and try to finish a song on which I had been working. I became stuck on several lines of melody, trying to match it to the rhythm of the song and quickly became frustrated. I then deliberately chose to relax and let the mantel of reality slip more loosely around my shoulders, forgetting about the music at hand since the play had suddenly turned into work.
 
The next thing I knew I was sitting behind our drummer’s 13 piece double-bass drum kit holding his sticks and just tapping on the high-hat cymbals. I had never actually tried to play drums before and it felt very different surrounded by drums (instead of being at the foot of the stage as I was accustomed to as lead singer). I started tapping on several drums, rotating slowly from one Rototom to the next, then to the floor bass kick and found myself playing a very simple pattern using about six drums. I flowed into this pattern and felt an overwhelming sense of peace fill me and sustain me as I kept the pattern going. It was liberating to simply create an uncomplicated rhythm and let the sounds and feeling of hand on stick, stick on drumhead fill me.
 
This slow sequence soon gave way to more complex patterns rotating through all the drums in the kit to where I eventually found myself playing with such force and speed on every drum and cymbal that I felt like Keith Moon! I completely lost myself and felt such an incredible feeling of connecting in perfect rhythm, without conscious thought.
 
I’m not entirely sure how long I sat at the drum kit but that time I spent animated in the rhythms is one which left an indelible impression upon me.  Every lick had a purpose, every pattern made complete sense and felt divine, and my hands and feet were freed.
 
There are times when we feel totally out of sequence, so out of rhythm with our surroundings that we fail to recognize the natural rhythms so commonplace and inherent to our very being. We can lose all recognition of the significance of the rhythms to our being that when we do find ourselves in synch we’re more surprised than when we are lost and out of synch. Being in key with those natural rhythms makes for a more significant awareness of our place in this world. We’re here to not only keep tempo to our natural surroundings but to also create our very own unique tempo that defines our own being. When we’re out of synch all we need do is close our eyes and listen to the sound of our hearts beating, to the birds singing, the rivers flowing. We can’t ever truly lose tempo with life's inherent rhythms.    

[By Tom Crenshaw, RockOm.net]

Discuss this article

In a yet to be published RockOm interview with Zakir Hussain, the world-renowned tabla master says, "The tempos of the songs that have become hits are the tempos that either you walk in, you breathe in, or you make love in." Zakir is referring to life's natural rhythms - those human and cosmic tempos that we find ourselves interacting with every day.

Some forms of music are even based on such natural rhythms. According to the V. Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary, "The [Italian] barcarola is typically in 6/8 or 12/8 meter to simulate the motion of the boat moving through the waves of the water with the rhythmic rowing of the gondolier."

This week pay attention to the natural rhythms around you. See how and when your footsteps fall in beat with the songs on your iPod. Hum a tune to the rhythm of the ocean waves or breathe in tempo with your favorite ballad. Hear how the coffee grinder, the clinking of silverware and the patrons' coughs all fit together to form one giant, interconnected drum beat. Perhaps in doing so we will experience life's larger patterns and underlying order.

Or we won't. Try it and see what happens as an experiment in experiencing and hearing life in a new way.

Native American drums are arguably the most used American Indian instruments among Native Americans and non American Indian people alike. Drums for many generations have always been at the center of Indian lifestyle, forming what has become the platform of religion and spirituality as well as special days where a pow wow drum is center stage.

Indian people in North America history have all used drums in various ways to interact with a higher power known to most as the Great Spirit. To Native people, Indian drums are much more than just decorations or nice musical instruments. American Indian drums are believed to speak to the drummer. Native drums being made in a circle represent the earth and life. The most recognizable being hoop drums and shaman drums which are Indian hand drums used in many personal healing and religious ceremonies as well as public ceremonies such as a Native American powwow.

The skin of the animal that is placed over the ring brings with it unique characteristics of the spirit of the animal and brings a sense of life to the drum when played. Many people think of pounding a drum to make a sound, but to Indian drummers and those involved in modern drumming groups and drum circles, the desire is to draw out the sound. The beating drum is compared to the beating of a human heart and is said to represent the heart beat of the earth which is a belief that is classic Native American. Drums in this way become the platform to connect one's spirit with that of the earth and the Great Spirit through out the history of American Indians.

Native American Indian drums have a beautiful culture and because they are so important they are used in not only music but art and dance as well. Adding decoration to a drum becomes a very personal job to the owner. The Indian drummer becomes an artist and communicates impressions of his inner feelings and beliefs in his Indian art. Some American Indian tribes use images of animals to personalize their drums and others use geometric patterns and everything in between. In some tribal Indian cultures the drummer will place something of personal value inside the drum to permanently join himself with his hand drum.

The different Native American icons that the artwork on the drums depict is often painted with natural earth colors taken from nature. Some are dull and others are bright coming from flowers, roots, berries, bark or herbs that are boiled to release their unique earth tones. Other Native American drums are adorned with iron oxide which is a naturally occurring red rock that can be easily crushed. When mixed with water, it produces a rich orange red dye that is much like paint and is indicative if the surrounding hillsides and rock formations like those of the beautiful Arizona red rock canyons. The region of Sedona is thought to be a special place with spiritual power like the energy created by American Indian drums.

The goal of Native American Education except for those Indian boarding schools that have tried to stamp out Native culture has always involved the sharing of beliefs through music, songs, stories and legends. It is in harmony with these forms of learning that the communication and cultural importance has been found in the use of drums. If you are interested in the spiritual aspects of life as pertain to Indian beliefs, you would enjoy using and playing Native American drums.

[By Craig Chambers. Craig is the director of Mission Del Rey and offers free information online about buying Native American drums for Native ceremonies and drumming groups. For more information visit http://www.missiondelrey.com]

When you think of Native American music, do you only think of the old Westerns that depicted drums and dancers around a campfire? Not only is that extremely stereotypical, it is just wrong.

Native American music today is still rooted in the music of the flute, and yes, the drums, but it is so much more than that! It is given through emotions. Native American music still showcases these as the key instruments that carry the tune; however, often you will find that many other instruments are also giving the piece more depth and power.

There are many more traditional recording artists still working on the songs of their and their forefathers youth, gently evolving them with time. There are also many new groups that have taken the traditional music and built upon it to create new, equally as beautiful and meaningful pieces of music that are a delight to hear.

Native American flute music has stayed extremely popular over the years, defying the trend to move toward a more worldly style. It is often accompanied by vocals but generally little else as the flute creates music that is transcendent all by itself.

Drums and other percussion instruments are still as important today as they ever were. They carry the tempo with their varying beats.

The most important part of Native American music, though, is the vocals. With its elastic nature you will find yourself following the complexities that create some of the most emotional music you will ever hear. It will take you on a journey through your own soul to find who you are. When paired with the flute, it creates timeless peace and tranquility. As the forefront of a group or band, it is the vocals that catch and hold your attention, whether it is in a Native tongue or not.

Powwow music seems to be the most popular second to the flute. It surrounds itself with the beating of the drum and the voices chanting in rhythm. It is the base music for dancing, often accompanied by the beat of the bells or jingles on the dancers garments.

Voted the Best Native American Music Album at the 2008 Grammy Awards was an album by Johnny Whitehorse called Totemic Flute Chants. This album gives you a way to work with your animal guides with twelve songs such as Bear, Wolf, Earth Mother and nine more.

Robert Mirabal is another popular Native American artist producing many stunning works in both the traditional sound with his native tongues, Tiwa, and also in English. He is an accomplished flutist, vocalist, and percussionist who is showcase in his works.

Dave Wolfs Robe is not only extremely talented, but he is also well known for many of his projects aimed to bring flute history and share the culture with many people. He is bringing the issues of the Native American people to the forefront such as the environment and how it is affecting indigenous peoples. He has produced three CDs and is bringing the fourth to culmination. He has had his music included in the Devil's Tower National Park CD and is hoping to broaden knowledge and peace, compassion and healing through the music of his flute.

Mary Youngblood has been playing music for more than twenty-five years and was the first Native American woman to record an album of music from the sacred flute. She has won numerous awards including a Grammy in 2003 for Beneath the Raven Moon. Mary has been classically trained on several instruments but is well known as the Premiere Native American female Flutist.

This is a short collection of the more traditional compositions in Native American music today with a few of the more prominent artists. Please keep in mind there are ever so many more and the list is rapidly growing daily in every genre from traditional to heavy metal and rap. Professional Native American musicians have had years since traditional music has been the only form they've played and enjoyed.
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