Drummers Get a Great Workout!

Rock drummers, some claim, are finely tuned athletes, as fit as any long-distance runner. But to get your head around that idea, you'll have to put aside all sorts of assumptions and stereotypes.


First, forget “Spinal Tap,” that hilarious mockumentary in which all of the band's besotted drummers perished mysteriously, such as in a gardening accident or by spontaneous combustion.
Forget, too, '70s icons John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Keith Moon of the Who, whose extended drum solos were seemingly fueled not by a well-developed cardiovascular system so much as by, well, pharmaceuticals.
Consider instead: A recent study by two British sports scientists measured the heart rate, oxygen consumption, lactic acid buildup and peak endurance of Blondie drummer Clem Burke over a 10-year period ending in 2007 to find out just how much energy he used in a gig.
The researchers from the University of Chichester and the University of Gloucestershire found that Burke's exertion rate during a 1½-hour concert equaled that of a 10K runner or a professional soccer player. His heart rate averaged 140 to 150 beats a minute, reaching as high as 190 beats. He burned an average of 600 calories per performance and averaged about 2 quarts in lost fluids.
In short, banging on the skins is quite a workout. “Live rock drumming performance relies heavily upon the interplay between aerobic and anaerobic energy systems,” Smith wrote on the researchers' Web site, www.clemburkedrummingproject.com.
By Sam McManis • McClatchy Newspapers • November 26, 2009

Another kind of chanting

Most of the chants that I teach are Native American but I do love this kind too. What do you think?

Have you participated in a drum circle?

Drumming circles are a lot of fun and also can be very healing. There's something that's just so cathartic about picking up a drum with a nice resonant voice and letting loose on it! There's no right or wrong in a drum circle and everyone can do something different and it's OK! Usually we try to start and end together, but other than that, it's mostly free-form.

I'll be doing weekly drum circles at Healing Music Enterprises on 2720 Frankfort Avenue and would like to invite YOU! There's no charge but I'll ask for a love offering of your discretion. Bring your own drum or use one of mine. Family drumming on Saturdays at 1:30-2:30, adult drumming from 2:45-3:45. Please let me know if you will be there! Thanks!

Chanting and Meditation

People have been chanting for thousands of years. They have also been meditation for thousands of years. The two go hand in hand.

Recently there has been a lot written about the Law of Attraction and the amazing things that can result when this law is understood and practiced. Because I do believe that this is true and that it works beautifully when applied, I offer to you for your consideration and your use!

The Law of Intention and Desire: Inherent in every intention and
desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment. Intention and desire in the field
of pure potentiality have infinite organizing power. When we introduce an
intention in the fertile ground of pure potentiality, we put this infinite
organizing power to work for us.

I will put
the Law of Intention and Desire into effect by making a commitment to take the
following steps:

1. I will make a list of all my desires. I will carry this list with me wherever I go. I will look at this list before I go into my silence and meditation. I will look at it before I go to sleep at night. I will look at it when I wake up in the morning.
2. I will release this list of my desires and surrender it to the womb of creation, trusting that when things don't seem to go my way, there is a reason, and that the cosmic plan has designs for me much grander than even those I have conceived.
3. I will remind myself to practice present-moment awareness in all my actions. I will refuse to allow obstacles to consume and dissipate the quality of my attention in the present moment. I will accept the present as it is, and manifest the future through my deepest, most cherished intentions and desires.
Daily Inspiration"When there is no more separation between 'this' and
'that,' it is called the still-point of the Tao. At the still point in the
center of the circle one can see the infinite in all things." -- Chuang Tzu

The Serenity Prayer Chant

Many people who are in recovery from alcoholism, drug addiction, complusive eating or compulsive gambling, repeat the "Serenity Prayer." In some communities, the Serenity Prayer has been set to melody and is chanted, sometimes with the accompaniment.
The nature of chant is that it's repetitive, rhythmic, and has a narrow vocal range so that the average person can chant it. I would say this fits that description!

Native American Chant CD

With its thunderous drums and high-pitched chants, Native American pow-wow music is intense enough to scare away the uninitiated. Yet there are also gentle, soothing, and healing songs in the Native American tradition, and it’s this type of … Full Descriptionmaterial that is the focus of COME TO ME GREAT MYSTERY. With Native American artists Doug Foote, Lorain Fox, Thirza Defoe, and others on board, this compilation is filled with prayers, invocations, and songs that sound like blessings and benedictions. The presence of synthesizers and contemporary production flourishes may irk hardcore traditionalists, but these additions will make the album accessible to fans of relaxing New Age music.
Track List01. Come To Me Great Mystery - Thirza Defoe02. Hear My Prayer - Doug Foote03. Hue Hue - Lorain Fox04. Beauty Way - Allen Mose05. Calling To The People - Thirza Defoe06. I Am The Beginning And The End - Dorothy Tsatoke07. Prayer From Above, A - Doug Foote08. Kaio Kaio - Lorain FoxDownload with Mediafire

Healing Vibrations of the Harp

What do you think the most healing instrument is? Many people believe that it is the harp. A frequent reason that is given is that the harp is held next to the heart and that the plucking motion creates unique vibration that stimulates nerves in a way that promotes accelerated healing. It makes sense to me, but how much do YOU really know about the harp?


Ask a random person off the street to describe a harp, and they are likely to describe a huge and bulky instrument. All harps are not equal though. They often differ in both size in type. But where, exactly, did this seemingly simple instrument come from?

The harp is an ancient instrument, having been around since as early as 2500 B.C., that continues to be a major force in the modern-day musical world. This instrument has evolved in many ways in the last four millennia. The different harps have come from and evolved from Egypt, Ireland, and many other places and cultures. Harps such as the diatonic, triple-strung, single-action pedal, chromatic cross-string, and the double action pedal have been used.

The kinnor, which is an ancient instrument played by King David as told in the Old Testament, is often confused with the harp. The kinnor is actually a type of lyre. However, the first true harp can be traced back to ancient Egypt.

In Ancient Egypt the earliest evidence of a harp dates back to as early as 2500 B.C. These harps were actually bow shaped or at a very small angle, which forced them to have a small number of strings. Due to the lack of a column for support, these harps were unable to support very much tension. The first column appeared in Medieval Western Europe somewhere between the 8th and 10th centuries. These harps were known as the frame harps. This was also the very first harp to use a soundbox to amplify the sound from the instrument.

European harps differed from Irish harps and they were known as Renaissance harps. They had more strings attached to wooden pegs, and the pillar was thinner and less curved. These were known as diatonic harps.

The triple-strung harps appeared in the late 16th century after an invention of a double-strung harp. A triple-strung harp has three rows of strings and it was easy to play and amplify. The single-action pedal harp was designed in 1720. This harp was a combination of a diatonic harp and a single-strung harp but included new features currently known as pedals. This harp only included five pedals though, while the harps today use seven.

Other harps that were designed off of the earlier inventions exhibited amazing improvements from the diatonic and the double-action pedal. These harps were constructed in the early 1800s.

The harp is a beautiful instrument that many people love to play and listen to as the strings resonate. Although the history of the harp dates back all of the way to 2500 B.C., they are still played today and rank among other fine and quality instruments.

Article Source: http://babyboomerarticles.com


Whether you are a novice or master harpist, you can find all the instruments, supplies and music that you need to succeed at the Sylvia Woods Harp Center (www.harpcenter.com/). Discover the magic of the harp. The author, Art Gib, is a freelance writer.