Xmas 2009 065
Drumming connects people. But creating that connection in drumming is all about using the same interpersonal skills one would apply to talking and communicating with others. ''Creating quality dialogue between people is about giving and receiving; listening and being listened to.” Group drumming works in exactly the same way - if everyone can hear each other and also be heard, a group can create a great drumming sound - without needing a Grade 8 in music! Members of the Business Network Chester discovered this first hand when they took part in Unbeatable Energy's Drum Circle Seminar at the Chester Grosvenor Spa and Hotel. The aim of the workshop was to create an improvised group drumming sound which relied less upon mastering specific drumming skills and technique and more on approaching the drums as a simple means of talking and communicating.
'The rhythms that the group created sounded amazing!' says Steve Rivers who lead the Drum Circle Seminar.' It was fascinating to hear what a group with very little experience in drumming can create in such a short space of time. There was a wonderful musical 'question and answer' routine going on between the bass drums and djembes which was interspersed with bells and wood blocks which added variety and timbre to the sound. The individual components were actually very simple - three beats here, a couple of beats there. However when the individual parts were arranged in a certain way the sound became rich and complex - it was less about what people actually played and more about when they played it! Definitely a drumming session to remember!'