DRUMMING CIRCLE

Monthly Community Event

 Fridays   7-9pm  

This is a no-cost, community building event

INTUITIVE DRUMMING CLASSES:

Sandra will share some rythm techniques 

6-7pm before we begin to drum

Drum Circle @ Unity AC Festival

  The Drumming Experience

Drumming is traditionally a form of rhythm that honors the heartbeat of Mother Earth.

There are many types of Drumming Circles hosted in CNY.

At LAC, we follow a tradition of “intuitive drumming”. This concept opens the forum to all! Anyone who has or has not drummed before can hold the beat of Mother Earth and feel the power of remembering that we are all connected; we are all One.

Bring a drum, rattle, jingle bells, stick or just yourself! We may have some extras on hand

We enjoy two hours of rhythm.

No teaching or soliciting or speeches.

Feel the energy!

Feel the inspiration!

Feel the passion!

We start at 7pm with a quiet moment to set our intentions, then a beat….

The rest of the evening is Intuitively lead by our minds, bodies & Spirit!

This is a picture of Steve from One Heart Drumming Community in Ithaca. They drumm every Saturday at Stewart Park- Lake side!

www.oneheartcommunitydrumming.org 

Our Spirit Gallery houses up to 30pp

Feel Free to Call ahead to save seats!

If we get too crowded, we move to the lake

(315) 234-9333

Drum making workshop
 at Liverpool Art Center

Build a drum workshops 

designed & facilitated by

 

Stan the Drum Man

Gather your family and friends for a day of enjoyable celebration! Carpentry skills are not needed to build a drum; only the simple desire to explore the "Old Ways" with the conveniences of today. Stan the drum man has designed a simple way to create this memorable experience.

Sand, paint, carve, stain, seal, wood burning, and other options are available during this 5 hour workshop. All supplies and equipment are provided for only. 

12" octagonal mini Ashiko                     $25 

18" tall tunable ashiko 9" head             $75

20" tall tunable djembe 11" head        $120

24" tall black cherry djembe 13" head $150

To register, email or call Sandra 

(315)234-9333

Click on this photo to visit

Stan's "Build a Drum" website: 

Join us for our monthly drum circle with your very own drum! 

Can't afford the time to make a drum? That's okay! we have some designed by students and artists that are for sale!  only $65

Photos from our April 2009

Drum Making Workshop:

Next Drum Circle Date:

Friday, July 23rd   

 6pm  Bring a dish to pass & Learn a few rythm ideas from Sandra(optional)

  7pm-?  we drum together!

    @ Liverpool Art Center

                    (no cost)

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STAN'S WORKSHOP

FALL 2010

Build A Drum Workshop @

Liverpool Art Center

Call Today to register

NOVEMBER

Dates TBA

$50 deposit required

Cost: $150/djembe Cherry

NOTE: This is an intense workshop. The hours are long. We help and support eachother!

(see pics below for sample)

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If you have never attended a drumming circle before, here are helpful hints :

Drum Circle Etiquette & Advice for Beginners

By Arthur Hull

Don’t wear rings, watches, or bracelets while playing drums. This protects the head on the drum as well as the drum itself from the metal. It also protects your hands.

Ask permission before playing somebody else’s drum. For some drummers, his or her instrument is a very personal possession. Also if someone gets up and leaves the circle to get a drink or go to the bathroom, don’t immediately jump in and take their seat. In some drumming communities the drummers will put something on their seat, cover her or his drum with something, or lay their drum on it’s side to signify that they will be back.

Listen as much as you play. By listening to what’s going on in the circle as you play, you will have a better sense of how you might fit into the groove that is being created.

Support the fundamental groove that you hear in the drum song being created in the circle. You don’t have to be a rhythm robot and hold down the same part all night long. There is plenty of freedom within the fundamental groove to experiment with while expressing your rhythmical spirit.

Leave rhythmical space for other players in the circle to express themselves. Don’t fill up the space with your own notes so much that there isn’t much creative space left for the other players.

Play at the volume of the group. If you can only hear yourself, you are probably not having a constructive musical relationship with the rest of the players in the circle. Good volume dynamics create good relationship dynamics. Play softly enough so that you can hear everyone around you. While you are drumming, be sure to follow and support the dynamic changes in volume and tempo that the group will go through during a drum circle event.

Share the solo space. If you are at the advanced level of rhythmical expertise where soloing with your drum is available to you, then you know the excitement and pleasure of being able to play over, around, and through the drum circle groove. Soloing through a drum circle groove is very much like a bird flying through the forest. But the “solo air” above can’t accommodate more than a few people soloing at the same time. If there is more than one soloist available in a circle be sure to share the solo space with them. The best way for two or three drum soloists to play through the groove together is to have a “drum dialogue” with eachother. In a facilitated drum circle event a good facilitator will have found all of the advanced drummers in the circle and would be “show casing” them individually or encouraging them to trade solos with each other.

Don't smoke in the circle.Drumming is a high energy aerobic exercise. Respect the need of everyone to breath uncontaminated air in such a closely packed environment.

Advise for Beginners
Along with the standard Arthurian drum circle etiquette suggestions, I have some advice for beginning beginners who are joining a drum circle event for the first time.

Enjoy the Journey. In all the excitement don’t forget to have fun. Although it will help you to follow the simple Drum Circle Etiquette guide lines, you don’t really have to be an experienced drummer to fully participate and have a good time.

Don’t worry even if you might think that you are rhythmically challenged. Just get started and you will find rhythms inside of you that you didn’t know you had. All you have to do is actively participate in the drum circle event, and the excitement and rhythms that will surround you will pull out of you exactly what you need to fully contribute to the group song. You don’t even need to play a drum. You can bring a simple percussion instrument, like a shaker, a bell or a wood block. They are a lot easier to play than a hand drum.

Support the drum community experience. If you are participating in a drum circle event for the first time, the best way to play is with an attitude of humility and support. Be very observant of the actions and reactions of the more advanced drummers who are playing in the circle and you will learn a lot quickly.

Keep it simple. Listen for, then play along with, and around the pulse that will always be somewhere in the music. It is like keeping the side of the pool within reach as you are learning how to swim. The simple pulse will always be there for you to “grab on to” if you ever get rhythmically lost while playing. Once you are comfortable with what you are playing, you can explore deeper rhythmical waters. Just keep the pulse in site.

Just Ask. Every rhythm event is different, and has it’s own particular variations of Drum Circle Etiquette. If you’re not sure what’s appropriate, just ask somebody. They usually will respond with supportive suggestions.

There is a basic agreement in these kind of events: That each person in the circle is there to share their rhythmical spirit and personal energy with the community that is present. With this kind of group consciousness, a drum circle can be a very powerful, yet intimate experience for everybody as they create unity in their community by drumming together. Your drumming skill level is less important than how much of yourself you contribute to the experience. If every player is there to share their spirit and have fun, the musical part of any drum circle it will take care of itself.

All are welcome. We always hope to see our drumming friends return. As we respect and support each other, we allow for growth and union.

Here is a glimpse into the wonderful experience shared during our 2009 drum making workshop.

New friend connections were made and a new sense of strength in finding a place within the hearts of so many very special people.

Many thanks to Stan. We honor your wisdom, craftsmanship and beautiful spirit! Come back soon!!