August 30, 2000
Beat of their own drums
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
The beat went on Sunday afternoon at Bryant Park as more than 15 people gathered for a community drum circle in honor of the second annual Global Drumming Day.
Participants banged the drums slowly, quickly and at every tempo in between for two hours, booming their rhythms over the beach and water. From djembes to congas to shakers and tambourines of every size and shape, making a joyful noise was never easier - or more fun.
"Drumming is really fun," said Chenele McCombs, who came to the drum circle with her son, Travis, 2. "It hurts your hands sometimes but it is a great stress reliever."
Veteran drummers and teachers Marc Alderman and Dede Cronin facilitated the community drum circle. The two co-founded Rhythmic Adventures, a drum circle facilitation service, two years ago to give others the opportunity to experiment with a variety of percussion instruments. They both love sharing drumming with players of all ages and skill levels, and holding free community drum circles is part of their company's vision.
"An important part of our mission is to give back to the community," Alderman said. "My ultimate goal would be to make myself obsolete, where people all drum together without a facilitator."
Sunday they led participants at the drum circle through the basics of drumming, from tones and bases to listening skills and staying together. Alderman had the group begin by walking in a circle in tune to a 'heartbeat' Cronin played on a large drum, showing them how their steps created a rhythm of their own. Then he had them play tones to match their steps. As the afternoon progressed, the facilitators led the group through increasingly complex rhythms.
Although there were some novice drummers like McCombs, many drummers at the circle had extensive drumming experience. Martinique Haller came for her first drum circle in Traverse City, pleased to find other like-minded people in her hometown. She recently returned from attending Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington, where she spent a month last year studying African music and dancing in Mali, West Africa.
"Drumming is fun and unique," Haller said. "I did a lot of traditional African drumming back in college; I missed it and wanted to do it again."
Alderman emphasized to the group how important listening is to group drumming. Despite the increased noise level when multiple drummers are playing together, he told them that drummers must pay attention to the rhythms of both the group and those nearby.
"Listening is so important when you are drumming because that is what keeps you in time with what others are doing," Alderman said. "If you can't hear what the person next to you is playing, play more softly."
Alderman and Cronin find drum circles are an excellent way to expose people to drums and that interest in drumming has never been higher. A relatively easy instrument for beginners, drums are one of the oldest instruments known and even people with no musical training can pick one up and play something interesting.
"The drum is easy to play and you can play it for a long time," said Cronin, who began drumming in the sixth-grade. "You can see how something like a saxophone circle would be scary."