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Beginner Guide to Mindfulness Drumming
Practical Guide
Introduction:
Drumming has more benefits than many people may think. While the art of playing drums is something people get into so that they can jam with friends, perform on live stages, and record in studios, drumming also has several mental benefits.
Without noticing it, many drummers have improved live thanks to the instrument that they play. However, you can put more effort into the emotional side of things to make the experience even better.
In this guide, we’re going to be discussing mindfulness drumming. We’ll explain what it is, how to get into it, and how it can benefit you. While we mainly talk about drum kits, mindfulness drumming also applies to percussion instruments, so we’ll mention a few of those as well.
What Is Mindful Drumming?
Mindful drumming refers to when you intentionally focus on the moment you’re in when playing the drums. You need to block out all the distractions from your mind and hone in on what your body is doing to make sounds on the drums.
The process of doing this frees up your mind and relaxes you. It also allows you to express yourself a bit better on the drums, as you’re living for the very moment that you’re in.
Instead of playing rehearsed rhythms and patterns that you know, mindful drumming encourages you to explore your musicality while still having full control over what you’re doing. Everything you play must be intentional, but it must also be caused by the moment that you’re in.
On a drum kit, you need to focus on all four of your limbs and how they interact with each other. On other percussion instruments, you only need to focus on your hands.
People often find mindful drumming to be easier on percussion instruments as you don’t need to concentrate on using your legs.
What is Mindfulness Meditation?
Mindfulness mediation is when you concentrate on what you’re feeling and sensing in the moment. It’s when you do your best to stop the world from moving around you and become in tune with yourself.
There are a few aspects that go into mindful mediation, including breathing, awareness, listening, observation, and appreciation.
Breathing is typically the first step of mindful meditation. Breathing in and out slowly for a few minutes does a great job of relaxing your body as well as your mind.
When you breathe in and out, allow more oxygen into your lungs, and that typically relaxes you.
Observation is when you put your attention on something in the environment around you and observe it for a while. You may find a new love for it as you notice it in a focused state.
Awareness is when you think about actions and consequences. It’s great to focus on something that you’ve done and realize the impact that it had.
Listening is self-explanatory. After becoming relaxed from your breathing, listening to the sounds around you can be very relaxing and calming.
The appreciation step is when you think about things that you’re grateful for.
So, how can we apply all of this to drumming?
Why Drums are a Good Match for Meditation
Rhythm
Getting into a state of meditation and mindfulness requires plenty of repetition. Since rhythm and repetition are synonymous, playing rhythms on drums is one of the best meditation tools to use.
Whether you’re playing single strokes, a beat, or dabbling around on the toms, repeating what you’re playing over and over can focus you and get you into a place of mindfulness.
You can also keep a rhythm locked with one limb and explore with the rest. An example of this would be keeping time with your hi-hat foot and then exploring musically around the kit with the rest of your limbs.
Just make sure to intentionally focus on what you’re doing to remain in that state of mindfulness. The more rhythm you keep, the easier it will be to stay locked in the mindfulness state, as repetition is key.
If you lose the rhythm, you may get distracted and have to start the process again.
Sound
Listening is one of the key aspects of mindful meditation, so you can easily apply that when you’re playing the drums. While keeping rhythm, you should focus on the sounds that you’re making with the drums.
When you play a drum loudly, how does that sound affect how your and other people’s emotions? How different is it when you play a drum softly? What happens when you play softly and then gradually get louder?
As you listen to all these sounds while being mindful of them, it’ll keep you present in the moment.
Bass drums sound very different from snare drums, so how can you play those two drums differently to invoke emotions from a listener?
You can also explore the sounds that the drums make when you don’t play them with conventional sticks. You could use mallets, brushes, or even your hands.
There is so much to explore when it comes to sounds on the drums, and that will keep you in a mindful state for extended periods.
Feel
The texture of the drums you’re playing is also something to focus your mind on. Intentionally take note of how the different surfaces feel on all the parts of a drum kit.
Hi-hats are typically the hardest surface, while bass drumheads are the loosest. How does every other surface rank in between those? Feel these all out while you’re playing rhythms around the kit, and you’ll become quite relaxed and present in the moment.
Also, take note of how the sticks feel in your hands and how your body feels while sitting on the throne. Is the way you’re sitting good for your posture, or could you sit more straight?
Once you’ve looked into the physical aspect of drumming, you can explore the mental aspects of feel. How does the groove you’re playing make you feel? If it makes you feel good, keep playing it for a while. Remember, repetition is key to relaxation.
How to Start with Mindful Drumming?
Start with Breathing
Do repetitive breath exercises before you start playing the drums to put you into a relaxed state. When playing the drums, aim to maintain the same breathing patterns to keep you relaxed.
The great thing about breathing like this is that it will improve your pocket when playing, making your grooves sound a lot better.
Move On to Observation
Observe what is in front of you when you’re breathing. Intentionally focus on all the drums and where they’re placed. Ask yourself why they’re placed there?
Everything has a purpose, and the drums in front of you have purposefully been designed. Thinking about those things will further push you into a state of mindfulness while you’re playing the drums.
Take note of how a cymbal moves after you hit it. If you hit it differently, will it move differently? Keep playing and exploring the possibilities, and then observe what is happening with those possibilities.
Start Listening
Close your eyes and listen intently to the sounds that come from your drums. Focus on how the way you hit them affects the sounds they produce.
Try to play musically around the drum kit. Even though it’s a rhythmic instrument, you can easily make music with it. Explore ways of making music out of the rhythms that you’re playing.
Become Aware
Become aware of what’s happening when you play the drums. While maintaining your breathing, observing, and listening, try to think about the environment that you’re playing the drums in. Is the room you’re in causing a lot of reverb? What does reverb mean? Would your drums sound better in a different room?
Appreciate Drumming as an Art
Learn to love the act of playing the drums. While you’re playing and being mindful, appreciate the skills that you have to be able to make music on pieces of wood and metal.
Appreciate the emotions that drumming invokes, and appreciate all the times you’ve been given the opportunity to play drums with other people. Drums are one of the easiest instruments to just sit down and play, so appreciate that fact as well.
FAQ:
Is drumming a form of meditation?
Most drummers in the world don’t see drumming as a form of meditation. However, it can undoubtedly be used as a form of meditation.
Mindful drumming is when you combine awareness, breathing, listening, appreciation, and observation with the act of playing the drums to put you in a relaxed and focused state.
When done correctly, mindfulness drumming has amazing emotional benefits.
Many people don’t think of or view meditation as something they should be doing. However, drumming tends to relax you, whether you think that or not, so it’s still a beneficial exercise for the mind for all drummers.
What does drumming do to the brain?
Drumming requires the use of both sides of your brain. It’s both technical and creative, and you need to use all four of your limbs to play. So, this exercises your brain power, potentially improving your overall IQ level.
Since rhythms can be broken down mathematically, drumming improves people’s perception of math.
Drumming also improves your motor skills. It requires an intense sense of coordination, and your brain and body have to work together to be able to play. The better a drummer is, the better their motor skills tend to be.
Finally, drumming tends to reduce stress, which relaxes the brain. People who have very active thoughts can play drums and become relaxed, improving their overall quality of life.
Drumming is such a good instrument for your brain because of all these factors. It’s incredibly beneficial, and these factors are good reasons to start learning the drums.
Is drumming good for mental health?
Yes, drumming is amazing for maintaining good mental health. The best thing about learning to play the drums is that you need to have a structured practice routine to improve.
Having regular routines is essential for painting excellent mental health. When you stick to your drumming practice schedule, your mental health will improve.
Another aspect of it is that sticking to your schedule will help you achieve your goals. Achieving your goals will give you an excellent sense of accomplishment, further bossing your mental state.
Drumming reduces stress and anxiety. It’s a physical instrument that allows you to play very hard and energetically to get all your frustrations out. While that’s not exactly mindfulness drumming, it will help with stress levels. The lower your stress levels are, the better your mental health will be.
Drumming is also social, as drummers are needed for most bands. If you play the drums, you won’t struggle to find friends, as bands are always looking for drummers to join their group.
In terms of mental health, this means that drumming will help you socialize with others a lot. You’ll get to meet people, perform in front of crowds, and grow with members of a band. The sense of community you get from that is amazing.
Performing in front of crowds is a great way of getting over social anxiety struggles. You’ll be behind the drum kit, so you don’t need to talk to anyone, but you still get the benefits of putting yourself out there.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to alleviate stress levels, become more in tune with yourself, and explore a new area of drumming, then mindfulness drumming is something you should get into.
While many people do mindfulness drumming with percussive instruments and djembes, you can easily do it on a full drum kit as well.
To conclude on the above guide, the key areas of mindfulness are breathing, observing, listening, appreciating, and being aware.
When you mix those ideas with drumming, you’ll be able to get into an incredibly focused state while playing the drums. It will relax you, it will give you more natural ideas, and it will help you understand your instrument a lot better.