When I was in high school, yearbooks had captions under each senior’s name. One that was often used was “Music soothes the most savage beast, but I play the drum.” It is actually a misquote. The original was “Music has charms to soothe the savage beast. To soften rocks or bend a knotted Oak.” (Congreve). 

Either way, the point was: there is  a power  to music, especially the drum, that goes back to ancient times. That power may express or incite anger,  soothe, or even heal. The simple beat of a drum can do any or all of those. We might first think of the beat of a bass drum or the rat-a-tat of a snare drum in a parade or military marching band. The Scottish tattoo is classic as are other pipe and drum songs, like “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.” Or we might think of the electrified drum beat of hard rock.

But, given that we have been looking at frequency, vibration, and healing  (and rings of fire), I would like to lift up the power of the drum to soothe, to entrain, to heal.  Remember when it became fashionable to buy a teddy bear for a baby’s room that had a recorded drumbeat? Or even the ability to record the mom’s actual heartbeat? This is clearly an example of the calming and soothing power of sound and of rhythm. Celtic shamans, and other indigenous peoples, have used and continue to use drumming to take people deeper into their inner world, or perhaps crossover into another dimension. This is often termed “journeying” and should be led by a trained shaman.

We do not need training to use the act of drumming or even listening to drumming to the benefit of our health and wellbeing. Lowering blood pressure is but one example. Certainly, the simple beat of a drum during meditation can take me deeper, faster than anything else. There are many great YouTube offerings that I rely upon. And, ironically, the drum can lead us into a place of stillness. 

If you are looking for a healer who offers shamanic drumming, I highly recommend Jane Burns: journeytothesoul.com or Brighid Murphy: spiritworkshealingarts.com. Note that in spite of the Irish name, Brighid’s shamanic lineage is not Celtic.

How could I possibly  end this blog without mentioning the bodhran, the classic Celtic frame drum. Most Americans may have first noticed this instrument when it was featured as a drum solo in RiverDance. But, it has long been  a staple of Celtic music. Ireland of the Welcomes just offered a great piece on the bodhran recently that you might enjoy:    Irish Central Bodhran Article