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.

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