That sounds like a pretty neat theory. I have never tried to meditate while playing the drums or using the drums as my meditation facilitator but i guess it could work. I used to meditate back in the day a couple years ago and just kinda stopped. It was definatley good for the soul but it suprisingly takes a lot of concentration to think about nothingness.

In relation to the drums its would be pretty hard for someone like me, a person who isnt too good at the drums and has to concentrate really hard, to think about nothing or one particular aspect of my life since i concentrate so hard on just playing somethin pretty. But no doubt it is definately a form of release and a way to focus and channel your energy so i would say that it could definately be looked upon as a form of meditation and depending on the person it may be more effective.

Its a cool idea and i will definately be trying to meditate while i play or play meditate or whatever it is. Cool idea!

P-Funk

danny carey meditates when he drums, so does the whole of tool...mind you they're probably on a few drugs too, makes them trip cooler or something probably, but that's what their music is designed to do, when i saw them live it was like tripping without drugs, i've tried meditating to tool works well, meditating to drums too, i once fell asleep while drumming but i kept drumming was very cool

the music kept going in my dream and in my dream even tho i was dreaming i could feel my hands moving but i didn't really think about them at all they just kept playin the song and stayin in time, was very cool

what do you think are my chances of finding it in a public library?  we do have some pretty rare books in the henrico libraries.

i'm really wondering what windhorse has to say on this.  

i've found it easier to achieve a meditative state when playing a hand drum, nothign between you and the drum.

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Your best bet for mediation and drumming is using hand drums. It doesn't matter really what type you use, but having physical hand to skin contact I think is important. Also your working on just one drum, rather than a serious of drums which is better for facilitating a deep focus and trance state. Start with a heart beat rhythm, something steady and simple to start with after a few minutes of that feel free to break off from this slightly and try different patterns, but again keep it simple and repeditive.

Peace,
NYSoulPoet

I have to agree with this, as it happened to me this past weekend at a gig. For this place we usually play at, our first set generally consists of more acoustic versions of classic rock tunes when I use the hot rods. It was during this set that I just felt so unbelievably relaxed that at some points I was able to just close my eyes and have my appendages take care of the rest - on autopilot.

In fact, a couple of friends of the band who were trying to get my attention commented during the break that I was definitely in another zone but still very much there in terms of song arrangement etc. I would certainly liken that to a meditative state of sorts.

To this - and to the comment below about it being tough to meditate while drumming - I yell EUREKA! One of the key aims of many styles of meditation is to  increase attention/concentration. Some styles - Virpashna, Hatha Yoga, for instance - concentrate heavily on becoming more aware of the totality of one' s physical body - muscles, blood flow, heat, various sensations, etc. The aim here is not always simply to become more aware of the body, but to achieve greater levels of concentration so that one can perform ALL one's daily tasks with greater care and precision - presence, some call it.

This can be applied to drumming in two ways. Not only will (non-drumming) meditative practice and the increased attention/concentration/body awareness achieved help with control of your instrument, but one is essentially already applying certain meditative techniques when practising. When we try to be as aware of our hand and foot motions as possible when learning new grooves, independence excercises and other techniques, we are already performing a kind of meditation - i.e. the deliberate focussing (and continual re-focussing) of the attention on the task at hand, while trying to block out or ignore extraneous thoughts and emotions (negativity, doubt) that get in the way of learning and playing the instrument to it's fullest.

From this angle, the two are highly compatible activities - in fact, from this point of view, ANY activity, including drumming is a possible meditation. Budhists will often repeat the saying, "Begin where you are." This applies equally to drumming as to washing the dishes, etc. The more you try to 'be where you are at' (increase your focus and attention) the more you may find this spills over into your drumming whether you intend it to or not. But it is always best done intentionally.

Having done a lot of both, I have to respectfully disagree. I've found that my ability to meditate is not hampered by the use of drumsticks or several drums. In fact, in regards to the latter, attempts to remain completely focussed and conscious of all of my limbs simultaneously while playing complex patterns is a most difficult (and therefore rewarding) challenge.  

I'm not one for pithy quotes, but I see that someone above has mentioned that  the Tibetan Buddhists have a saying, "Begin where you are." The notion is that any setting is sufficient for the implementation of meditative techniques.  The more chaotic and complex the situation, the more challenging the meditation. In essence, it doesn't matter what you are doing (playing a hand drum or a snare drum with a stick) it's about how you do it, and about how much of your self (the energy or 'awareness' that our bodies produce) you bring to each task. The implication of this teaching is that meditation is about effecting an inner change - a change in attitude or position in relation to what we perceive as our surroundings and inner life. I can concentrate equally hard on the perception/feeling/stimulus of holding a stick in my hand and striking a cymbal as I can on the perception/feeling/stimulus of striking a drum with my hand. The process is not 'input dependent', if you will.

I believe that drumming, like any sort of activity, can lead to some kind of meditation and a sensation of well being.

When playing drums, if I succeed in living in the now, playing for myself (not for others) and reaching deep inside of me to taste the pleasure of allowing a big part of myself (the creative, energetic and groovy drummer in me!) to live at that moment, then that's meditation.

When I get frustrated and I feel the perfectionnist in me coming back, then I'm getting far away from the real reason I play drums : enjoying myself... And that means that I'm not really myself at that moment.

When I play and thinking "Wow, my kit sounds really good and I'm playing great", I'm close to some sort of meditation... Plus, drumming is a lot like boxing (or other physical sports) because it allows me to free some aggressiveness that would maybe get stucked inside of me.

The way to inner peace is to practice those activities that make part of ourselves live. If drumming brings a feeling of proudness, joy, liberty and well being, that's as good as meditation to me.

Hello from a newbie (to drumming and the forum).

I recently went to a drum clinic given by Alan White, and during one of his demonstration solos he closed his eyes and you could tell he was just sort of *gone*.  The solo (awesome!) went on for several minutes.  When he finally ended, he opened his eyes, looked rather surprised, and said, "Oh, sorry.  I kind of went away for a couple of minutesand forgot you all were here!"
 
As a beginning drummer, I have to concentrate too hard on what I'm doing to space out, but I look forward to the day when it works for me!

I've found myself 'zoning out' to some extent while practicing repetitve patterns.  It's quite relaxing.

But during gigs I tend to be extra alert.  There's a lot of eye contact to be had on stage.  We also use hand signals to cue parts of the song form, cuts, codas, exits, etc.

you CAN meditate with drums, and achieve a therapeutic effect. My friend has a shop that'd just opened providing drum circle sessions and therapeutic drumming.

you may wish to check out their website http://www.liladrums.com