Music Corner

It is a belief from the native Americans, who’re also said to be followers of paganism, that drum is the heartbeat from the nature. They’ve the faith that drums are way to bring things back into balance. Drum music is an inevitable part of their celebrations, joys, sorrows and all sorts of the major events within their lives. Here is a brief lowdown on native American drum music.

Drums are used in several ceremonies and rituals within the native American culture. Some prominent kinds of native American drums are -

Hoops Drums
They are ideal for healing, and are utilized in drum circles both in, the private and the ceremonial rituals. Hoops drums are mostly handheld and the bigger their diameters, the deeper would be the tones produced. In the native American culture the drums are very artistically painted and exquisitely made by hand, by utilizing buffalo hide, goat skin along with other natural materials.

Shamanic Drums
Shamanism is really a group of practices, that pertain to the communication with the world of ‘spirits’. There are specific drums employed for rituals performed by shamans, by people who practice shamanism. Under those who practice shamanism, there is a North America tribe, known as the Lakota. Infact, there is a type of drum called the Lakota drum, which is named after this tribe. It’s thought that drums assist the shamans to attain an altered state of consciousness. It is vital to the extent that it’s often called since the rainbow bridge to another world. A typical shaman drum includes a metallic object hanging inside, held into its place by a wooden cross-piece. That cross piece may also rattle and it is played using a special beater. A portable drum suits shamanic rituals the very best, as it is along with a large amount of actions and performance.

Pow Wow Drums
The pow wow is basically a very important ritual amongst the Native Americans. The pow wow is a big event and relates to a gathering of the native Americans. There’s a proper drumming group for a pow wow, with a host drum along with other side drums. Host drums form the base of the songs. Then, there is a host northern and host southern drum. A pow wow drum is a big drum made from buffalo, deer or cow hide. It is usually played together, by eight men.

Foot Drums
The origins of the modern drum kit could be traced to a few native American tribes. A foot drum is actually played by striking it having a bare foot or pedal, or in tandem. In the ancient times, Miwok, Maidu, Aztec and Hopi tribes used foot drums. These drums were typically semicircle, hollowed cross sectioned logs, that have been laid over wood covered pits that resonated. For playing these, the artists or even the performers stomped on these hollow logs by using poles, for balance and support.

Tom Tom Drums
Tom tom drums are referred to as any hand held, small headed drums, which are normally long and narrow. They are not beaten with drumsticks, but are played by hands. It is a cylindrical drum without any snare at all.

Water Drums
There are the water drums, that are cup shaped wooden vessels, with water inside them. There’s two types of water drums, namely the yaqui and also the iroquois.

There are some more kinds of drums, complete with their unique playing styles, however the ones mentioned above, would be the most widely used and pervasive, with regards to native American drum music. There are more types like apache drums, lakota, tarahumara and so forth, what are traditional instruments of those tribes.

Drums are played amongst all the tribes, that are part of the native American culture. The Mohawks, Aztecs,Tarahmura and many other tribes, consider drum music to be much more than just that. It is their liaison using the supernatural powers along with a way to invoke natural elements such as the sun, earth, water and so on. Drums, therefore, can safely be said to be probably the most primitive instruments used for communication, through the native Americans, who still have a connection using the supernatural along with a great regard for nature.