Customer Reviews

Drumming the Spirit to Life

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As an uninitiated and therefore shy one in the realm of the drum circle I needed some reassurance. This is the book that will convince you that the drum will drum you if you relax and let it. Ater just a couple of chapters I sauntered into our local drum circle and jammed. Thank you Russell Buddy Helm.

Earlier this year, I did my first drumming circle and was amazed at the power and energy I felt. This was something that appealed to me and I knew I needed to get my own drum. I found a beautiful djembe and began playing in a handful of different drumming circles. However, at one of them I found myself getting frustrated because I was unable to keep up the rhythm. It was not too long after that I came across this book. Perfect, I thought..a book about drumming by a drummer himself!

And in it, Helm talks not about the techniques of drumming, but more about the reasons why we drum, and the philosophies behind it. Why it is better to play soft, leave notes out, then it is to "bang on the drum all day," as Todd Rundgren would say. Helm makes so many great points in this book and I found myself very much in agreement with his philosophy, and of pointing out that we all have rhythm inside each of us, and that we need to let that spirit come out and be joyful.

At a time when I was beginning to doubt whether drumming was something I could enjoy, this book reinforced the enthusiasm I felt the first time when I hit a drum. I now have a much better idea and philosophy about drumming. Thanks Russell!

I have been a classically trained drummer for over 10 years and just recently got into the hand drumming. I have Never felt the kind of power and joy thatI felt after I started working in this side of it. This book is an incredible tool for Expert and Novice alike. It gives you the basics and you just grow from there!

This book is great for anyone whether new to drumming like I am..or the person who's been at it for a while..the instructions are clear...and easy to undersand especially for the rythmically challenged like myself...The CD included makes it all work...so even if you're drumming alone..you're not really drumming alone...Buddy Helm makes one sound terriffic...I recieved a drum for my birthday..this book now guarantees that I can learn to enjoy it without fear that the neighbors will be at my house with torches!

As a new drummer, this book was a major find. Buddy's philosophy of drumming and teaching is the way that all such things should be shared. Reading this book made me want to travel to California just to meet the author and have an opportunity to learn from him in person.

Russell Buddy Helm's Drumming The Spirit To Life includes a cd of drumming to enhance the method presented in this book. Basic and advanced patterns for spiritual drumming will apply to both user and listener, with chapters outlining connections between magic and drumming.

This is a unique resource for anyone seeking to experience or deepen the transformational magic of drum and dance. It is difficult to put such a kinesthetic knowing into words, so the accompanying CD bridges the gap between intellectual understanding and raw experience. The living heartbeat of the earth pulses throughout this compilation.