Explores the role of drums, rattles, and gongs in human societies revealing the primal hypnotic power of these instruments

For millennia, the sacred drummers of pre-Christian Mediterranean and western Asia were women. In this inspiring book, Layne Redmond, herself a renowned drummer, tells their history. Artistic representations reveal that female frame drummers carried the spiritual traditions of many of the earliest recorded civilizations. During those ancient times, the drummer-priestesses held the keys to experience of the divine through rhythm. They were at the center of the goddess worship of matriarchal societies until the ascendance of patriarchal cultures and the loss of drumming as a spiritual technology. With wisdom and passion, Redmond chronicles our species’ deep connection to the drum, our rich heritage of inseparable spirituality and music, and the modern-day women reclaiming it. This book encourages readers—both women and men—to reestablish rhythmic links with themselves, nature, and other people through the power of drumming. Redmond illustrates her message with an extensive collection of images gathered during ten years of research and travel. Woven throughout the book are strands of ancient ritual and mythology, personal stories, and scientific evidence of the benefits of drumming. It is at once a history, a memoir, and a resounding call for spiritual and social renewal.

Mickey Hart's dazzling companion to his bestselling Drumming at the Edge of Magic is a captivating chronicle of our global fascination with drums and the primal rhythms and spells of percussion, dramatically illustrated with 350 photographs and illustrations, 200 in full color.ra tour.

Mickey Hart, percussionist for the Grateful Dead, tells the compelling tale of his quest to unlock the power, myths, and legends of percussion. Complemented by more than 90 photographs and illustrations. It is a compelling, panoramic adventure into a vibrant living tradition of myth, power, and magic. Black-and-white photographs and illustrations.

Updated to include 50 additional grooves, this encyclopedic book and two-CD set contains more than 450 musical examples in standard notation, showing grooves and practical variations. Overviews of the history and development of almost all popular music styles are covered alongside innumerable helpful performance tips. The two accompanying CDs feature performances of nearly 200 of the grooves, including every primary style example, all performed both with and without a click track. Styles covered include blues, rock, jazz, reggae, country, klezmer, ska, samba, punk, surf, heavy metal, latin rock, and funk; virtually every style a performing drummer will ever need to play is in there. This revised second edition also includes an updated bibliography and discography, as well as more historical information about the individual styles.

Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart presents his singular collection of quotes and commentary on the transformative power of music. 30 color illustrations.

The Fun Drum Book for Kids will have you smiling, grooving and playing music in no time! This easy-to-follow drum method will help you unleash your creativity with or without a drum set! Perfect for beginners of all ages, it’s also a great tool for parents to teach their kids. Learn to play essential rudiments, classic rock grooves, familiar children’s songs, exciting drum fills and even creative solos in this colorful children's drumming book! Overflowing with pictures and diagrams, this step-by-step method is designed to keep the student's attention and produce results. Based on my nearly 20 years of teaching experience, this unique approach is guaranteed to provide hours of focused practice and play for anyone interested in the wide world of drumming.