Pure rhythm

A thumping boom. Then another. Then a da-da. Then a boom-boom again. Think of the thud of racing hooves.

Raw rhythm. Under Heleniq Argyrou's tutelage an ensemble of 35 thunder on. But before you visualise a splendid orchestra in session, stop.

There is no rostrum or conductor wielding a baton. There are no flutes, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets, trombones, violins, mandolins, guitars, 1cellos, pianos or saxophones. The bravura is from one instrument – the African djembe drum. And the energy its sound produces could match any philharmonic orchestra.

In the softly-lit capacious room, Argyrou, a South African clinical psychologist and drum circle facilitator, stands with a djembe drum supported by a shoulder harness.

As she pounds the drum, it booms in a hortatory tone. The seated ensemble – with the top face of their djembe drums slanted forwards – strike the tanned hides with audacious, unbridled energy. The resultant bass rumbling, slaps and primal tones combine in harmony.

This performance is anything but light-hearted entertainment. It is, to put it mildly, a production of rhythm and vibrational frequency that has the power to transform the physical, psychological and emotional state of those present.

This is a healing drum workshop in session.

"Stay with the rhythm"

Judging by the uninhibited hand movements of the drummers, any hint of languor has been replaced by exhilaration.

Both experienced drummers and first-timers (like me) follow Argyrou's onomatopoeic instructions, as she demonstrates basic drumming techniques.

“Stay with the rhythm,'' she urges. Argyrou is in Dubai to conduct this workshop, which is being co-hosted by Julie-Ann Odell, founder of Dubai Drums, a business that runs corporate team-building drumming sessions.

The first thing you learn is you cannot stay with the rhythm if your mind is somewhere else. Such as mine, distracted as I make mental notes for the interview. As a result, I keep missing the beat. Thankfully, a cursory glance at a co-drummer's hand movements helps me get back in sync.

Rhythm, a healing tool

To understand the philosophy behind a healing drum workshop, we must first understand the importance of rhythm.

“Rhythm has the most intense and immediate influence on humans and it directly affects our physical body and our mental and emotional states,'' says Argyrou.

She perambulates in concentric circles, her hands in constant motion, as she checks on the drummers. On our part, we drum – to explore rhythm, to understand it, and perhaps, to heal ourselves – for about half-an-hour until we not only hear the rhythm, but feel it as well. Then we take a short break.

“Feel your pulse,'' she commands. I tune into the throb of my arteries, a gesture I am terribly unaccustomed to.

“This is rhythm. It is everywhere – our inner and outer world. We exist in an endless melody of rhythmical sound,'' she says. “From our breath, heartbeat, brainwaves and DNA to the rhythm of nature with its seasons, rivers, oceans and its inhabitants. Even the primal experience of birth is a rhythm.''

But we humans are a rebellious and pervicacious lot, aren't we? We stopped flowing with the seasons; we gas our fruit to artificially ripen it; we work towards technologically-advanced methods to cater to our comfort levels and sense of aesthetics. In fact, most of what we do is unnatural.

Argyrou says our urban lifestyle is making it increasingly difficult to stay attuned to the rhythm of the universe.

“There are many artificial rhythms that interrupt the natural rhythm. Anything that is made from an unnatural substance vibrates on a different frequency. Thus, creating another rhythmical frequency that we forced to adjust to. We have become desensitised to many frequencies around us. Unnatural noise affects us on a deeper level. Every sound – from traffic to lawn mowers and tractors.''

The workshop

So what led Argyrou to become a drum facilitator? As a psychology student in 1995, she attended a desert party near Cape Town, South Africa. The generators weren't functioning as intended and the partygoers were restless, waiting for the music to play.

A few unattended African drums caught her attention. She began drumming, something she had never done before, and created some interesting sounds. People came up to her and commented on the sounds. The experience had a profound effect on her and influenced her career path.

“It was a journey within myself to discover how to play. Even though I was isolated in my space, doing my own thing, I was still connected to other people through the sound.''

At the workshop, she highlights the concept of rhythm as a healing tool and how it has a fundamental part to play in human life.

“Extended periods of drumming are highly beneficial. Physically, you generate more activity and energy in the body and massage the spinal fluid with the vibration from the rhythm.

Your mind and body are affected as you respond to your heart and breathing rates. [Through drumming] your mind stays active in a meditative state,'' she says.

As facilitator, she guides the drummers – in the circle – to ensure everyone participates and works towards a group outcome.

“A drum circle is symbolic. It keeps the sound within the circle,'' she says.

I look down at my djembe drum, which is upright and placed between my legs in the traditional manner. I muse: how can something so simple produce such amazing effects?

We resume drumming. She instructs us to increase the tempo, decrease or stop accordingly. The result is rousing, in-the-moment music.

“The fact that you are having fun is how music and rhythm can heal you,'' she bellows above the boom.

Mentally, I am working on my own dialectic. If natural rhythm is supposed to heal, any natural rhythm will work, right? So why am I using the djembe drum?

Djembe: the healing drum

As the pounding gathers momentum, I think of nothing else. A concerted effort, I admit.

Physically, drumming is about motor coordination, integrating the senses and staying in the present. Argyrou, on the other hand, describes it as an all-encompassing moment.

So why the djembe drum? Here is her reasoning.

Argyrou, whose early lessons in tap dancing helped her appreciate rhythm, uses the djembe drum because it is
a ceremonial instrument.

Originally from the West African country of Mali, its use dates back to 500 AD. The name ‘djembe' refers to the wood of the tree used to make the drum. Made from organic material, its vibrational frequency – a bass pitch and tone – is a natural sound.

The djembe is used for various ceremonies – from unions to birth, death, harvest and rites of passage – and is called the ‘healing drum' because of its ability to calm people.

Djembe drumming is a very sophisticated form of playing, a style Argyrou picked up when some West African artists came to Cape Town and spread the “djembe rhythm''.

Midway through the workshop, we experiment with different beats. The rhythm swings between the sounds of horses performing a piaffe (trot) in dressage and thoroughbred pedigree horses on a racecourse.

Argyrou hand signals to stop drumming, using her customary countdown: “4-3-2-1-0''. The reverberation ceases and the silence suddenly feels, em, too quiet.

The sheer act of beating a drum is surprisingly exhausting yet energetic.

“Research states drumming is simple and immediate enough to illustrate the rhythm without interference from other sounds.''

Healing sounds

The drummers then put the drums away, pick up cushions and sit on the floor. In the centre of the circle, Argyrou has three Tibetan bronze singing bowls, which are known for their power to aid relaxation. She strikes the bowls with a mallet, resulting in a bell-like reverberation. She asks us to tune inward – to allow the body to attune to that sound.

To live in the moment and let go of perceptions and anxiety that creates negative energy. To maintain sang-froid ... pure sound can help us achieve this more powerfully than anything else, she says.

“Drumming stills the critical mind, silences the internal voices that normally taunt us into self-doubt,'' says Argyrou, who uses natural percussion instruments for all healing workshops.

“Pure sound has a wonderful resonance about it. Healing takes place only through pure sounds, which have no left-brain content, which are lyrics.

“Psychologically speaking, our inner-voice constantly tries to make sense of things, it monitors behaviour and analyses situations. This is the noise of the mind. When you silence this noise, you feel peace.''

Pure sounds. Now that is a contentious topic. Think of pure sound related to water, such as in Chinese water torture. The sound of water can heal as well as wound, right?

“It is about the intention,'' says Argyrou. “Pure sound, used with good intention, is meant to heal. In other words, if the intention [behind a sound] is positive, good, helpful or healthy, it can heal.''

The next part of the workshop teaches us to use healing vowel sounds. We learn to use various letters – u, o, a, e – in different combinations.

“Each of these sound processes resonate with a particular part of your body,'' says Argyrou, urging us not to raise our voices to the point where we stop hearing other sounds.

“In general, low or bass sound is very good for the lower part of the body. It helps calm a person. For the higher aspects of the body – such as head, heart and throat – a higher pitch sound is recommended. However, any overactive sound can result in over-stimulation,'' she says.

Connecting the mind and body

Psychologists say emotional states vibrate at certain rhythmical frequencies, and that rhythm affects the human psyche.

The rhythmical frequency produced during a drumming session can be used as a therapeutic modality to assist treatment of various conditions.

“Healing starts when you [silence] the chatter of the mind and allow it to experience living in the present without judgement, perception, concern or fear. Some benefits are immediate, such as concentration, coordination and relaxation. You also exercise the brain into the alpha state,'' says Argyrou.

The workshop has created a healing space for those attending. Through drumming, we connect the mind
and body.

“Drumming is physical therapy. The African drum masters call it a full upper body cardiovascular workout.

It also helps release pent-up stress and frustration. But most importantly, drumming has a therapeutic effect.

A drum introduces sound patterns that affect the brainwaves of the players,'' she says.

Here is what I learnt: sound can heal. And everything we feel results in a sound frequency. Every time there is aggression or conflict, it affects us at a vibrational level.

So Argyrou says, “Do whatever it takes to create harmonious interactions. Start by taking up a job that makes you happy. Focus on one activity at a time, so all your senses are tuned into that activity.

“There is a strong need for healing. We still have the need to go back to nature and live in harmony – and drumming is very connected to that.''

It is now time to stack the cushions, pick up the drums and participate in the concluding part of the workshop. This time, a few drummers choose different instruments, including shakers and wooden frogs, to add new tones to the session.

There is a thumping boom. Then another. Then a da-da. Then a boom-boom … again and again and again …