What Is Drum Talk®?
Drum Talk is a modern approach to an ancient method – chanting vocal syllable patterns to prepare for drumming. Kids love it! Dozens of simple music games emphasize improvisation, self-expression, listening, group communication, and leadership.
Drum Talk is not – pressure, discipline, and getting it right. It is not competitive technical perfection, sight reading the notes, and professional performance skills, required to please critical public audiences. Drum Talk
is playful non-judgmental, personal music making games.
Drum Talk is not – traditional African, American, Asian, or Middle Eastern rhythms and theories, yet it is the study of common principles found in all artistic traditions. (Drum Talk concepts will make learning traditional music much easier).
Drum Talk means two things:
Vocal Sounds – "If You Can Say It, You Can Play It"
Dome Gahget takataka Dome
Reciting vocal rhythm syllables is not silly kid stuff. For thousands of years, serious musicians in many cultures have learned drum languages with syllables that sound like percussion instruments. When you say a pattern, loosen up, and feel the music with your body first, it is much easier to play a pattern on an instrument (melody or rhythm).
Improvised Conversation – In The Natural Language of Music
Like natural, informal speaking, the art of musical conversation is the art of listening and responding – spontaneous improvisation. You don't need great technical skills to make music. If you learn to listen, you will naturally respond with something that makes sense.
WHY we do Drum Talk (attitudes and life skills) is more important than HOW we do it (technical skill). Instead of perfecting technique for public performance, Drum Talk offers a unique opportunity in brain development and interpersonal skills.
Recreational Fun Imagination (balance brain hemispheres)
Confidence and Self-esteem Teamwork / Cooperation
Beyond musical enjoyment, Drum Talk communication develops essential life skills needed for successful social, educational, professional, and group relationships.
Trust Patience Sensitivity Cooperation Flexibility
Confidence Courage Discipline Leadership
Training for Life Skills and Brain Development Music is brain food. Far more important than enjoyment, or even the discipline
to perform in public, music teaches young people life skills for academic and interpersonal success.
Music is the only activity we know of that simultaneously uses all eight centers of the brain at once.
Childhood is a magic time that follows us the rest of our lives. During the "window" from 3
to 7 years old, the "buttons" on the dendrites of the nerves are measurably encoded for the
rest of the individual's lifetime. Better scores in reading, math, and social skills are consistently
associated with music education.
Parent / Child Drum Talk® Communities
George Grant's goal is to teach networks of parents to supervise the children. With handouts and
supplemental workout tapes, there is absolutely no pressure on the adults – the kids will do all the Drum Talk games,
as long as the parents get the kids together and announce the catch-phrases reminding kids what to do – such as:
Echo After, Pick Quick, Repeat A Pattern, Stop, Listen, and Start, etc.
How Is Drum Talk® Different From Other Programs?
– an accessible system of easy to understand terms/concepts
(vs. advanced music theory)
– non-technical approach with emphasis on creativity
( vs. mastery of specific drum techniques )
– a modern approach for American needs
(vs. traditional performance training )
– listening and response skills
(vs. reading notation and memorization )
Training Method
Back and Forth
Skill Builders ... Improvisation ... Skill Builders ... Improvisation
Like French or Spanish, Music is a language which can be learned. It is natural, but is not “fast food.” As professional athletes, artists, and musicians practice technical drills over and over to master fundamentals, we use “creativity drills” to break the ice and prepare for continually deeper levels of music. It works, whether you are a beginner or have experience.
Basketball Analogy
Improvisation within Freedom Through Vocal Toning or Drum Talk is like basketball. In each game, we don’t really know what is going to happen. We must respond moment to moment, going with the flow and surprises of the game. However, to really enjoy basketball with some degree of comfort, we must understand a few rules and basic skills, such as dribbling, passing, foul shots, lapis, rebounding, etc. The better we know the fundamentals, the more easily we can “forget” them and simply enjoy the spontaneity of basketball.
I recommend you watch the movie “Hoosiers,” starring Gene Hackman. In this true story, the new basketball coach becomes a very controversial character because he won’t let the high school team “play basketball” at practice. Since the team hasn’t won any games, he has they practice the fundamentals -- over and over and over. Finally, despite all their resistance to the coach’s wisdom, the team got better and won the state championship of Indiana. This is a true story.
Master The Fundamentals -- To “Forget” Them
The best athletes and musicians in the world practice drills to master fundamentals – and continue to keep them sharp. The sooner we are effortless with basic skills in the language of music (harmony, melody, rhythm, etc.), the sooner we can “forget” them within creative spontaneous improvisation.
Like the high school students in “Hoosiers,” many of us in the fast-food instant-everything culture think we can skip the drills and jump right to the game. At beginning levels, you can, but if you want to dive deep within the freedom of music, it is best to learn the language of music. The nice thing about the Skill Builders in this program is that you do not have to “get them right.” Many of the Skill Builders have creative freedom built in to them, expecting you to experiment without fear of criticism. At first, the Skill Builders “break the ice” and get your feet wet within some boundaries of safety. Instead of feeling like “jumping off a cliff” during “anything goes” improvisation, the Skill Builders give you something to work with. Some of the Skill Builders expect you to risk, let go, and surrender your ego. This may “press your buttons.” Even the very simple Skill Builders can be repeated, even by those with some experience. There is always a new discovery waiting within the activity, and within yourself.
This approach is not “left brained” simply because we are systematic. Please -- just trust me, and learn the Skill Builders well. The more you understand and master the drills, the more you can let go and feel creative freedom during intuitive improvisation.
To Become “Oriented”
– Understand Skill Builders (Not Needing to Master Them )
There are several dozen specific Skill Builders within the Drum Talk and Freedom Through Vocal Toning methods. Regular students repeat many of the same drills over and over – for weeks and months. The basics continue to unfold and reveal new insights to an experienced participant -- in sessions and as you listen more closely to your favorite recordings. To continually refine basics, master fundamentals.
There are two simple requirements to be “oriented” – with a strong foundation:
- Simply know Skill Builders “by name” and how to do them. This does not mean you are “perfect” or have mastered the skill. It saves lots of time during group sessions when several people know the names of the formats -- and get to them quickly.
- When you can lead drills, such as Echo After, Spontaneous Chords, Two Plus Two Plus Three, Pick Quick, Question/Answer ( etc. ) you will manifest the most important “skill” of all -- confidence. To really begin the enjoyment of this program, you must learn to surrender your ego and fears. When you finally realize that nobody will judge you, you can stop judging yourself. Most people must simple “make a leap of faith” through a bit of risk. Through experience, you realize that music making (in a safe environment) is not so scary after all.
You may become “oriented” nearly overnight, especially with immersion training (8 hours in one or two days) – or more slowly at your own rate. As soon as a majority of participants are “oriented” your groups will proceed automatically.
IF – you are serious about monitoring your growth, you will want review the list of Skill Builders from time to time. In this way, you can see where you have been, where you are, and where you may want to go.
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