For the longest time (25 years) I have been using the phrase, “The Downbeat is forgiving. It just wants to be played. If you lose it, no blame, no shame, just find it again and you’re back on your groove.” This is constantly showing me new meanings in this aphorism. When we set up a non judgmental drumming session, there is confusion and distraction to varying degrees in the people who desire healing from the drum. Their intellectual mind is running amok; making it impossible for the real “I” to witness itself outside of fear. By introducing a very simple concept into their overstrung critical mind; that the downbeat is the only thing they need pay attention to for the moment, plus if they do, it feels good. The mental anarchy subsides and they begin to get a bearing on their own place in the universe. The distractions fall away. It may take some time for a few of us, but eventually the human wins out. The heart finds a way. The downbeat is the voice of the heart, still beating, still willing, still forgiving, still loving.
excerpt: “History of the groove” Russell Buddy Helm©2015 all rights reserved buddyhelm.com