There is rhythm all around us. Everywhere you go, whatever you do, whoever you speak to and no matter what country you’re in, the rhythms of life are evident.
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By Chris Beaumont

(Posted with permission)
Original article : http://www.heartheadhands.com/blogs.php?postID=100

I was in America on work last year with a colleague of mine who is the health and safety officer for my employer. Whilst in the bar of the hotel we were staying in, he noticed that I had more difficulty than most people in picking up conversation when other noise was in the background. I explained that I was a drummer and that I was slightly deaf in one ear. He then went on to inform me that I probably had reduced hearing in both ears and that the range of hearing particularly affected was that in which the human voice carries. This means that my wife will accuse me of ignoring her when she’s speaking to me because something else is making a noise in the background that I can hear better than her voice (this condition is handy on occasion!). I will never get this hearing back. It’s gone forever which makes me sad and a little obsessive about what’s left of my hearing. As Christians we are called to treat our bodies as temples and as worship musicians I think this particularly applies to our hearing. I know several people in worship teams who you have to shout at because most of their hearing has gone. The question is how do we prevent it?
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When I think about passion, many various interpretations come to mind. Here are some dictionary definitions:1) intense emotion
2) any object of warm affection or devotion
3) strong feeling or emotion
4) a feeling of strong sexual desire
5) irresistible motive for a belief or action
6) something that is desired intensely

Now, let’s apply that in our lives, both as Christians & as drummers.

Wow, did I just write that? Is it really that easy? Well, I think, simply, no.
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When you get a whole lot of drummers in a room, you’re asking for trouble! Lots and lots of rhythms all over the place! Most of the time it can sound pretty good if you have enough ‘experienced’ drummers. What about drummers and percussionists? “Is there a difference?” I hear you say. Well, I believe there is. I have seen percussionists play their instruments and I have seen drummers on their kits. It’s very different. I have seen drummers playing percussion too and they play like…well…drummers! [I will elaborate that point of view later in this article] Now, don’t get me wrong here, I am not saying percussionists and drummers cannot play each other’s instruments, because they can. It’s HOW they play those instruments that differentiate them from each other.This article is about playing percussion alongside a drummer in a worship team. What can you do? How do you do it? What things should you consider and some practical tips will be provided.
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I walk to the bus stop every morning to take a bus to work. It’s about a twenty minute walk. Along the way I get to listen to music on my iPod and think about various things. I like to have a wide selection of music so I can listen to something that will suit my mood (or affect my mood!).

Instinct
Now, have you ever been sitting or standing somewhere and a really catchy, beaty sort of song comes on the radio, and you find yourself tapping your foot or hand in time (or not!) to the music? Of course you have! We all have! We instinctively relate to rhythm, it’s innate. Don’t you just love that?

The reason I asked you that, and also gave you my seemingly irrelevant bus routine, was to share with you something I tried a little while ago. One morning I found myself naturally stepping in time to whatever song was currently piping into my canals. So, I decided to start listening carefully and, as each song started, I adjusted my pace and gait to match the tempo and rhythm. I wasn’t hopping or skipping or anything, just stepping in time and concentrating on staying in time.
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