By Kati and Teemu Paananen
The Drum as a Connection to the Past
Drumming is an ancient form of healing that has been used in different cultures since time immemorial.
Somewhere in our DNA, there seems to be an image of people drumming around a fire; drums have
been used in ceremonies, healing practices, tribal gatherings and rites of passage.
The frame drum is an important instrument in many traditions and cultures. Its sound can be soft and
low or bright and powerful, depending on the drum’s construction, size, membrane and playing
technique. The physically perceptible vibrations of the drum, its repetitive rhythm and its tone can create
an experience in which hearing, bodily sensations and concentration come together.
As part of the Echoes of Ancient project, drums were present at meetings, performances, seminars and
drum circles. The physical presence of a drum alone can evoke a sense of grounding and connection
with the past. Through its materials, shape and symbolism, the drum carries cultural meanings and
references to traditions that can awaken images and personal interpretations. In this way, the drum can
remind us of our connection to cultural heritage and traditions passed down through generations.
Drums as a Profession and an Interest
For around 15 years, our company, Taikalaakso open partnership, has handcrafted frame drums to
order for a variety of musical, artistic, educational and spiritual purposes. Our customers include
professional musicians, performing artists, music educators, psychotherapists, yoga and meditation
instructors, and practitioners of traditional spiritual practices such as shamanism. We have made
approximately 1,500 drums for customers in 92 countries.
Our interest in drumming focuses especially on the sounds, frequencies and vibrations of frame drums
of different sizes, and their psychological and physical effects. For us, drumming has been both a
personal form of relaxation and musical expression and a way of working collectively. We have also
studied music therapy, which has given us new perspectives on the potentially healing effects of drum
sounds.
For several years, we have facilitated group drumming sessions and drum relaxation sessions in which
participants have described their experiences as pleasant and relaxing, among other things. These
experiences have deepened our interest in the potential of drumming in relation to wellbeing, embodied
experience and the regulation of arousal.
Our experiences have led us to ask what role the physical properties of a drum play in the listener’s
experience. Can the size of a drum, the low pitch of its sound or the intensity of its vibrations affect how
a person experiences sound in their body and how their level of arousal changes? And can sound and
vibration alter states of consciousness?
For us, the drum is both a focus of artistic work and a means through which we explore people’s
relationships with themselves, with others, with the world around them and with the past.
As drum makers, we examine materials, construction and sound. As artists, we explore imagery,
mythologies and symbols. As performers and facilitators, we are interested in the kinds of experiences
that sound, rhythm and playing together can create.
Bringing these perspectives together makes the drum particularly fascinating. It is at once a musical
instrument, a handcrafted object, a means of artistic expression and, potentially, a personal object of
power. Its meaning emerges through the interaction of its material properties, cultural associations and
individual experiences.
Our work offers an opportunity to explore different drums and their acoustic properties in practice.
Drums can vary in diameter, membrane material, construction and membrane tension, for example.
These factors influence the sound produced by the instrument.
Drumming and Altered States of Consciousness
In recent years, our interest has expanded from the relaxing effects of drumming to the altered states of
consciousness that drumming may induce. We are particularly interested in what is known as a drum
journey, in which repetitive rhythm, focused listening and imaginative exploration combine to create an
experience resembling a trance-like state.
A drum journey may involve active imagination: the conscious formation and exploration of mental
images. The drum’s repetitive rhythm can serve as an anchor for attention, helping a person turn
towards inner images, memories, sensations and thoughts. The experience is deeply personal, and its
meaning varies from one individual to another. It takes place in a liminal state between sleep and
wakefulness.
This kind of practice can be approached as an artistic and experiential method that supports self-
exploration. For some, drumming may offer a way to calm down and examine their feelings; for others,
it may provide a route into symbolic and imaginative work. The experience can be meaningful to the
participant without having to be assigned a single, definitive explanation.
Altered states of consciousness associated with drumming also raise research questions. How does
repetitive rhythm affect attention and the perception of time? What connections exist between drum-
journey experiences, relaxation, mental imagery and bodily sensations? Can the physical properties of
a drum’s sound influence the nature of the experience?
Drumming and Brain Waves
In his article “Rhythm, Drumming, and Shamanism,” psychotherapist Steven Farmer (2018) discusses
the relationship between drumming and brain waves. He refers to Robert Friedman’s book The Healing
Power of the Drum (2000), as well as research by Barry Quinn, a clinical psychologist specialising in
stress management.
Relaxation can be accompanied by changes in the brain’s electrical activity. Active wakefulness and
focused thinking are often associated with beta activity, while alpha activity may increase during relaxed
wakefulness. Theta activity occurs, among other times, at the boundary between sleep and
wakefulness and in certain states of inwardly focused attention. However, the relationship between
brain waves and subjective relaxation is complex, and no single brain-wave pattern can, on its own,
indicate a person’s level of stress.
Farmer describes a case in which a war veteran who had long suffered from stress and sleep difficulties
showed a considerable increase in alpha activity during a single 30-minute drum session conducted
slowly and gently. The veteran’s alpha activity had previously been close to zero.
The relationship between drumming and stress regulation has also been explored in research literature.
The 2021 publication by Faulkner and colleagues, Drum Circles for Specific Population Groups: An
Introduction to Drum Circles for Therapeutic and Educational Outcomes, discusses the potential of group drumming in a range of educational and therapeutic settings. In group drumming, the shared
rhythm, interaction and experience of participation may be as important as the sound itself.
It is useful to examine the effects of drumming from several perspectives. Relevant questions include
how rhythm affects attention, what bodily sensations are produced by sound vibrations, and how
musical experiences may support the regulation of arousal.
The possible effects of drumming cannot, however, be explained by sound frequencies alone. The
experience is also influenced by a person’s circumstances, expectations, environment, musical
experience and the meanings associated with drumming. The physical properties of sound and the
human experience together form an interesting subject of research, one that requires both acoustic and
experiential approaches.
The Symbolism and Personal Meaning of the Drum
The drum means different things to different people. For some, it is simply a percussion instrument
among others. For others, it is an object of personal significance, associated with experiences of
strength, protection, connection or spiritual growth.
Drums can be used to make music, meditate, relax, take part in ceremonies and engage in communal
activities. Some users also regard the drum as a tool for self-care or as part of their spiritual practice.
Such experiences are meaningful within people’s personal and cultural worlds, even though the healing
effects attributed to them cannot automatically be regarded as scientifically established.
In her master’s thesis Meaningful Drums – The Intangible Meanings of an Object (2022), folklorist Ida
Karikoski examines the symbolic and intangible meanings of drums. Her research helps us understand
how a drum can carry meanings that extend beyond the production of sound. A drum can form part of a
person’s spiritual world, identity and personal experience. The sound of the drum carries us back
through time, to the fires of our forefathers and foremothers, deep into the ancient connection between
humanity and nature.
Frame drums are known by many names, including kannus, shaman drum, ceremonial drum, power drum and healing drum. These names reflect, in part, the instrument’s different uses and the cultural and personal meanings associated with it.
The drum has also brought together people from different cultural backgrounds who took part in the
Echoes of Ancient project, through shared activities, listening and experience. We would like to thank
everyone involved in the project for the encounters, conversations and shared experiences that have
enriched our relationship with the drum and its many meanings.
References
Farmer, Steven. 2018. “Rhythm, Drumming, and Shamanism.” Society for Shamanic Practice.
Faulkner et al. 2021. Drum Circles for Specific Population Groups: An Introduction to Drum Circles for
Therapeutic and Educational Outcomes.
Karikoski, Ida. 2022. Meaningful Drums: The Intangible Meanings of an Object. Master’s thesis,
University of Turku.