And so it begins…another way to communicate with all of you about my deep love and respect for the Music and Drumming. Yes, you’ll see Music and Drumming and other words being capitalized to represent the depth and respect they carry for me. Drumming and Music have been a main road for me to travel all my life.

There is a book that was written 25 years ago titled: “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” If I were to write a book it would be titled: “All I Really Need to Know I Learned by Playing Drums/Music.” There are so many metaphors and similarities to life situations in Drumming and Music. At this point I feel no separation between Life and Drumming/Music.

I’ll begin with the most basic foundation for drumming, music and life which is Pulse! Everything in the universe pulses…vibrates. EVERYTHING! All at different speeds yet able to create this extraordinary symphony we call Life. As a drummer, I feel that my number one commitment is to stay connected to that Pulse at all times. The Pulse is Home…the place inside us that doesn’t waver, the place of peace and happiness. I see the Pulse as a vertical pole connected deep in the earth and high in the sky that provides an unwavering, organizing structure for the various rhythms played. As I play, I feel these rhythms spiraling around the pole…similar to a tetherball pole with the ball on the string being the rhythms that wind around the Pulse.

A couple of very easy ways to experience the Pulse is to feel your heartbeat either at the wrist or in the jugular vein just under your jawbone at the end closest to your ear. The second way is to keep track of your footsteps as you walk. They are a perfect built in metronome!

Keep your ears open to all the pulsing sounds you can hear in a day…including car alarms, smoke alarms, jackhammers, dripping faucets for city dwellers and crickets, frogs, woodpeckers, crashing waves when in nature.

May the Pulse be with you…