Drumming Is Dancing

Inspiration from a Martiniquen Shirt

A while back I was going through a box of rags to do some chores when I came across an old tee shirt I had bought on my honeymoon.

My wife and I were on the island of Martinique (where the merengue dance originated) more than 25 years ago, when we came upon this shirt.

The picture on the front featured a drummer and dancer interacting, like what you see on the left.

I asked the shopowner what the inscription (tambou ka danse) meant. He answered that it roughly meant "to drum is to dance" or "drumming is dancing."

The idea of equating drumming and dancing is intriguing, and upon reflection, makes sense. Dancing is moving in time, and so is drumming.

In fact, every exercise you work on, is a little dance of its own.

Part of the secret of playing these charts musically is to learn the "dance" your feet are doing for each pattern. Your playing will sound smoother and more fluid.