Industry Insights: The Benefits of Drumming & Dancing and the Connection Between Rhythm & Movement

Drumming News

One of the many rewards of working closely with the female drumming community over the past 12 years was meeting drummer, dancer and body percussionist Alyssa DeCaro (@bodyofsound). I was especially impressed by Alyssa’s demonstration of the fundamentals of body percussion during Drum Summit’s 24-hour Instagram live-stream in celebration of Women’s Equality Day in 2020.

The patterns and grooves Alyssa created using her hands, feet and body were surprisingly deep and absolutely infectious. I later had a opportunity to ask her how she developed her “pocket” and she revealed that dance and body movement are the secret to developing a good sense of rhythm… for women and men.

According to Alyssa, training your body to move in rhythm— whether dancing, exercising or doing other non-drumming activities— can actually be one of the best ways improve your drumming. It isn’t technical or musical training but it’s just as important.

This was a revelation to me. Throughout my 20+ years studying the drums with some of the best teachers in the world, I was taught how to improve my drumming skills but I don’t recall ever receiving a single lesson on how to improve my rhythmic skills. Perhaps it was just assumed that rhythmic skills and drumming skills are the same thing. They aren’t. But at the time, other than being told to “practice with a metronome”, exercises for developing better rhythm just didn’t exist.

Even today, drumming is taught almost exclusively as an external activity with little attention paid to the fact that rhythm— the essence of playing drums and other musical instruments— is internal. Consider that many activities that express rhythm such as jogging, dancing, marching or just bobbing your head and tapping your feet to the beat don’t require a drumset, djembe or any external device. 

“Rhythm lives inside of us,” explained Alyssa. “It is our inner rhythm that allows us to feel a groove in our bodies. It is our inner rhythm that allows us to evenly space four quarter notes in a measure— even when there are rests between them. It is our inner rhythm that lets us create the incredible drumbeats, fills and solos that give vitality and energy to music.” 

Learning to cultivate your inner rhythm through body movement can strengthen your internal clock, improve your time-keeping skills and allow you to experience the deep, satisfying feeling of truly being “in the pocket”. Developing your inner sense of rhythm will allow you to achieve more of your drumming potential and improving it will help transform your drumming from good to great and from great to legendary.

Strengthening your inner rhythm also provides benefits beyond increasing your ability to play drums. Training your inner rhythm through body movement can enhance many aspects of your life. Rhythmic wellness taps into a deeper connection with music and life by improving focus, discipline, endurance, balance and coordination while contributing to a healthier core and a more positive lifestyle. 

For drummers, the process of improving your inner rhythm by training your body to express rhythm more effectively is something that will forever change the way you drum. For now, as awareness of the relationship between rhythm, drumming and movement expands and specific, drummer-friendly rhythmic development courses are created, my suggestion is to seriously consider signing up for a dance (any style) or movement-based exercise class.

I believe that rhythm training is something that should become a standard part of a well-rounded drum education. I certainly hope it will. And the sooner the better for drummers and their bands.

Note: Alyssa applies the Inner Rhythm concept in her Body Of Sound programs and new Embodied Leadership courses, where she teaches leaders how to be more effective by tuning in to their breathing rhythms and regulating their nervous system for a greater impact on management and staff. www.bodyofsound.com

In addition to Alyssa’s courses there’s a terrific workout program developed by 2 female drummers in southern California that also incorporates rhythm and movement. They offer training at many locations around the world. Check it out at www.poundfit.com.

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