Joannie (a.k.a. adifrentdrumr)

About Me and Music: ..
Music has always been a big part of my life, although I am far better at appreciating it that making it. This hasn't stopped me from trying, though -- I was classically trained ..boards, beginning with piano, and learned to play harpsichord in college. I taught myself the basic major and minor chords on guitar when I was in school, but haven't owned a functional guitar in years. I have noodled around with upright bass and several other string instruments, and played harp and a bit of percussion with my high school orchestra.
My True Love was always percussion, but back when I was growing up, girls just didn't play drums. I beat on whatever was handy, though, and couldn't stop my foot from tapping... Then as an adult, I had the good fortune of being able to study hand drumming, world percussion and improvisational rhythm-based music with several really awesome teachers, and to own a store specializing in World Percussion instruments. At around this time, I also went deeper into my study of music theory and philosophy, from a holistic standpoint, and especially the healing properites of music on the body/mind/spirit. I am especially interested in the relationship of music to pure mathematics and sacred geometry, and eagerly devour all the information I can find on the subject.
Over the years I amassed a large collection of musical instruments, mostly hand drums and world percussion, which have taken over more than one room in my house. One instrument I have never really made an attempt at playing is the traditional drumset, oddly enough. I prefer the more organic skin-on-skin connection of hand drumming, and the somewhat quieter nature of most world percussion instruments suits my temperament much better. As a person with respiratory difficulties (chronic sinus problems, allergies and asthma) I am afraid I am not too well suited to most wind instruments, but I would have loved to learn to play my favorite - the tenor sax.
Way back when, in the transitional years between High School and University, I briefly entertained the notion of becoming an orchestra conductor. This influenced me to at least make an attempt at studying the workings and mechanics of as many musical instruments as I could get my hands on. But, as I said before, I never really got good at playing any of them. I don't think that was actually the point -- I just wanted to know how they worked. Thats how I am about just about everything in life -- I want to know how things work, how they are put together, why they do what they do...
In the 1990s I facilitated improvisational drum circles and led World Pecussion workshops in various locations, and was, for a short and crazy time, the leader and founder of "The Heart of the Rainbow Rhythm Band" -- an eclectic ensemble of improvisational percussionists.
Around the Turn of the Millenium, I took a break from the public world, and embarked on a period of near-total reclusiveness and contemplation at home. During this time, I have also taken a bit of a break from serious playing, but am now emerging from this hiatus refreshed and ready to set sail for new musical horizons. As my hectic life is settling down for the first time in years, I intend to get more serious about practicing the piano, and hope to some day get back to studying guitar and harp, and perhaps more exotic strings -- like the oud, mandolin, or mountain dulcimer. And then, of course, there is that Theremin I have always wanted...
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