I Don't Want To Work...I Wanna Bang On The Drums All Day
I usually write about Parkinson's issues during the week and music on the weekend. Sometimes the two meet and then watch out!
I've written quite a few pieces about alternative therapy methods and a lot of them include music. In most cases it's about being able to focus on a song or even part of a song. It's using your mind to keep it sharp and sometimes easing the pain.
There have also been stories about how drums and percussion have been used to reach patients with advanced neurological problems. The most famous is Mickey Hart, former drummer for the Grateful Dead, being able to reach his grandmother through percussion. At the time, she had an advanced case of dementia and wasn't recognizing family. Hart tried playing some percussion and it reached a part of her brain where she then said his name.
The picture you see is me behind a drum kit at my local Guitar Center. I love this place. They let a guy like me, with no musical talent at all, mess around on thousands of dollars worth of equipment.
A few weeks ago they let me bang on a $7000 electronic drum set and never said a thing. When I finished I noticed my hands, fingers, wrists, arms and shoulders all felt better. Muscles and joints not as stiff.
So could this be another form of alternative music therapy? Sure, why not!
The Parkinson's groups always talk about how you should keep moving. Pounding on a drum certainly is upper body movement. The sweat after I was done showed it was definitely exercise...or maybe I need to get in better shape...probably both.
Am I now going out and buying a $7000 drum kit? NO!!
Will banging away once a week make me the next Keith Moon or John Bonham? No way. But my hands seem to freeze up. A lot of times it takes both my hands on a pen to start writing. Maybe doing this along with the art therapy makes it easier to write and less spilling of food and drinks. Maybe...everything is trial and error. It certainly can't hurt.
Besides...I'm more into the school of Levon Helm/Ringo style of drumming. No long solos. Everything is about making the song better.
"Virgil Kane is the name and I served on the Danville Train."