Washington DC Drum Circle

The circle is said to have officially started the week of the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965. “It started as a spiritual revival,” says Bill “Babalu” Caudle, who, at 63, has drummed there since the early 1970s. “It was about black awareness - self-awareness, cultural awareness. It was an all-black neighborhood.”

[@yambututu]

I wish drum circles were more open to learning. I understand that most at Malcolm X are there for a therapeutic of spiritual purpose, but I believe it also very likely originally had a musical purpose, along with the other reasons Brother Caudle mentioned. I use to come over on occasion, and have experienced the schism that has sometimes occurred - the criticism of rhythms, and IMO, useless attempts to organize an unmanageable condition. Syncopation is key in making drumming musical. The best and simplest instruction you can give to someone who has no knowledge of drumming and or music, is to tell them not to play a roll - with both your hands constantly moving up and down at a fast pace. Watch the hands of experienced drummers who know traditional rhythms, and watch the pauses in their hands, and the changes in the pace of their hand stokes that is created. This is the syncopation that give drumming the feel, the swing, the grove or funk, that we love to hear.

[@RashidAli-bx5uz]

We’re you in the park today?

[@anyapines9148]

This wasn't bad at all. Is there more edited footage?

[@surajharadagatti4411]

anya pines sorry this is all I shot. And no much time to edit