G1 Bullet 1 - What do hand drum lessons and finding
more faith have in common? In today's secular culture the answer would appear to be nearly nothing. "We've got drum players in the church choir" a Christian person might volunteer. "The Bible speaks a lot about musicians and cymbal players" someone else might chime in. Fair enough. Let's look closer. I've identified several similarities between hand drumming and faith building so that we can be fairly comfortable studying them together.
2. A calling. Playing hand drums, or any other instrument in a public setting, involves a calling, a definitive answer and commitment to practice. Living one's faith in a culture that has minimized the importance of faith in God involves a calling, a definitive answer and commitment to practice.
2. A calling. Playing hand drums, or any other instrument in a public setting, involves a calling, a definitive answer and commitment to practice. Living one's faith in a culture that has minimized the importance of faith in God involves a calling, a definitive answer and commitment to practice.
- both have time-tested patterns and traditions,
- both need to be practiced over and over,
- both involve a journey.
3. The Church indeed should be the first place
one goes to find more faith but keep in mind "the Church" also consists of
many other parts; Christ's Mystical Body, ALSO really present here today and ALSO "called" to spread the Good News. That's you and me, baptized Christians, in the workplace, on the Internet, on the soccer field, in the classroom, socializing with our friends and family, etc.
4. As a baptized Christian, I am called to
spread the Good News to people in or outside of the Church and to help people find more
faith. I believe in the very clear instruction by Jesus Christ: to go and spread the Word of God, to love God according to his will, and to go to heaven someday (YOUCAT 1, Catechism of the Catholic Church 1-3, 358.)
In both cases, we must choose to make our calling a route to seek God rather than ourselves.
5. Simplicity and humility. A simple rhythm like the Calypso high drum
part played repeatedly becomes a solid foundation that you can lay down when
playing with other musicians. A simple
prayer prayed repeatedly becomes a solid foundation for a solid life of
faith.
6. Faith and hand drumming can be celebrated on the table.
The table is a
humble object; nearly everyone has one or sits at one at least once a day. People tend to gather around it and create
good memories with one another while eating and socializing. It's a flat surface; a surface that one can
put things on top of like food or a book to read. Because it's flat, we can easily use our
hands to play simple rhythms on it.
Have you ever seen a
group of drummers outside formed around a circle? We call it a drum circle. Just like a table of food, the rhythms the
drummers are playing often draw people in; people want to share in it.
Let's go a bit
deeper.
7. Where are great
banquets of food served? The table. I've learned the Word of God, which can be
found in Scripture, in the Bible, in a figurative way of speech, is considered to be like a table. Read the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 22:
"The Wedding Banquet."
a.) I can make this a bit clearer by giving you an example. I'm a Catholic Christian. When the Word of God is read during Mass, I'm at the table so-to-speak, even though I'm sitting or standing in a pew with my family, being fed by the Word of God as I listen to the Scripture reading.
b.) During this same Mass, I later go again to the table when I go toward the altar where the priest has taken bread and wine and through the Holy Spirit, consecrated them to become the real presence of Jesus Christ. So if I believe that Jesus Christ really rose from the dead and really ascended into Heaven, then He's there now, right there in front me and so consequently, He really must be with me day by day, moment after moment. So I BELIEVE, I have faith, He is with me now, especially during these moments I am with Him at the table.
a.) I can make this a bit clearer by giving you an example. I'm a Catholic Christian. When the Word of God is read during Mass, I'm at the table so-to-speak, even though I'm sitting or standing in a pew with my family, being fed by the Word of God as I listen to the Scripture reading.
b.) During this same Mass, I later go again to the table when I go toward the altar where the priest has taken bread and wine and through the Holy Spirit, consecrated them to become the real presence of Jesus Christ. So if I believe that Jesus Christ really rose from the dead and really ascended into Heaven, then He's there now, right there in front me and so consequently, He really must be with me day by day, moment after moment. So I BELIEVE, I have faith, He is with me now, especially during these moments I am with Him at the table.
Can you see why
making time for the table is no small matter?
8. A way to praise God.
Praise the Lord in his holy place,
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his powerful deeds,
praise his surpassing greatness.
O praise him with sound of trumpet,
praise him with lute and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipes.
O praise him with resounding cymbals,
praise him with clashing of cymbals.
Let everything that lives and breathes
give praise to the Lord. Psalm 150
8. A way to praise God.
Praise the Lord in his holy place,
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his powerful deeds,
praise his surpassing greatness.
O praise him with sound of trumpet,
praise him with lute and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipes.
O praise him with resounding cymbals,
praise him with clashing of cymbals.
Let everything that lives and breathes
give praise to the Lord. Psalm 150
G1 Bullet 2 - Hand drumming and finding faith: then
and now. Over the years, I have purchased a collection of VHS tapes,
CDs, books and tapes and taught myself how to play the hand drums, more
specifically the congas; books like: CONGA Drumming: A Beginner's Guide toPlaying with Time and Hip Grooves for Hand Drums - both written by Alan Dworsky
and Betsy Sansby.
10. Through these
lessons I hope to lead you to good sources of great information like those I've
learned from.
Long gone are the
days where the ONLY source of "how to" information came from a person
to person encounter with a music teacher.
Don't get me wrong, one on one lessons with a live person are quite
valuable. I too took sporadic private
lessons here and there - the instructor could watch my hand techniques and
suggest improvements. Private lessons
are still the best ways to go if you can afford it and if you live in a city or
town large enough to find such lessons.
Today, good hand drum lessons are readily available and found on the Internet;
often available within seconds.
11. For faith building, resources also abound, more so than in any other period of time I think;
considering the volume of work now available on the Internet. However, you still need to be a bit more selective and discerning as there is
also quite a bit of misinformation on the Internet.
Here, finding the
help of a trusted spiritual advisor is the absolute safest route to take.
12. Find this person or
persons through your church or Church resources (OCIA). A person to person encounter with a priest is
still the best way to receive solid and profitable feedback regarding your
faith and your own spiritual journey; especially when done along with making a good confession.
13. Become an even better reader. Go to the links I provide regarding good
books like the YOUCAT, YOUCAT Study Guide, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
14. Maybe you do better
by watching and listening. In this case,
go to YouTube, do a few simple searches using the keywords "Catholic
apologetics" (someone who defends the Catholic Christian faith) watch a
few, read reviews and or comments from others, and start subscribing. My favorite is Catholic Answers.
Do a similar YouTube
search for "hand drumming" and start subscribing to your favorites.
15. Notice, in either
case, you'll find the good, the bad, and the flat out ugly. Take any subject known to man and discussed
on the Internet and you'll find the good, the bad, and the ugly. Learn to transcend it; to rise above it; to
be able to critique it with an objective eye for the truth and you'll be OK.
G1 Bullet 3 - Playing position on a tabletop surface. Are you kidding me? Playing position? It's a tabletop! There's no proper or improper way to play on a
tabletop but a few tips will make it more fun for everybody.
17. First, don't use
sticks in place of your hands, play lightly, and pay attention to the hand
stroke demonstrations in the movie lessons.
18. Second, so that you
don't strain or unnecessarily tire yourself out, aim for a table surface that
is nearly the same height as your arms bent at the elbow, hands straight out
in front of you (engineers and mathematicians would call this a 90 degree bend).
a.) Keep good posture while playing - shoulders back but down and relaxed, elbows hanging loosely at your sides, your spine should be straight, lean slightly forward from the waist.
b.) The tabletop I use in the movie demonstrations rests slightly lower but this OK.
c.) Breath deeply at first so as to relax yourself and then breath regularly during your practice.
a.) Keep good posture while playing - shoulders back but down and relaxed, elbows hanging loosely at your sides, your spine should be straight, lean slightly forward from the waist.
b.) The tabletop I use in the movie demonstrations rests slightly lower but this OK.
c.) Breath deeply at first so as to relax yourself and then breath regularly during your practice.
19. Tables can be
plastic or wood it doesn't matter. Other
"found objects" we might use in these lessons include buckets,
dishpans, pots, countertops, coffee tables, pieces of wood and when all else
fails, our knees.
20. Housekeeping Rule: If it’s a table at school, like your
classroom desk, or your family dinner table during supper, you might just
unintentionally annoy someone or worse, get yourself into some trouble, if you
start practicing these hand drum patterns there.
Use common sense:
make sure you are not disturbing anyone or interrupting another person when you
decide to practice. When in doubt, ask
first before playing or practicing hand drum patterns on tabletops in strange places.
21. Sometimes, trying to
share the Good News of God with others won't be enthusiastically embraced
either. Here, let your courteous,
polite, charitable, and Christ-like mannerisms speak in place of words.
G1 Bullet 4 - Hand care. Use moisturizing lotion. The impact of hand drumming, on any surface,
can dry out your skin. Keep your hands
moist by rubbing in plenty of hand lotion.
And remember, play lightly; if you're feeling pain, stop. Review these notes and start again - you're
likely doing something too forcefully or you're not properly relaxed.
G1 Bullet 5 - Bass, Open and touch: notation and
strokes. Amazingly, we can produce different sounds out of
something as simple as a tabletop by using different parts of our hand to
execute the stroke.
24. The Bass Stroke: A simple stroke. This stroke will produce a boom or thud and
we can use it in places where a drummer uses the bass drum on the drum
set. Use the fleshy part of your palm as
I demonstrate in the movie below. A
technical explanation of the stroke would be to move your hand up and forward
from the starting position described above (some call this the
"fundamental position") toward the center of the tabletop along the
line made through your forearm and middle finger. Bring it down onto the center of the
tabletop. It's OK if some parts of your
fingers bounce back up - just don't hit the surface too hard - pain is a sure
sign that you are hitting the stroke too hard.
Keep fingers relaxed and together.
Thumb: either pulled in against the index finger or extended away from
the hand. Most sound of the bass stroke
comes from the palm. Some teachers
demonstrate making the bass stroke by letting the whole hand stay flat while
others lift the fingers slightly so only the palm makes contact (the way I do
it). Experiment, see what produces the
best sound or feels the best for you. When
we start speaking the strokes later the bass stroke will be spoken as
"Ge."
25. The Open Stroke: The Calypso high drum part in
the movie below uses ONLY this stroke. The position of your hand to the edge of the tabletop is
important. Notice how I have to move the
tabletop forward a bit to establish this. Raise your fingers a few inches off the tabletop by flexing your wrist
and lifting your forearm slightly, keep your fingers relaxed and together or slightly apart and
keep your thumb extended away from your hand so that you wont whack it on the
edge of the tabletop. Now bring your
hand down and bounce your fingers off the tabletop. Your wrist should be up and parallel with the
tabletop. The part of your hand just
below the crease where your fingers meet the hand should make only slight
contact with the edge of the tabletop surface.
If you don’t need to make another stroke immediately with the same hand
you can let your wrist drop and leave your hand resting on the edge of the
tabletop. Also, let your thumb drop down
below the edge of the tabletop. When we
start speaking the strokes later the open stroke will be spoken as
"Du."
26. The Touch Stroke: The easiest of all the
strokes to make and the quietest. Touch
the tabletop lightly with the pads of your fingertips. Then alternating hands, simply drop your
fingertips to the tabletop and raise them.
Your palms do not make contact with the tabletop. The touch serves mostly as a timekeeper
between louder strokes, helps your hands to flow and adds a fullness to the
pattern. When we start speaking the
strokes later the touch stroke will be spoken as alternating "te" and
"re."
G1 Bullets 6-8, Learn the Rhythm - Calypso High Drum Part: The Big Calypso and Existence
Author’s Note [04/18/2026]: All but 3 of the original 12 Time for the Table movies have been lost. I will do my best to restore the surviving movies soon. Though I poured lots of time and love into all 12 movies, the production quality was humble and the number of views over the years was meager. Consequently, I will not be recreating the lost movies. My apologies.
SPEAK THE RHYTHM: Du Du...Du Du...Du Du...Du Du...Du Du...Du Du...Du Du
28. Work both hands: When working on technique, whatever is true for the right hand is true for the left hand. You will find that if you are right handed, the patterns starting with the right hand will be easier to play than when starting the same pattern with the left hand (and vice versa). This exercise develops dexterity.
G1 Bullet 9 - Topic A1, Sound Check. Why We Are Able to Believe:
Existence.
I'm not convinced in
simple nothingness after death.
a.) This means every moment leading up to my death has both meaning and consequences.
b.) When I die - I'm either going to heaven or hell.
c.) I've learned there's purgatory too for those of us on our way to heaven but not quite ready (99.9% of us).
30. If you're going to discount grace, which I don't (I needed a gift of grace before religious topics would become of interest to me - remember, I was firmly agnostic), then I've figured this out, on my own, through self-study (WHY I am able to believe): I read a lot of books about faith, books I will try to share with you over the course of this study.
a.) This means every moment leading up to my death has both meaning and consequences.
b.) When I die - I'm either going to heaven or hell.
c.) I've learned there's purgatory too for those of us on our way to heaven but not quite ready (99.9% of us).
30. If you're going to discount grace, which I don't (I needed a gift of grace before religious topics would become of interest to me - remember, I was firmly agnostic), then I've figured this out, on my own, through self-study (WHY I am able to believe): I read a lot of books about faith, books I will try to share with you over the course of this study.
31. Existence means to
come from God and to go back to God. (YOUCAT 1)
I played the
congas in public, with other musicians of course and not just by myself. I played mostly to hang out with my brother
and our musician friends but also for the notoriety and admiration that comes with
performing on stage in front of large crowds; the bigger the better. Lastly, I played to make a little extra money
and little it was; nothing you would call an existence.
32. I was nothing close
to being a famous hand drummer, I never toured the music stores giving clinics
or playing drum solos. I've never been
interviewed by a drum magazine or a music TV channel. I've never endorsed a drum
or had a sponsor ask me to take my photo next to his product. Those kind of opportunities are extremely
rare to non-existent for the majority of garage-band musicians. Even if I did, would any of this get me to
heaven? Probably not.
33. Not everyone needs
to or can take a drum solo either; I never did but so what?
Concentrate on your talents even if soloing isn't one of them. It's better to practice humility; to recognize one's reasonable limitations.
a.) Do you really need to be puffed up and unapproachable to have fun as a musician? No! Stuck-up musicians swimming in a sea of their own greatness are no fun to be around.
b.) Can you still contribute something worthwhile as say a local performing artist rather than a national star?
c.) Teaching other kids?
d.) Visiting elderly people confined to nursing homes?
34. Now we're getting closer to what's likely to get us to heaven.
a.) Can you still broaden your perspectives in life in such a "lesser" role? Yes!
b.) Can you even have fun playing music at this "lower" level? Yes!
c.) Can you still be a positive role model to others? Yes!
d.) Can you get to heaven this way?
If you will persevere to the end in all the ways of Christ then, YES!
Concentrate on your talents even if soloing isn't one of them. It's better to practice humility; to recognize one's reasonable limitations.
a.) Do you really need to be puffed up and unapproachable to have fun as a musician? No! Stuck-up musicians swimming in a sea of their own greatness are no fun to be around.
b.) Can you still contribute something worthwhile as say a local performing artist rather than a national star?
c.) Teaching other kids?
d.) Visiting elderly people confined to nursing homes?
34. Now we're getting closer to what's likely to get us to heaven.
a.) Can you still broaden your perspectives in life in such a "lesser" role? Yes!
b.) Can you even have fun playing music at this "lower" level? Yes!
c.) Can you still be a positive role model to others? Yes!
d.) Can you get to heaven this way?
If you will persevere to the end in all the ways of Christ then, YES!
35. Let's just say I'm a
person EXTREMELY interested in heaven and getting there and so yes, I try to
live my life now as if it is the only way I have to get myself to heaven. Selfish? No, I don't think so. To get myself
to heaven means to get lots of other people to heaven too.
Through faith,
having and practicing it, I learn more and more about the narrow gate I've got to
aim for to get to heaven.
36. I put faith in many
things every day. Faith in the food I
eat - it wont make me sick; faith in
the chair that I am about to sit in - it wont break from underneath me, and
in many other things too numerous to mention here. I put faith in God too - He loves me and He wants me to get to heaven.
37. There's no greater
audience than the communion of Saints, Mary, Jesus Christ, the Father, and the
Holy Spirit to perform to. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the angels! It's only through faith,
realizing I'm a child of God, a brother in Christ, that I find meaningful and
lasting "celebrity like" stardom, genuine and joy-filled "star
power" coming into my life. I've learned this the hard way. It's OK
to desire to be great; just remember how Jesus advised his disciples to achieve such greatness: by serving others.
G1 Bullet 10 - YOU Practice Lesson G1. The "R" means right hand and the "L" means left hand. You will count it as "one and two and three and four and" striking an open tone on every "one" "and" "three" "and" and resting (not striking any stroke) on "two" "and" "four" "and." Watch the movie.
39. If you want measurable results - try to practice both your faith and drumming at least 30 minutes a day. Playing simple rhythms on a daily basis can be similar in repetition to (but never used in place of) a prayer routine like the Holy Rosary. Practice perfects the one undergoing the repetitious movement; either naturally or supernaturally.
40. Answered prayers are reminders of God's supernatural order present in our very own lives. The Church teaches the fruitful value of a sound prayer life; my family and I can give personal testimony to the effectiveness of daily prayer. Practice makes perfect!
39. If you want measurable results - try to practice both your faith and drumming at least 30 minutes a day. Playing simple rhythms on a daily basis can be similar in repetition to (but never used in place of) a prayer routine like the Holy Rosary. Practice perfects the one undergoing the repetitious movement; either naturally or supernaturally.
40. Answered prayers are reminders of God's supernatural order present in our very own lives. The Church teaches the fruitful value of a sound prayer life; my family and I can give personal testimony to the effectiveness of daily prayer. Practice makes perfect!
G1 Bullet 11 - Table Task: Remember. You are here to get to heaven. God is all for this and created you to get to
heaven. Talk about love? God made you and God loves you. Because you are so loved, God gives you many
ways and means to know more about Him, to find more faith in Him; you just need
to open up and love Him too. Let us follow Jesus to the Father: "I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me. " John 14:6
Gray Level Syllabus
"Time For The Table" The Way and Means
“Link” Expiration: a fact of life
In this effort, I work only for the Lord. I do the best I can with the limited time and resources available to keep the links here fresh. Yet, over time, links expire, as do their human authors (the probability of expiration of both human authors and readers is still 100%: study “the Four Last Things” now”!). So, I’ve decided to remove all but a few hyperlinks. Regular or chance readers of this content now have the luxury of accessing sophisticated search and artificial intelligence (AI) engines (thank you God!) to delve deeper into the meaning of an author’s experience in his or her particular period of writing. Yet, should you still come to a broken link, for further enlightenment, use the available tools to get even more out of these writings. Thank you, dearest reader, and please keep me in your prayers. Eternally yours, Gary! [Updated 4/18/2026]
