Challenge 14 – Chanting

I’m no stranger to using my voice in creative ways.  I know how to launch it across a room.  I can make it reverberate around a football stadium.  There was once a time in Central America where I made the screeching jungle monkeys all stop mid chest beat as they considered for a moment a more primal sound than their own.  I’ve frightened children and adults alike.   I have friends who call me the loudest person they know, and friends often can distinguish my voice from a cacophony of voices when in another room at a bar or party.  Alcohol raises my volume to industrial levels, to be sure, however you could safely say I’m naturally blessed with an ability to take it to 11 . When I was a bike courier with several of us called Mike I naturally became known as ‘Loud Mike’.

I can sneeze and have people at the other end of a building bless me.  My hearing has been average for years, and this can at times mean I talk louder than may be considered necessary, especially in noisy environments.  Still, it’s nice to be heard.  It can be a good thing though.  It once potentially saved the life of myself and a snorkeling companion in Thailand, when as we came around a rocky outcrop after an exploration we looked up to see the snorkeling boat sailing away from us. Yikes!   Most people would consider it out of vocal range, however I was able to call on my noisemaking ancestors and be heard.  Another headline avoided!

When asked if I can sing, my usual response is that opinions vary widely.  I’ve had people say I can’t sing to save myself and had people comment on how much they like my voice.  I’ve always enjoyed doing it though and have never been put off by adverse reactions.  Some may even say that’s encouraged me.  I’ve recently been practicing the softer, more mellow and soothing side of my voice as I put people into hypnotic trance. I’ve even taken advantage of their trance like state to sing to them, haha. Is that wrong?

The sanskrit symbol for that favourite universal sound: Om

So when the chance came to lend my considerable vocal gifts to a drum circle chant I of course accepted the challenge. This drum circle has been running in a warehouse in a quiet street in Manly Vale since mid last year. It started as a small group of around a dozen committed people, and was blessed with at least 3 very talented musicians, including some talented sax, flute and didgeridoo players. It’s a great group and I’ve always had fun whenever I’ve gone. The group meets every 2 weeks and between the often frenetic drumming and some fascinating and primal dancing is always a great night. It has now grown considerably and some nights might have as many as 40 people in the space. One of the reasons for the big increase has been the chanting guys that have arrived from across the harbour, from a place called ‘The Harmony Centre’.

I may have sung and even chanted a little in an occasional meditation before, however in this case the chanting goes for a considerable period, and allows you to really play with the sounds, as well as to add some drumming in if you feel like it and to let yourself get swept up in the group energy. I’ve now done it a number of times with these guys, usually the same 3 or 4 chants, in turn repeated over and over. Usually we were chanting the names of Indian gods, such as Shiva or Ganesh, with a beautiful recorded melody or with people playing guitar and leading. Sometimes it’s a mission working out how to pronounce the names, so you sing in a more mellow, hushed tone until you figure it out. It’s also inevitable also that you’ll give one final chant with gusto when everyone else has already stopped.  Haha.  Initially I thought the chanting went too long and interfered with the fun and rhythm of the drum circle, but I must say it really grows on you, and some of the chants start to bounce around your head. Given how many years I’ve had grunge or metal songs bouncing around my head it actually makes a soothing change. A couple of times I’ve seen the group energy shift from being really high to really mellow and accepting, or from energised with everyone drumming to ecstatic with everyone dancing after the chanting.

It’s nice to let your body go with the dance, to get swept up with the rhythm of the drums, and to let your voice soar and play with the two tones of a rhythmic chant. Lucky there’s no neighbours to the warehouse, that’s for sure!

I must admit though that it can be taken a bit seriously.  When a microphone was getting handed around on one of the evenings people were taking it in turns to sing the chant, then the group responded.  A friend had pointed out to me the similarity between the sound and the line ‘I come from a land down under’.  I of course wanted to share such a humorous observation with the group.  My initial substitution was given a few laughs, but when I repeated it the chanting people seemed less than impressed.  I should have warned them that there are dangers inherent in handing me a microphone.

There seems to be a whole wave of these new chanting hippies, with many of them rebranding themselves with single spiritual sounding names, such as one of their talented guitarists Matrea.  Cool!  Don’t worry though, I have no plans to ask you to start calling me Shangri-La anytime soon.

Namaste.