Thursday 2 June 2011

Sacred Geometry

Did you know that the drummer from Tool, Danny Carey, uses principles of Sacred Geometry in his drumming? According to various internet sources, including the band's official website, he has been integrating geometric figures into his fills and rhythms for years. It's not discussed exactly how he does it, but I would imagine that the points of contact between the sticks and drums loosely correspond to some sort of pattern that he is imagining in his head.





Most sacred geometric shapes are an endless cycle. If one point is followed to another point in a certain pattern, the end will never be found. Carey gained insight into one of these shapes, the Unicursal Hexigram (above), while combining meditation and DMT. He used his new knowledge to set up his drum kit in a specific way that somehow enhances his playing.

Tool is known for giving their fans false information. What do you about this?

15 comments:

  1. I don't understand, how do you a symbol like that in to playing drums?!
    Your theory (while a good one) would mean that he's never hitting the drum in the middle where it would be loudest. Strange.

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    1. Seems more of implying that corners of shapes could represent the end of a meter or something, this is a loose guess but lets say he is playing 4/4 beat and sees a square in his head and manipulates the shape in his head to change the beat while still making it relative. Kinda like your own code of drumming.

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  2. He positions his drums so that they correspond to where they are going to be hit. Ive been trying to think of shapes now when I drum, its a useful way to think outside of the box and come up with odd rhythms.

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  3. Danny Carey plays his drums like a shaman so I think he knows what hes talking about :D

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  4. That is awesome, I wonder if anyone else does that.

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  5. this blog is very good mmmm

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  6. Why would they try to trick their fans?

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    1. They've released false album information in order to keep people from leaking things.

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  7. I don't see how they are, what do you mean?

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  8. I've known for years that he has enochian symbols on his drums, suggesting that he is a serious student of the hermetic arts

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  9. My understanding is that the unicursal hexagram was literally invented by Aleister Crowley. I've encountered no refutations of the claim, tho I've not looked for any, admittedly.

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  10. I think the proper term would be Polyrhythms, endless looping combinations of numbers; 2:3 3:4 4:5 3:7 ratios. They are beautiful and pleasant to the body, to hear and also to play. Using these numbers and applying them to specific numbers of drums (played clockwise or counter-clockwise) can give you endless combinations of awesome sounding patterns that look symmetrical
    SAGA

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  11. This idea, is really not all that strange, and the longer he explores this idea, the more you will see his setup change... the traditional drum setup in itself is inefficient and sometimes convoluted

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  12. Shamanic Drumming was elevated by Alex Van Halen. However, Nick Mason showed pieces of it in his early work, although he states that he did not do so consciously. Vinnie Paul is also a prolific user of the style as well as Neil Peart. Danny Carey is hardly doing anything new. Shamanic Drumming is using number patterns in complex ways to draw out longer beats.

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