Yoruba Drums and Sound Energy as means of Ancestral communication.
Yoruba Drums and Sound Energy as means of Ancestral communication.
Music has always been viewed as entertainment, a feel good mood uplifting beat that can transform your emotions from sad to happy and vice…
Music has always been viewed as entertainment, a feel good mood uplifting beat that can transform your emotions from sad to happy and vice versa. At times, it’s just a noise when the beat is out of rhythm. So we can all agree that music definitely have something special, something unique, something that transcends just purely entertainment.
In the Yoruba world there are specific drums for specific Orisa worship. The drums are percussion with different techniques to produce different tunes. It’s a skill that is often transferred from generations to generations. From the Bata, to Ogijo, Dudun, to Omele, so many different Yoruba drums produce unique tunes and are percussion differently. The question that often comes to mind is why there are so many different drums associated with different Orisa’s in the Yorubaland? Why are Sango devotee accustomed to the beats of Bata and it’s high energy? Could the answer lies in the frequency of the sound waves that is generated from the instrument and the impact it has on the cosmic channels? Sango has departed the earth for centuries, to summon his spirit for guidance there must be a channel for his energy to reach earth. Could the mechanics behind sound wave technology, and the technical knowledge of Physics explain the science behind the Yoruba energy harvest from the universe in the form of percussion instruments?
With each Yoruba Orisa is associated different drums, what’s the significance of this? A good dancer can interpret the melody of the beats and respond with specific movement of h/her vital body joint to create a unique pattern of dance. The frequency of sound energy, mixed with wind energy, light energy will create the spirit filled environment of Yoruba Odun, this heightened, elaborate and enchanted sessions often leads to some people going into trance and speaking in prophetic ways, bringing messages from the heavenly world to earth. It is in no doubt that the Yoruba had been harvesting cosmic energy through the use of drums, and communicating with our ancestors for guidance. It is imperative that we must re-discover ourselves, our ritual drums, Yoruba drums are beyond entertainment, it’s a means of communication with the ancestors and it’s involved in opening vaults of the ancient for guidance.
Dr. Bukola Adeniji
5/22/22
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