Protest Drumming Rules I
Catagory: diy
As a respectable Protest Drummer, you cannot just jump into the crowd and do your thing. Like competitive drumline, protest drumming requires discipline. The activity has rules which must be followed.
Protest Drumming – With or Against Protesters
As a a protest drummer, it is your responsibility to energize the crowd. If you go all ape sh*t with your protest drum, the noise may detract from the cause. Other protesters will probably get mad at you. Read your crowd, they will let you know how you’re doing.
Remember, in a crowd that doesn’t like protest drums, you may need to consider protesting your fellow protesters.
Protest Drumming – Apparel
To become a respectable protest drummer you will need to dress the part. While there is no uniform for protest drumming, there some generally accepted guidelines.
A basic protest drummer will wear a screen printed t-shirt (spray painted if necessary). With the t-shirt is often worn a headband. Don’t be afraid to write a message on the band!
It is also acceptable for protest drummers to get a little wacky. Face paint, cross dressing, ‘Cat in the Hat’ head gear, masks, clown shoes – whatever it takes!
Remember, you are a protest drummer. What good is attending a protest if your personal message goes unnoticed.
Protest Drumming – Health and Safety
Besides being beaten by batons, sprayed with mace, hit by rubber bullets, and trampled by horses, protest drummers at demonstrations face other dangers.
Protect your ears! Wear ear plugs at all times, when practicing and playing. It feels weird at first, and you have to rely more on visual rhythms to keep the beat, but you’ll get used to it after awhile. Disposable foam pellets are cheap and the porous ones can thrown in the washing machine and dryer and re-used. Cotton balls, even clean toilet paper, works in a pinch. If you wait until your ears are ringing (tinnitus), it’s too late, you have done permanent damage to your hearing.
Like any other exercise, stretch-out your joints and muscles before and after playing. Always play loose. Drummers who play tense and tight usually sound stilted and are more susceptible to injury. A great stretch is to hold your hands up and shake your fingers, wrists, arms, and shoulders for a few seconds.
On long hot marches, drummers need to drink more fluids (non-alcoholic) to avoid heat exhaustion.