4 Top Health and Life Benefits of Playing the Drums
Unlike other instruments such as the violin, playing the drums does not require advanced knowledge and physical abilities. It does not even require interested individuals to have an understanding of music theories or to be able to read notes. Drumming is not a thing of the modern era. It has been a part of human life and transcends age, gender, nationality and race.
Aside from its cultural significance, drumming is known to have numerous health benefits, which in effect improve a person’s outlook and life. According to Oliver Sacks, a renowned neurologist, every human being has the capacity to perceive harmony, intervals, melodic contours, music, pitch, rhythm, timbre and tones. So, whenever we play instruments such as drums, we integrate all these elements, which enable many parts of the brain to work and create a music that we want. When this happens, we experience an emotional reaction that is so profound, which in effect improves our overall physical health. You can look for Top Melbourne drum lessons – Red Drum Music to start enjoying the benefits.
Below are the ways by which drumming can improve your health and life in general.
Boosts the immune system.
In general, playing the drums does not only help the immune system in a little way. It actually enables it to create certain mechanisms that will fight certain things harmful to the body. There have been numerous researches and studies that prove this. One example is Barry Bittman’s discovery. He is a renowned neurologist who worked with his research team about a drumming approach that is group specific. They called it HealthRHYTHMS protocol, which they claim to help circulating white blood cells to be stronger in fighting diseases. They also found out that the natural killer cells become more functional in destroying virally infected cells and cancer cells.
Dr. Bittman explained that to create illness-killing cells, it is necessary to organize a group drumming activity. The collective effort to play drums tunes the human biological body. Then it orchestrates the immune system and starts the healing or disease killing process.
Works out the body.
If you’re looking for a fun and enjoyable workout routine, then drumming is one of the options you must really try. Playing the drums require the use of your hands and feet. It also requires the use of your brain to coordinate things and music elements such as rhythm. Though it can be classified as an overall fitness work, which means it involves physical, mental and emotional aspects, it is still a great exercise to workout the different muscle groups of the body. According to Nick Headon, former drummer for The Clash, drumming is a physical activity that stimulates the different parts of the brain. It keeps the four limbs to do different tasks all at the same time.
Develops intellect.
According to Howard Russell, a clinical psychology, the human brain is locked in a way that its function is limited to a certain level. Well, this is true for many of us. However, he added that this could be changed. When it is easy to slow down or speed up the brainwave activity, then the brain would level up its functioning. There have been several research works done for this. One example is the Stanford University’s research on Attention Deficit Disorder individuals who were subjected to rhythmic music activity. They are middle-school boys who played drums for 20 minutes. The results showed that the students have improved their concentration and gained a boost in IQ scores.
Combats depression, neurological conditions, and stress.
Nowadays, people always get stress from numerous sources. We know that too much stress is one main factor for other life threatening diseases such as strokes and heart attacks. In his research, Dr. Bittman shared that playing the drums helps people to relax, which consequently reduces stress and even lowers blood pressure. When hitting the drums, people are like letting go of the stresses and other negative feelings.
With these benefits, it seems that acquiring drums or other alternatives is a wise decision. The drum kit is the most common and famous form. However, there are other options that can be considered. These are tablas, xylophones, tom-toms, wood blocks, congas and tambourines.