Body Percussion

The objective of this session is to produce simple 4-beat rhythm patterns using the body or everyday objects.

During this session, you will learn basic percussion techniques using your body and everyday objects.

Collaborate to create simple rhythmic patterns, using co-ordination and listening skills to keep in time with each other.

Resources:

 

Downloads

Body Percussion Session Guide
Percussion Grid

Play “Pass the Clap” (the Mexican Wave of clapping)

  • Organise participants into a circle (either sitting or standing).
  • Ask participants what musical drum sounds can be made with their body – for example clap hands, pat chest or top of arms, tap foot, click fingers.
  • Start by clapping a simple, slow 4-beat rhythm. With the participant using their preferred method of body sound, ask them to continue the clap, each participant sounding out one beat, going around the circle. The aim is to keep in time with the original pattern. It may help for the group leader to count out the beat pattern – one and two and three and four and …
  • Do three or four rounds of this until participants feel confident with the rhythm.
  • If feeling really confident, increase the tempo by introducing a sound on the half beat “and”. It should sound as if the pattern is moving at twice the speed.

Composing Body Percussion

This can be done in groups or individually.

  • Distribute print outs of the percussion grid and cards.
  • The grid is composed of the main beats 1,2,3,4 and the half beat “and”.
  • Ask the participants to create two patterns (red and yellow) by positioning the cards in the grid squares. Suggest that paricipants think about silences and rests in their creation – not all of the grid boxes need to contain a sound.
  • Once the participants have created their first two patterns ask each one to perform their patterns to the rest of the group.

Object Percussion

Ask the participants to suggest if there are any items in the room that could be used to make a drumming sound – for example, tapping desk or chairs, tapping pencils together, running a pencil along the ridges of a plastic cup.

Ask the participant to choose one new room object sound and adapt one of their body percussion rhythms (red or yellow) to create a new one in the green grids.

Once the participants have created their green pattern ask each one to perform their pattern to the rest of the group.

Body Percussion Sequencer (advanced)

Ask each participant to choose their favourite rhythm from the three they have created.

  • All participants are going to play their rhythm at the same time.
  • If all goes to plan, the resulting rhythm will be a complex pattern, much like something produced by a drum machine.
  • The group leader may have to count the beats to keep participants in time.
  • See how many times the group can successfully repeat their combined sequences.
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