Notes from the 'Magical Musical Gathering' (written for an Ostarian Grove workshop)

Introduction
You do not have to be an incredibly skilled maestro to jam along with other pagans, or bring music into your rituals! A lot of people shy away from using music in their practices, or just for their enjoyment, claiming they aren’t talented enough, are tone deaf or don’t want to put people through the horrors of their failed attempts. You can’t play because you tell yourself that! Of course you’re not going to pick up an instrument and sound like a deity is playing through you magically. You’re muscles and minds aren’t trained yet! No one is going to put you down for getting the rhythm wrong, going off key, getting confused or having to start again. Everyone will be more impressed that you are trying and are willing to learn.

Why should I even bother?
Music has been used for hundreds of years in ritual for a very good reason – it’s very touching on an emotional level, rhythms can help participants slip into trance states, raise energy or relax more easily, melodies can trigger knowledge and memories, songs can tell stories that become memorable and therefore people can pass on tales easily… so many reasons! Music touches us sub consciously in ways words cannot explain and to have an instrument become an extension of yourself can help you express feelings, teach others, or create magic on a much deeper level.

What instrument should I try?
Whatever you feel a longing to try! But I would suggest keeping to easier instruments when starting out, especially to learn important rhythms before melody lines. A drum is an excellent starting instrument or other percussion instruments. Remember your voice is an instrument too, and is perfect to learn melodies and harmonies with. If you really enjoy music and want to challenge yourself more – get some lessons with a music teacher with a more complicated instrument, like the guitar. If you are having problems picking up an instrument, music teachers are still a great solution and many of them are quite affordable, even if you just need a couple of lessons to get yourself going. Your local music store should be able to help you find local teachers.

Ritual Instruments
If you want to learn an instrument especially for ritual work and pagan gatherings there are a couple of things to consider. First of all, most pagan rituals and gatherings are outside and no where near electricity supplies. Consider learning acoustic instruments for ritual use. Secondly is size. If you are someone who travels to a lot of pagan events and want to bring your instrument with you easily, ask yourself whether that huge gong is a good idea if you don’t have a car. If you are someone who enjoys dancing around the fire, getting an instrument that restricts you to sitting may not be your style. Thirdly is sound. Think about instruments that you have heard being used in ritual. What instruments would compliment these sounds? Of course I heavily encourage people to be experimental with their music genres in ritual, but there is a time and place for everything, and bringing along a cordless techno synthesiser to a samhain ritual may seem a like a cool idea, but might end up to be quite an embarrassing or unwanted experience. If you are unsure whether your instrument would be appropriate, feel free to contact the organisers as ask! The fourth point is ease. I encourage instruments that you feel, upon learning them, you’ll be able to trance out or close your eyes while playing if needed.

Good Ritual Instruments Examples
Drums
Pan pipes, pipes, tin whistles etc.
Ocarinas
Voice
Tambourine
Singing Bowls, bells and rattles

Ideas to get yourself going
1. Put on some music that has your instrument playing. Obviously the people playing your instrument are professionals and will be much more skilled then you, but listen to the musical ideas in the music, the rhythms they’ve used, moods they have created etc.

2. Buy yourself a starting out ‘How to’ guide for your instrument, find instruction videos on You Tube, or find a teacher to get yourself going.

3. Take your instrument along to gatherings and join in others when possible. Start by finding the basic rhythm and do not over complicate playing when just starting out.

4. Start trying to express your current mood through your instrument. Take a few minutes to identify how you’re feeling then slowly pick up your instrument, position it and start playing. It doesn’t matter if it’s not in rhythm (perhaps your not feeling balanced that day and this reflects it perfectly!) or if you go off tune (going off tune could represent little hiccups you’ve had through the day). This is an expression of yourself and listening to it can teach yourself a lot about you!

5. Start trying to feel the rhythm in your environments. Take your instrument out to a quite park or beach. Sit down and just listen to the world around you. Try to pick out certain rhythms – the cicadas, the surf going in and out, someone jogging past, bird calls. Then pick up your instrument and play with the world.

6. Think about different rituals, sabbats, deities, themes, times etc. What kind of rhythms or tunes do you think suit them?

7. Buy some appropriate CDs or MP3s and start trying to use music more in your rituals, even just as a background sound throughout them. How do you feel using them? What things in ritual did the music help with?

8. If you are a bit more adventurous and starting to pick up your instrument nicely, start trying to play in your rituals. You can learn specific songs before hand, or play spontaneously fitting to the mood, environment or how you are feeling or want to feel. (N.B: ‘want to feel’. Take note of this! Music can help create the emotion you want in yourself or others participating!) If you are good at writing chants, poetry, stories, or invocations – start trying to put music to them.

9. If everything goes to pot and you get frustrated, feel you can’t do it, or upset, put down the instrument, take a deep breath, relax and congratulate yourself on what you’ve accomplished so far. Even picking up the instrument with the intent to try is worth a huge pat on the back. Don’t force yourself to learn by pushing yourself through long hours of practice. This is suppose to be enjoyable, not a chore, and you’ll just end up hating the instrument and feel down about yourself.

Blessings!