The Drones

I keep coming back to the drone as the essence of music, from the primal to the contemporary. Ancients must have relished the thrum of the waterfall, the lash of wind in a storm, the sound of distant thunder detected first by the hairs of the neck. Instruments like the suburuburu (bullroarer) were held sacred in societies across the globe. From this simple twirling stick came a complex sound that seemed to mirror the cycles of day and night, tide on tide, season following season. Drums were brought out for special occasions, played not only for rhythm but to elicit long-term oscillations in rhythm. Voices were trained to sing overtone notes and create beat frequencies...