The Power of Rhythm

Listening is so much broader than just music. If I want to listen by heart, I need to be empty in my thoughts and I need to be still. And maybe music is a perfect way to learn that ability, especially the way my today's guest listens. Evelyn Glennie is a true legend already in her lifetime. She is a multiple Grammy award winner, she is a Ted Talk speaker and she has been given more than 100 awards internationally. But this is just the icing on the cake. The real thing is that she lost her hearing when she was about eight, and instead of quitting music, she embarked on a career that brings a new paradigm of listening to the world.

Dr. Bruce Lipton has revolutionized biology. He has come up with the idea that your own beliefs can change the way your DNA acts in your life. He has debunked the central dogma that wants you to believe that you are a slave to your genes, which you of course are not. Bruce is a biologist and a best-selling author of many books. For me, Bruce is a liberator because he has empowered countless people around the globe to become masters of their own lives. Join us to discover how to change your vibration and become master of your genes!

Today, I invite you to join me on a journey where you will meet a young female drummer who has made it to the top league in music, without having been born in the upper echelon. Aleksandra Šuklar plays in high-performance music events like "World of Hans Zimmer." But you don't make it to that level just by practicing a lot... So, let´s find out what's her secret. 

Driven by curiosity and the passion to share, Bernhard travels the world collaborating with musicians across all genres. In this episode we talk about how to transfer Indian rhythms onto western drums, his experience being a student of great tabla master Taalyogi Pandit Suresh Talwalkar, how to start learning completely new rhythm concepts, how to deal with and learn from challenging and confusing moments in your musical career, and much more. Join us to explore, as Bernhard says, the wonderful, not yet heard sound worlds that rhythm can bring to your life. Musicians associated with Bernhard mentioned in this episode: Taalyogi Pandit Suresh Talwalkar, Trilok Gurtu, Rakesh Chaurasia, Anoushka Shankar, Soumik Datta, Nitin Sawhney, Israel Galvan.

The Hang Massive project evolved from busking on the streets of European cities to performing festival line-ups and high-profile music venues around the world. In this episode, Reinhard investigates with Danny and Markus the power of simplicity in both, music and life. With their music and lifestyle, Hang Massive's founders show that you can go very far with your projects by supporting yourself in your contemplative practice and the simplicity in your life.

In this episode, I discuss with young composer and Kodo performer Ryotaro Leo Ikenaga about the strict 2-year apprenticeship training -away from civilization- to become a Kodo member, how they rehearse new compositions, how they reach such a group precision and resonance, the deep spiritual meaning of playing these giant drums and much more. Join us in this journey to traditional rituals and contemporary thoughts about ancient instruments. 

Michael is a music educator with a passion to make videos for people who want to learn about percussion. He's been creating videos on YouTube since 2010. He's more than 300 videos in which he teaches different rhythms and instruments, techniques, styles and more. In this episode we talk about how he started teaching online, the similarities and differences of the rhythmic traditions of Brazil, Cuba and Africa, and about the balance between following the tradition and creating your own combinations.

In this episode, I discuss with Joseph Pepe Danza -musician, Zen practitioner and sound healer who’s been living within the Eastern Traditions of Daoism and Zen Buddhism for the last 40 years- about how to get the groovy thing out of discipline, the keys in the practice of any musical instrument for the sound to pass through us without resistance and the big chance we have to attain vertical time through music.

In this episode, I discuss with Michael Spiro about the roots of Rumba, the role of drums in spiritual traditions such as Cuban Santería, the path he traveled to become first a conga player and then a priest in that tradition, and the fascinating stories behind the formation of emblematic groups like Los Muñequitos de Matanzas and Afro-Cuba de Matanzas. Join us in this journey to The Heart of Cuba!

A short and powerful talk with Gustavo Gitti, certified TaKeTiNa Rhythm Teacher and leader of the online meditation community "O Lugar." How can we find stability and orientation in the confusing and wild situation of the world today? How can rhythm, meditation and being of benefit to others strengthen this stability and awaken our wisdom and compassion?  We went through the meditation practices of stability, wisdom and compassion, the space and stillness that opens up in rhythm training and the benefits of putting wisdom and compassion in action by practicing silent contemplation together with artistic expression.