Music

YM: Can you remember a time when music was not a prominent part of your life?
ML: Funny, no! I have been a musician since I was three years old. I come from a long lineage of musicians, in fact, my great grandfather was the violinist for the Czar!

YM: Was there ever a time when you thought you might follow a different career path or passion?
ML: I went through phases of wanting to be an actress, a model and a doctor, but those did not last long.  I was 18 when I decided to take the art of music seriously and never looked back.


YM: Sounds self explanatory,  but what is Hand Drumming and why do you feel so connected to it?
ML: Hand Drumming is a general term for any type of drum that you can play with your hands, where as the term “drumming” can include drums that you play with sticks.  I love all drums, but particularly favor playing Frame Drums (Middle Eastern/North African drum that was traditionally played by women), Ewe drums (West African Drum) and Tabla (North Indian drum).

I love hand drumming because it is a practice that can immediately connect your body/mind/spirit to a higher consciousness. My approach to playing hand drums is heavily rooted in the East Indian drumming traditions, where you recite different Indian rhythmic syllables while you are drumming (I like to call them “Rhythmic Mantras”), and the practice becomes like a mediation. Also, the sound of hand drums is so mystical, real and ancient, it resonates deeply at my core, creating a strong, rooted connection to earth and spirit; Drumming is 100% pure medicine!


YM: How would you describe your music?
ML: I have been composing music for the past 15 years, and I really am jazzed about the direction my music is taking.  Imagine a sound featuring percussion instruments and flutes from around the world, mixed with instruments such as: Sitar, Oud, Strings, Voice (chanting), and some light ambient electronics. This sounds as divine as a raw cacao/coconut smoothie on a hot summer day, and is going to be the instrumentation of my upcoming album, “Rhythms in Peace”. I also like to compose pure percussion music.

YM: What is the “Rhythms in Peace” Project?
ML: "Rhythms in Peace" is my global sacred music project that will journey to some of the mystical lands where healing trance music and sacred prayers began to tap into the sources of these ancient healing music’s.
 
From Grammy winning artists to tribal musicians, the resulting CD will feature unique world music artists from Morocco, Middle East and the USA, in a profound collaboration between trance music from across the globe interwoven with my original compositions. The CD will also be tailored to flow with yoga classes, so yoga teachers might really dig having this CD in their i-pod! 

A percentage of the proceeds of the CD will be shared with the artists we work with in developing countries, allowing them some financial freedom so they can continue to share their amazing healing music.  Some of the artists we hope to work with include two rare women’s trance drumming groups: “The Houyarites” of Morocco and the “Zar Drumming Troup” of Egypt, you can view full line-up of artists at the link below.

Once the CD is finished, “Rhythms in Peace” plans on doing a tour across the USA/Europe at yoga studios and festivals, bringing this sacred trance music to your doorstep, through  “Sacred Drumming” workshops and “Rhythms in Peace Trance” Concerts. I also hope to establish such a relationship with these women’s groups, that we can one day, bring them to the West to share their sacred music.



YM: How can people get involved?
ML: Thank you for asking this question. W are currently looking for company sponsors and individual donors for the project. If you are a private donor, we are offering a variety of “musical donation packages”, for example, for just a $30-40 (sliding scale) donation, you can pre-purchase a “Rhythms in Peace” CD. Other donation packages include: discounts on upcoming Drumming and Yoga Retreats, free Frame Drums and Drumming Workshops.

If you are a company that has a global outreach program, we love the idea of sharing your product with the artists we will work with in the Middle East/Africa, take pictures of them with your products for your website, promo material etc. We also have a marketing plan for the “Rhythms in Peace” CD release tour, which involves recognition of your company’s involvement to over 2 million viewers.

 All donations are tax-deductible through the 501 c-3k non-profit, “Empowerment Works”. For more information, please visit www.marlaleigh.com/RhythmsinPeace.htm


YM: Why is music so important right now?
ML: A great question, indeed!  For thousands of years, music has been used as a tool for healing in cultures all over the world. In an ever so changing environmental/political world that we live in, it is vital that we connect to this ancient ritual of using music in a ceremonial fashion, as medicine. Just how we feel when we practice yoga, music almost immediately shifts our energy field, bringing more grounding and bliss into our lives, which in turn, brings more peace and well being to this planet.

Ever noticed how when you put on your favorite song, your mood totally changes? This is an example of the magic of music. If you do not have a music practice, its very simple to start one, you do not have to spend years in music school, like I did to play music.  By simply adding an “om” chant into your yoga/meditation practice, you can directly tap into the magical world of sound. Right now, especially now, the universe is calling out for healing, and every prayer, sweet sound and melody, can help immensely. I actually recently tested this idea out with an experiment where everyday, I would sing/drum to one plant, and ignored one plant, sure enough, after a week, the plant that I was playing music for, started to grow a new bud, and the other plant did not!


YM: What does your yoga practice look/sound like?
 ML: I am super blessed to live in LA, where I play regularly for yoga classes and retreats with respectable teachers such as Saul David Raye and Hala Khouri. When I am not practicing in these situations, I have a shorter daily practice, mostly sun salutations, cat/cow and some back stretches;  Meditation and pranayama are also a very important part of my practice.  At the end of each of my practice, I chant/drum, usually a Genesha or Laxmi chant.  Also, when I am practicing music, I take a lot of “mini-yoga breaks” throughout the day, to stretch my arms/back.

YM: Who is on your i-pod?
ML: Mostly traditional world music from India, Africa and the Middle East (such as: Pandit Swapan Chadhuri, Zakir Houssain, Gnawa music, Ewe Music, Omar Faruk Tekbelek) and Classical Music (Ravel, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach). I also like to listen to “yoga” music, such Jai Uttal, Rara Avis, Donna DeLory, David Stringer, Suzanne Sterling, Shimshai, and Hamsa Lila (some of these artists I have been blessed to play with)!


YM: What inspires you?
ML: Being in excellent health is my number one important inspiration. That is why I am so devoted to exploring how music can be used as a tool for healing. Other things that inspire me are: collaborating with other spirited musicians, dancing, petting an animal, beautiful friends, composing, organic farming/food, bird songs, pranayama, music, music, music, sitting with my teachers, 100% pure silence, hot springs, truth, love, clarity and most importantly, feeling full of bliss and gratitude in every moment!


YM: Where can we find out  more about you?
ML: You can learn more about my work at www.marlaleigh.com. I also have a monthly newsletter you can sign up for that features upcoming shows, retreats etc.  For all you yoga lovers out there, I also offer drumming and yoga retreats in beautiful places around the world. As well, I have a CD available that is ideal for yoga/meditation (“Division By Zero”) and if you wish to learn HOW to drum, I have an instructional DVD, “Time Zone” as well as a new “Marla Leigh” Signatures Series Frame Drum!

I would love to meet you, and if you have any questions about drumming, flute playing, music in general, composing, yoga stretches for musicians, etc, I am happy to help, please send me an email (marla@marlaleigh.com) and say hi.