Drum Hopping

[BPlenty]

What is everyone's opinion of drum hoppers? I don't like it when they just set in without asking or join in right in the middle of a song. I won't tolerate this with my new drum group. If someone wants to sing with us, I expect them to ask no matter who they are. Don't just come in the middle of a song and expect us to move over for you...I've never been head singer before, but am fixing to be with my new group and we just won't accept that behavior. It happens too often these days. Scott

[RW]

I agree! I am lead singer at our new drum and some folks just come right down and sit with out asking first! I have never sat with a drum I dont know and just started singing. If I feel good and want to sing with them I just stand near them and sing along...I dont need to take a chair up and put my stick on the drum. Thats just my feelings...If they notice me singing and motion me to sit I will.
take care.
Rich

[kahkakew]

What I have witnessed here in B.C. in the past 6 or 7 years has been that almost everyone drum hops!! More often than not it is because many of the drums sing the same songs throughout the course of the weekend. Often the weaker drums, usually the mixed and women drums have men/women jump on to help out or whatever!

Part of this of course is snaggin', also it is common to see better singers jump around as other drums ask them.

Because payout for drums is one of the reasons some people drum, often you will see drummers hop around to give the drums enough singers to be payed out.

A lady here in Kamloops holds a memorial pow-wow every June for her late grandfather. One of her policies is that she does not allow drum hopping. There are many fights and arguements, but she does not pay out drums who consistently disobey the rule at her gathering.

She has also tried to prevent women from sitting on the drum, but she has her hands pretty busy with everything else.

I expect to see this enforced more this year.

I have sang as long as I have been dancing, but I only hop on a drum when invited. Usually it is only for a few songs, especially when there are singers coming and going from that drum.

I have not been a lead singer in a few years as I sing mainly Cree word songs which are difficult songs as they contain alot of language. One needs to be fairly fluent in Cree. Training non-Cree singers to sing in Cree has not been easy, so for today I concentrate on dancing.

I know that competition pow-wows at home, they keep a sharp eye on drum hopping and they will ask drums about unknown singers. Sometimes drums lose points when this is seen by drum judges.

Other times when singers are honored and asked to join a drum, it is usually for a special occasion or ceremony, ie: honor song, memorial, give away or initiation song. Generally drums are very even here, all are good so judges keep an eye out for their tricks of the trade.

There are rarely times when a drum can keep an awesome singer secret for very long.
Some jump from drum to drum every other pow-wow or so and are payed for their gifted voices, but most of them have a drum group or belong to one, or are like myself, just dancing for the time being.

Kahkakew

[rabbitbelly]

I heard those drum hoppers are called drum 'whores' out here!

[BrownHornet]

Hey!

Dont sweat the petty things and dont pet the sweaty things...

Brown Hornet

[RandyE]

Now that's a deep thought, Hornet.