INSTRUMENT SPOTLIGHT: THERAPEUTIC DRONE HARP

When I first considered Sound Healing as something I might be interested in doing, I knew about the bowls and that was about it. 

I shared my desire to explore sound with a friend, she told me she had just done a Sound Healing course and now had a beautiful instrument called a Therapeutic Drone Harp. She invited me to lie down, placed the large instrument gently on my body, and began to play. Instantly, I was transported. I felt the vibrations through my entire body and it was pure ecstasy. I was far away, yet present and grounded in my physical body. I was hooked!

I went to the next intake of the same training (at Sanctuary Hill with Ram Davies, if you’re interested). Here, I got to spend some time with a Therapeutic Drone Harp and could no longer deny - I needed one of these, pronto. My kit would not be complete until I had my harp. 

Made right here in NZ by Phill Jones aka Tukituki Instruments , the Drone Harp can be played in front of you, on your lap, or can be placed on top of a person’s chest or back due to the curvature of the base.

It is based sonically on the classical Indian instrument, the Tambura. It features just two notes across its 24 strings, producing a constant harmonic drone. The interval of the notes produced by this instrument is called a Perfect Fifth. Theoretically speaking, the Perfect Fifth fits with many different musical scales. A perfect fifth sounds clear and stable - the two notes have a strong, harmonious blend. It’s open and balanced, it is a sound that naturally fits and feels complete.

This interval of notes gives me so much freedom as to what I can do with this instrument, the options are endless. When I tone with her, we can create a mournful moment, a triumphant march, a steady soothing lullaby, a meditative, repetitive trance. Sometimes she grows a voice of her own and tones with me. I find myself moving fluidly through different scales and energies, going on journeys within the journeys. This instrument is a real transporter, it takes me to different time periods, different worlds, different planets. 

For me, there is nothing that compares to the Therapeutic Drone Harp. In my own practice, it connects me to all parts of myself, the old, the new, and what is yet to come. In my work with others, it is a powerful tool that I can use for grounding, for sending powerful and balanced vibrations through the physical being, and for deep ancestral and past life remembrance and healing.