Although Psalm 107 with drum is associated with the season of Lent, it's a song of gratitude for any time of year.
This song was originally written for those congregations with very limited musical resources. The key to success is that the songleader leads with confidence in the learning stages. All you really need is voices and a hand drum of some sort (the deeper the better), to beat a consistent pattern throughout.
A simple drum ostinato adds gravity to the song. A guitar is great, but a drum is essential. It is vital the songleader is very familiar with this song, making continual eye-contact with the community without peering into music. Guitar chords are provided for those with a band set up.
What rhythm does the drum play?
Some suggestions for rhythms are to emulate a simple rhythmic ostinato from the rhythm of the text (eg: "Sat-is-fied").
A skilled percussionist ""all the marvellous" repeated over and over as a rhthmic ostinato is very effective.
The simplest drum ostinato is often the most effective. Try striking the drum on the first and third beats of each bar, with a flourish to mark the end of the song. An extension of this ostinato would be to insert quavers between the first and third beats. Using the opening sung text as a guide, the drum would play LET - THANK THE LORD - HIS ENDUR - etc...
What kind of drum?
Any type of hand drum is fine. The deeper the better. It is likely the drummer will need to concentrate on the ostinato, and refrain from singing to retain the integrity of the drum part.
The song may be used freely for worship/christian education with acknowledgement.
Please let me know if you use it in your faith community.
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