Mike Rimmer quizzed possibly the world's most experienced Christian drummer TERL BRYANT about his life and new book.

Terl: I'll tell you a brief story. My second name is Timothy and I grew up being called Tim. When I went to California they started calling me Timmy and I thought, "I can't have that!" But when I came to faith, I thought what an ideal opportunity - a new set of friends, so I'll use my first name. So, I did! But then I got a bit worried and paranoid about it - what is the real meaning of this name? My dad was called it, my grandfather was called it but he was an orphan so there was no history. After a little while Dave Bruce - the guy from the record company we were with years ago - called me up and said, "Terl, there's somebody called Terl Bryant who's been trying to contact you through the record company." I said, "No, there aren't any more Terl Bryants anywhere in the entire world!" Anyway, I called up the number and got the answering machine of a Terl and Pauline Bryant and thought this is for real! The guy calls me back and we did indeed have the same names. He sent me the family tree from my orphaned grandfather because he was further up the line in the family. My grandfather was the 13th child orphaned because their mother died giving birth to him. We didn't know any more so all of a sudden I got this family tree - seemingly there are dozens of Terls around the place.

Mike: I read in your book that once when you were playing with Steve Taylor you got soaked by a dear old lady with a jug of water! Why do you think that the Church makes such a great deal about rhythm and drums and stuff like that?

Terl: I think there are lots of reasons and some of them are perfectly good but broadly speaking, drums and rhythm are an avenue for freedom and they are powerful. Drums and rhythm are so powerful they affect people - it can bring people together for celebration - joyful rhythm causes people to have fun and dance. Stiff, structured rhythms - they are dominant and they cause people to march and that's the basis of military marching rhythms. Religiosity doesn't like that rhythm. It doesn't like that freedom. People have had a problem with that over the centuries. But my feeling is, as drums have come back into the Church in the last 20 or 30 years as an expression of worship for people making music, the question to ask is, is that just a sort of cultural thing - the Church trying to get trendy - or is God doing something? If so, what is it? What is God doing in bringing this rhythm back into the Church? In the book I have a good long look at this. Really there has hardly been any real drumming in the expression of Church Christian music and Christian worship since before Christ. My feeling, through my study, is that it's because it's quite threatening and potentially quite freeing. In the wrong hands it isn't helpful. But with a heart after God it can be a powerful tool.

Mike: It seems to me that there is something very natural about rhythm in our lives that makes it easy for us to join in, don't you agree?

Terl: Very, very much so! I think that drums and percussion are instruments that are very easy to get into and you can bridge all sorts of language and culture very quickly with it. I know friends who do corporate drum circles and things like that. They get a business team of some high-powered company and then get someone who works in the lowest part of the business sitting alongside the chief exec playing drums together. It's a real leveller. People start to engage and communicate and contribute together. Some people call that community drumming. There have been studies in the medical field where the use of percussion and instruments with people with Alzheimer's and other kinds of nervous energy ailments are finding good results. For the Church to use drumming and rhythm and gather people in prayer, it becomes a really powerful tool for people.

Mike: Is A Heart To Drum principally for drummers?

Terl: I've written it principally for drummers and people who love the Lord Jesus who want a real Biblical basis and understanding for what they do. But I am so encouraged by so many people who aren't drummers who've read the book and have come back to me and said they really got a lot out of it.