Sound and ritual communication

Ritual communication draws on or is embedded in the processes that unfold during sound immersion and co-presence. Co-presence presence can be understood in several ways. The first is a shared presence in sound. If sound is fundamental to our individual experience, is it fundamental to our shared experience and shared immersion? Furthermore, all sound consists of sonic elements, such as rhythm, tone, timbre and the like. What would it mean to be co-present in sound elements, not just a general soundscape? Can we be co-present in rhythm or timbre? This chapter will focus on the sound elements of rhythm and vibration to make this point. Also, and what does a sense of place have to do with this? As Michelle Duffy notes, ‘we may encounter a sound that triggers access and draws our attention. This is fundamental to understanding the nature of sound, for, as Cox points out, it “renders…not the world of objects and things that are composed” but rather “makes audible the dynamic, differential, discordant flux of becoming”’ Second, if we as individuals are present or immersed in a soundscape, that soundscape can also be made up of the sounds of others. So, co-presence, in this sense, is being present in the sounds of others. If this is the case, can we also be co-present in the sound elements of others? In moments of ritual communication, participants are present in each other’s sonic performance. Focussing on rhythm, the chapter will show co-presence manifests in sound elements, specifically in the sound elements of others. Rhythm speaks to the ideas of tempo and periodicity, which are crucial to ritual communication. Ritual communication can be punctuated with rhythms that represent certain aspects of humanity, such as the heartbeat.