Frank Perry

Working with Ancient Tibetan Ritual Percussion Instruments

He began to use ancient Tibetan Ritual instruments in 1973. This was initiated by receiving a visit by a yogi from Tibet who gave him a sacred Tibetan Meditation Cymbal (Ting-shag) in excess of 800 years old (pictured left by Trevor Taylor). This precious gift arrived precisely one day before his 25^th birthday and completely changed both his life and his music – opening up a whole new chapter! At this time he also discovered for himself the Drilbu (Tibetan hand bells). He now has a collection of over 240 Tibetan Singing Bowls, 31 Tibetan Handbells (Drilbu), plus 14 pairs of Ting-Shag (invocation cymbals), 4 Tibetan Meditation Cymbals. Several of the above being antiques originating in the 12^th & 13^th centuries – when he was last in incarnation there and previously owned by himself then. This fact was also confirmed by Mrs. Joan Hodgson when his instruments were dedicated  to the service of the Great White Brotherhood immediately after his youngest son’s (Gabriel Perry) christening at the White Eagle Lodge in London. Yet another example is to be found in his receiving an extremely rare, precious and ancient ritual bowl (Talking Bowl) from the great Nyingma Master H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in 1983. He has given over three hundred lectures on these sacred instruments and music since 1978 at countless places all over the UK, Europe, Russia, and the USA including Universities, Colleges, spiritual centres and ‘New Age’ groups, et al.  This makes him one of the very first established musicians in the West to make improvised music from these instruments and most probably the very first Western percussionist to pioneer the use of such magical instruments most especially within the context of a spiritual discipline. Frank has unfolded and developed a uniquely advanced array of compositional techniques over these many decades allowing him to synthesise a delicate balance between formless and formal aspects of musical improvisation upon these subtle instruments. A custodian of ancient Atlantean sound magic, this lineage further developed from within the ancient discipline of Nada Yoga in unfolding from 1973 a highly unique clairaudient faculty allowing him to explore the deep inner dimensions of these sacred instruments and also providing him with a deep insight into the occult significance of these ritual sounds serving to faithfully render the refined and subtle energies arising from profound meditative experiences into musical expression. And in this he has been (and is still truly an intrepid pioneer) at the very forefront of exploring further dimensions into the future of musical creativity.

 

 

Soon after receiving the magical 12th century Ting-shag in 1973 a Tibetan master in sound (living in the spiritual dimensions – not in earthly incarnation) joined him to assist in his exploration of the inner dimensions of sound. He gave his name as Lom Phook Trenglam and was from thousands of years ago prior to Buddhism entering Tibet. Frank was told by Whitefeather that this guide had been drawn to working with him because of the colours that were produced upon the inner planes whilst Frank was playing his sounds. Since then three further spirit guides in music have joined him. One from ancient China, ancient India, and Mongolia.

Below is Frank’s portrait of Lom Phook Trenglam