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Rhythm Evolution

January 31, 2012 by · 1 Comment 

This was always a really fun rhythm game….

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 SING THIS! It makes playing easy.

B

S

T

T

 This is the Home pattern: Bass Slap [  ] Tone Tone [  ] [  ] [  ]

B

S

T

T

B

 Now we add ONE note: Bass Slap [  ] Tone Tone [  ] Bass [ ]

B

S

T

T

B

B

 And another. Just one note: Bass Slap [  ] Tone Tone Bass Bass  [ ]

B

S

B

T

T

B

B

 Add one bass up front: Bass Slap Bass Tone Tone Bass Bass  [ ]

B

S

B

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B

B

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 And one slap at the end: Bass Slap Bass Tone Tone Bass Bass Slap

So sing and play. Singing each line gets it in ya. So to sing is to practice. Once the song is in ya, it can come out of your hands! The base pattern gets stuck in you with all that repetition, and can become a good 4/4 pattern to call up in a song. And you already know how to improvise it into a solo.
You are spectacular, creative musicians…..

Play the base rhythm for a while; slowly and perfectly. Just like that. Don’t worry. Just get the groove. Then after a while when you feel at ease with the pattern, move through the rhythm, adding one new note at a time, then try backing up, subtracting one note at a time. Play each line 4 times before moving on. Maybe throw a little variation in on the last one…..

Handling this pattern:  I don’t give much attention to handing most of the time. Guinea teachers will tell you one way, Yoruba teachers will tell you anther. LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR TEACHER TELLS YOU!  This is goofing-off style drumming – not traditional! I have found playing hand-over-hand, Guinea style, works best for me with this pattern, but Guinea style is what I am used to. Play the way that is best for you. “If it sounds good, it IS good.” Duke Ellington 

The pattern would be played like this if you’re right handed:

Bass  Slap [   ] Tone Tone  [   ]  [  ]  [   ] 
Bass  Slap Bass Tone Tone Bass Bass Slap
Giving the spaces the same hand you’ll play by the last line. It makes it easy to be FAST!

This exercise is from the book, “Have Fun Playing Hand Drums” by Ben James

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Song of the Divas

December 1, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

I asked each one our group to write a line for a group composition, and this is what they created:

The Divas – November 2011 —> Divas 112811     [either link should work]

Here are the individual patterns that made up the song. Each student had 16 spaces to enter either a bass, tone, slap or rest. Some of us were transcribing the rhythms we could hear in our heads. Others were letting the patterns emerge on the whiteboard. The resulting rhythm was beautiful by blending both. There were patterns that were simple, beautiful and foundational. Those were the stepping stones in the brook. I used the first pattern as the ride. It runs throughout the song in the background with a shaker on the pulse and son clave, to meet the “more cowbell” requirement.

Other patterns were elaborate and elegant. They had starts and runs and pauses where I wouldn’t expect them. I like my expectations rattled! Those patterns dove and flowed around the solid stepping stones. They broke over the banks,  fell back into ride rhythm, then surrendered the song to shaker and bell….

That what Divas do, and this is how they did it:

| t t b .  | t t b . | t t b | b . b . |

| b t s . | s t b . | b s t . | tt s b |

| b t t t | b . b . | b t t t | b . . . |

| b t t . | b s s . | b . t t | b b b . |

| t b t b | s s . . | t b t b | s s . . |

| t t . s | . b s . | . b t . | t t t s |

| b t . t | b . b . | t . b b | s s . b |

| b . t t | t . b b | . s s . | s s . . |

| . . b . | t t . s | t t . . | . b t s |

| b t t b | b t t | s s . . | b t t b |

| . b . t | t s . b | b t t . | b s s . |

 

You are amazing people. Thank you for playing music with me!

 

 

 

 

 

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