These two rhythms are generally played one after the other, as a dance of seduction. This is an olde version: the arrangement is an amalgam of how Ade Wallace originally taught it, with Justine's breaks added - there are some differences, most notably Yankadi's djembe parts which she teaches completely differently.
This rhythm is best remembered as the one starting with the Heartbeat (Yan-cardiac :-)
110bpm 6/8 1--2--3--4--1--2--3--4--
Shekere X..X..X..X..X..X..X..X..
Djembe 1 B....BB....BB....BB....B =INTRO (Heartbeat starts)
Djembe 1 B.OO.BB....BB.OO.BB....B (+ then add 2 tones)
Djembe 1 B.OO.BB..S.BB.OO.BBOOO.B =MAIN RHYTHM (+ then add 1 slap + 3 tones)
Djembe 2 O.....S..S.S.......OOO.O =MAIN RHYTHM (linked by the 3 toness)
Bell 1 X.XX.XX.XX.XX.XX.XX.XX.X
+Kenkeni 1 ...............K.K...... \
+Sangban 1 ........GG..........GG.. ("Dun Duns for Yankadi; for Yankadi")
+Dununba 1 D.DD.D.................. /
Bell 2 X..X.X..XX.XX..X.X..XX.X ("...want some apricots, I...")
+Kenkeni 2 ........KK..........KK..
+Dununba 2 D..D.D......D...........
Bell 3 X.xX.xX.xX.xX.xX.xX.xX.x
+Sangban 2 g....G..G...g..G..G..... ("closed, off-beat; closed, on-beat.")
If there are only two dun dun players, just play parts 2 and 3.
If there is only one dun dun player, just play part 1, and RECRUIT MORE!
We often play Sangban 2 on a low-pitched Kenkeni.
Bell 1 can play Bell 2's part if 1 is too difficult.
Djembe 2 can be thought of like this (expanded to fit the words in):
4 |1 2 3
restHow are you to- |day? I'm o- kay
. O O O . O |O . . . . . S . . S . S . . . . . .
|
Note the bar line comes ^ here in the middle of the phrase,
and be sure to take the tiny initial rest on beat 4.
It could be rewritten starting from beat 1 like this:
|1 2 3 4 |
|day? I'm o- kay restHow are you to- |
|O . . . . . S . . S . S . . . . . . . O O O . O |
The Signal for the Waving Break that Justine taught is played at half its usual speed:
|1 2 3 4 |
|Now are you rea- dy to take break? |
|s . . O . O . . O . . O O . . S . . S . . . . . |
+
|YES!
|S
Everyone answers with the "YES!" on the first slap of the Waving Break:
110bpm 6/8 1--2--3--4--1--2--3--4--
Break: S....BOOOS.BB...........
S....BOOOS.BB..........B
OOOS.BOOOS.BOOOS..W..W.. [W = slap + wave]
S....BOOOS.BB...........
The entire break is played four times in a row.
The two slaps marked W on the third line have special directions:
1. The W's are first played with the right hand while the left is raised in a wave :-)
2. The W's are next played with the left hand while the right is raised in a wave;
the third slap on the downbeat is with the right hand as usual.
3. The W's are then played with alternating right and left hands,
while waving with the left and right; the third slap is with the right hand.
4. The W's are finally played as damped slaps with firstly the left elbow
then with the left hand, no waving; the third slap is with the right hand.
After the four repeats of the whole break, it ends on an upbeat Bass note which returns
us to the original heartbeat pattern.
Here it is again, with hands marked for each of the four repeats:
110bpm 6/8 1--2--3--4--1--2--3--4--
1st Break: S....BOOOS.BB...........
r lrlrl rl
S....BOOOS.BB..........B
r lrlrl rl l
OOOS.BOOOS.BOOOS..W..W.. [wave left hand]
rlrl lrlrl lrlrl r r
S....BOOOS.BB...........
r lrlrl rl
2nd Break: S....BOOOS.BB...........
r lrlrl rl
S....BOOOS.BB..........B
r lrlrl rl l
OOOS.BOOOS.BOOOS..W..W.. [wave right hand]
rlrl lrlrl lrlrl l l
S....BOOOS.BB...........
r lrlrl rl
3rd Break: S....BOOOS.BB...........
r lrlrl rl
S....BOOOS.BB..........B
r lrlrl rl l
OOOS.BOOOS.BOOOS..W..W.. [wave left, right hands]
rlrl lrlrl lrlrl r l
S....BOOOS.BB...........
r lrlrl rl
4th Break: S....BOOOS.BB...........
r lrlrl rl
S....BOOOS.BB..........B
r lrlrl rl l
OOOS.BOOOS.BOOOS..S..S.. [trap with elbow, left hand]
rlrl lrlrl lrlrl r r
S....BOOOS.BB...........
r lrlrl rl
The duns and shekere continue throughout the Waving Break, along with
any Djembes not able to play it staying with Djembe 1. After the waving
break and dance, then everyone regroups and speeds up with this pattern:
110bpm 6/8 1--2--3--4--1--2--3--4-- accelerating to 130bpm
Djembe 1 B.OO.BB.SS.BB.OO.BB.SS.B =GET READY for change to Makru
Then the caller plays the Signal changing everything from 6/8 to 4/4:
130bpm 4/4 1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
Signal SSSSS.S.S.S.S...
Ade taught the Signal differently, but this is a better way to change by
squeezing the Signal from Makru into 4/4 over the top of the end of the
6/8 pattern (here written spaced out to align the notes properly) :
130bpm 4/4 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & - |
Signal: S S S S S . S . S . S . S . . . | ---> Makru in 4/4
|
110bpm 6/8 3 - - & - - 4 - - & - - |
1 - - 2 - - 3 - - 4 - - |
Shekere X . . X . . X . . X . . |
Djembe 1 B . O O . B B O O O . B | =MAIN RHYTHM
Djembe 2 . . . . . . . O O O . O | =MAIN RHYTHM (linked by the 3 tones)
Bell 1 X . . X . X . . X X . X |
+Kenkeni 1 . . . K . K . . . . . . | \
+Sangban 1 . . . . . . . . G G . . | ("...; for Yankadi")
+Dununba 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . | /
Bell 2 X . . X . X . . X X . X | ("...want some apricots, I want...")
+Kenkeni 2 . . . . . . . . K K . . |
+Dununba 2 D . . . . . . . . . . . |
Bell 3 X . x X . x X . x X . x |
+Sangban 2 g . . G . . G . . . . . |
130bpm 4/4 1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&- =UPTEMPO!!!
Shekere x.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xx
Shekere X...X...X...X...X...X...X...X... Choose/alternate shekere parts
Shekere ..X...X...X...X...X...X...X...X.
Djembe 1 B.O.B.O.B.OO..O.B.O.B...OOOOO.O.
Djembe 2 BO.OB.S.B.O.B.S.BO.OB.S.B.O.B.S.
Bell 1 ..X...X...X...X...X...X...X...X.
+Kenkeni 1 ......K.......K.......K.......K.
+Dununba DD.DD...D.D.D...DD.DD...D.D.D...
Bell 2 X...X...X...X...X...X...X...X...
+Kenkeni 2 ..KK..KK..KK..KK..KK..KK..KK..KK
+Sangban ................................
Bell 1 and 2 alternate, but if too difficult, all play Bell 2.
The Dundunba part needs to be simplified when playing fast:
Bell 1 X...X...X...X...X...X...X...X...
+Kenkeni 1 ......K.......K.......K.......K.
+Dununba D..D....D.D.D...D..D....D.D.D...
- - - - leave out these double notes
At the end, double Bell 1 speed if you can (tricky!):
Bell 1 X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.
+Kenkeni 1 ......K.......K.......K.......K.
+Dununba D..D....D.D.D...D..D....D.D.D...
For the Break, everyone except Shekere stops on the flammed slap and counts
to 4 before coming back in (Djembe 1 comes in early on the Open Tone upbeat).
130bpm 4/4 1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-
Signal SSSSS.S.S.S.S...s.......SSSSS...
Break [Main Rhythms] s...............
Shekere x.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx.xx
After the second break, everyone comes back in *quietly*.
After the third break, we come in _very_loud_.
The piece ends with an echeuffement (long roll) and a final signal
telling everyone to end on a flammed slap instead of counting to 4.
If the leader doesn't play those final five slaps at the end, so
that should be a clue for Djembe players not to come back in.
(c)
Traditional rhythm as
taught by
Ade Wallace,
master
drummer from Sierra Leone,
except the 4/4 Djembe 2 pattern, dun dun patterns and Waving Break which were all from
Mamady Keita
as taught by
Justine at
Vitae Drum Circle.
(notated by
Malcolm Smith
on 2005-06-15 / 2008-03-22 - under construction)