Yankadi + Makru

These two rhythms are generally played one after the other, as a dance of seduction. Traditionally, the girls would dance in a line facing a line of boys, checking each other out for the duration of the slow rhythm of Yankadi. Then at the sudden signal to Makru, they would pair off and dance as couples to the fast and furious 4-beat rhythm. Sometimes it is played returning to Yankadi again (and the dancers going back to separate lines), although we don't do this.

This arrangement is an amalgam of how Ade Wallace originally taught it to us, with some extra parts and the waving break that Justine taught - there are some differences, most notably Yankadi's djembe part 1 which she does differently.

Yankadi

Ade's Original Version

This rhythm is best remembered as the one starting with the Heartbeat (Yan-cardiac :-)

110bpm 12/8 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--
Shekere     X..X..X..X..X..X..X..X..
                                   $
Djembe 1    B....BB....BB....BB....B   = To start... (Heartbeat pulse)
            r    lr    lr    lr    l
Djembe 1    B.OO.BB....BB.OO.BB....B                 (+ then add 2 tones)
            r lr lr    lr lr lr    l
Djembe 1    B.OO.BB..S.BB.OO.BBOOO.B   = MAIN RHYTHM (+ then add 1 slap + 3 tones)
            r lr lr  r lr lr lrlrl l
Djembe 2    O.....S..S.S.......OOO.O   = MAIN RHYTHM (linked by the 3 tones)

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 (or 1 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.

An apt phrase to remember the full version of Djembe 1 is:
"Tonight we play the drums and
 tonight we dance the dance - How are you?"

Djembe 2 can be thought of like this (expanded to fit the words in):

7        8        |1        2        3        4        5        6
 How 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        5        6        7       8         |
|day?              I'm      o-    kay                   How are you  to- |
|O  .  .  .  .  .  S  .  .  S  .  S  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  O  O  O  .  O  |

Extra parts

The above is Ade's version (I'm not sure who taught the duns). Below is how Justine teaches the djembe parts, which she learned from "Ayo" Ayodele Scott from Sierra Leone (last known whereabouts: Devon) in his Camden classes in the 1990's. Part 4 is from Seneke via Lesley; it's a lovely lazy part where you keep the heel of your other hand muting the M tones, just lifting up the fingers whenever needed and then lowering the palm flat again to trap the slaps. Having all four parts going (with either version of part 1) alongside the dun duns sounds wonderful :-)

110bpm 12/8 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--
Djembe 1.0  B....BB....BB....BB....B   =INTRO        (Heartbeat starts)
Djembe 1    B....BB.OO.BB....BB.OO.B   =BASIC RHYTHM (+ then add 2 tones)
Djembe 1.1  B..Z.BB.OO.BB..Z.BB.OO.B   =1st VAR      (+ then add a trapped slap)
Djembe 1.2  Z..Z.BB.OO.BB..Z.BB.OO.B   =2nd VAR      (+ another trapped slap at the start)
Djembe 1.3  SSSS.BB.OO.BB..Z.BB.OO.B   =2nd VAR      (+ 4 slaps at the start)
Djembe 2    O.....S..S.S.......OOO.O   ("...K! How are you today? I'm OK!")
Djembe 3    S..O.S.....OO.OO.OO..... + ("Here's the train: it's going down the lane.")
            S..0.S......OOOO..OOOO..   ("It comes back, over the tracks, over the tracks.")
Djembe 4    Z..M.M..Z...Z..M..Z..OOO +
            O..O.O..OO..Z..M..Z.....

Notice the different place of the tones:

Djembe 1    B.OO.BB....BB.OO.BB....B   [Ade's version]
Djembe 1    B....BB.OO.BB....BB.OO.B   [Ayo's version]

Mamady Keita's traditional dun duns

Bell 1      x.xx.xx.xx.xx.xx.xx.xx.x
+Dununba    D....DD....DD....DD....D
Bell 2      x.xx.xx.xx.xx.xx.xx.xx.x
+Sangban    ...G.G.........G..G.....
Bell 3      x.xx.xx.xx.xx.xx.xx.xx.x
+Kenkeni    ........KK..........KK..

If there are only two dun dun players, combine Dununba+Kenkeni or Sangban+Kenkeni.
Notice how D+K = Djembe 1. This way is OK, but we love the other dun dun tune.
Nowadays we start off with the combined Dununba+Sangban+Kenkeni and Sangban 2
(ignore Kenkeni2+Dununba2), until the dancers begin after the Waving Break,
then switch "effortlessly" to the separate dun duns which give the soloist
more space to accompany the dancing.

Intro

Justine plays this Call & Response introduction twice as an Intro, before calling in the (Old) Break below it:

110bpm 12/8 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--
Call       BOOO.SSS.BOOOO.S.SS.S.S..
Djembes     s...s.s.....s...s.s.....
Bells       X...X.X.....X...X.X.....
Duns        D...D.D..X..D...D.D..X..

Break

This could also be used as an Intro if folk don't know the above Intro.

110bpm 12/8 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--
Old Signal BO.OS.OO.SO.OS..SSSS.SS.. + ("A 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5, give me some Yankadi")
Old Break   B.B.B.B.B.B.B..SSSS.SS..
Bells Break X.X.X.X.X.X.X...........
Duns Break  D.D.D.D.D.D.D...........

New Ballet Version with New Break

John from Leeds taught us this cool ballet version, complete with its own slightly different Break. We like to alternate our "Old" version above with this one, swapping over each Break. Clever dun dun players could also swap to Mamady's duns to accompany this Ballet Version :-)

110bpm 12/8 1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--
New Signal BO.OS.OO.SO.OS..SS.S.SS.. + ("A 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5, give me      Yankadi")

New Break  BS.S.S.S.S.S.OOOOOOSSSS..
Bells Break X.X.X.X.X.X.X..X..X..X..
Duns Break  D.D.D.D.D.D.D..D..D..D..

Djembe      B..S.SB.OO..B..S..B.OO..   ("I'd like a piece of cake")
            r  r lr lr  r  r  r lr
                             ^
Notice that Djembe omits the word "a" every other repeat.

            r  r l   r lr  r l   r l
Solo A      B..S.S...S.SB..S.S...S.S + ("Bicycle, ride your...") x 4
            B..S.S...S.SB..S.S...s.B +
            OOSOOSOOSOOSOOSOO.s..OO. +
            O.O..OO..S.SB..S.S...S.S + (ends with one extra "Ride your bicycle")
            B..S.S...S.SB..S.S...S.S + ("Bicycle, ride your...") x 4
            B..S.S...S.SB..S.S...s.B +
            OOSOOSOOSOOSOOSOO.s..OO. +
            O.O..OO..S.SB..S.S...S.S + (ends with one extra "Ride your bicycle")
            B..S.S...S.SB..S.S...S.S + ("Bicycle, ride your...") x 4
            B..S.S...S.SB..S.S...s.B +
Old Signal BO.OS.OO.SO.OS..SSSS.SS.. + ("A 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5, give me some Yankadi")
Old Break   B.B.B.B.B.B.B..SSSS.SS..   (then we go back to Old Way above)
Duns Break  D.D.D.D.D.D.D...........

In the next time through the Ballet Version, we play the next Solo:

Solo B      B..S.S...S.SB..S.S...S.S + ("Bicycle, ride your...") x 4
            B..S.S...S.SB..S.S...s.B +
            OOSOOSOO.S.SOOSOOSOO.S.S +
            OOSOOSOO.S.SOOSOOSOO.s.B +
            OOO.SSS..O.OO2SSSSSSSS.. +
            B..S.S...S.SB..S.S...S.S + ("Bicycle, ride your...") x 4
            B..S.S...S.SB..S.S...s.B +
            OOSOOSOO.S.SOOSOOSOO.S.S +
            OOSOOSOO.S.SOOSOOSOO.s.B +
            OOO.SSS..O.OO2SSSSSSSS.. +
Echauffe.   O.OO.OS.SS.SS.SS.SS.SS.S +
            O.OO.OS.SS.SS.SS.SS.SS.S +
            O.OO.OS.SS.SS.SSS.s....B +
            r lr lr lr lr lrl f    l

Old Signal  O.OS.OO.SO.OS..SSSS.SS.. + ("A 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5, give me some Yankadi")
Old Break   B.B.B.B.B.B.B..SSSS.SS..   (then we go back to Old Way again)


Here's the handing for the 5th line of Solo B above: (the 2 is a double Slap)
            rlr rlr  r lrflrlrlrlr
            OOO.SSS..O.OO2SSSSSSSS..
            

Compare the two different Signals; the latter omits one Slap:
            1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--
Old Signal BO.OS.OO.SO.OS..SSSS.SS..   ("A 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5, give me some Yankadi")
New Signal BO.OS.OO.SO.OS..SS.S.SS..   ("A 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5, give me      Yankadi")

Old Break   B.B.B.B.B.B.B..SSSS.SS..
New Break  BS.S.S.S.S.S.OOOOOOSSSS..

But you should never have to worry about the order, as it always just swaps:
- the New Signal+New Break always leads us into the New Ballet Version
- the Old Signal+Old Break always leads back to the Original Version

Structure of Yankadi

This is how my Bedford and St. Albans groups currently play it. If not going into Makru, you could just use the Old Break as an Intro and Outro. Justine does her/Ayo's version instead of Ade's, and I don't think she does the Ballet Version much nowadays.

  1. Intro
  2. 1st time:
  3. 2nd time:
  4. 3rd time:
  5. 4th time:
  6. 5th time:
  7. Transition into Makru
  8. Makru

You may well need a 20-step rehabilitation programme after battling through all this notation! ;-)

The Waving Break

The Signal for Ayo's cool Waving Break that Justine taught is played at half its usual speed:

1           2           3           4           | 1
Now   are you   rea- dy to   take a break?      | YES!
o . . O . O . . O . . O O . . S . S S . . . . . | S

Everyone answers with the "YES!" on the first slap of the Waving Break:

110bpm 12/8 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 12/8 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           

We recently added a fifth verse, where the third line is played four times
revisiting each of the waving options from the preceding four verses.

The duns and shekere continue throughout the Waving Break, along with
any Djembes not able to play it staying with Djembe 1.

Transition into Makru

After the Waving Break (and dance), everyone regroups and speeds up with this pattern:

110bpm 12/8 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
            r lr lr lr lr lr lr lr l

Then the caller plays the Signal changing everything from 12/8 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
12/8 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 12/8 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   .   .   .   .   .   |


Makru

130bpm 4/4  1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-5-&-6-&-7-&-8-&-   =UPTEMPO!!!
                                          $    =START HERE
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.
            r l r l r lr  l r l r   rlrlr l

Djembe 2    BO.OB.S.B.O.B.S.BO.OB.S.B.O.B.S. ("Who wants to play this funky music?")
            rl lr l r l r l rl lr l r l r l

                                          $
Djembe 3    B.OOB.SSB.OOB.SSB.OOB.SSB.OOB.SS ("Woodpecker, woodpecker")
            r rlr rlr rlr rlr rlr rlr rlr rl

                                           $
Djembe 4    O..S...OO.S.S..OO..S...OO.S.S..O
            r  l   lr r r  lr  l   lr r r  l

130bpm 8/4  1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-5-&-6-&-7-&-8-&-
Bell 1      ..X...X...X...X...X...X...X...X.   = hehe, I love this (my idea!)
+Kenkeni 1  ................................
+Sangban 1  ......G.......G.......G.......G.
+Dununba    DD.DD...D.D.D...DD.DD...D.D.D...   = same as Djembe 2

Bell 2      X...X...X...X...X...X...X...X...
+Kenkeni 2  ..KK..KK..KK..KK..KK..KK..KK..KK   = same as Djembe 3

Bell 3      x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.
+Sangban 2  ......G.......G.......G.......G.
                                          $

Bell 1 and 2 alternate, but if too difficult, all play Bell 2.
If there are three dun players, Sangban 2 can relieve Dununba having to play Sangban 1.

The Dundunba part might need to be simplified when playing fast, maybe like this:
Bell 1      xx.xx.x.x.x.x.x.xx.xx.x.x.x.x.x.   or:
Bell 1      X...X...X...X...X...X...X...X...   
Bell 1      ..X...X...X...X...X...X...X...X.
+Sangban 1  ......G.......G.......G.......G.
+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.
+Sangban 1  ......G.......G.......G.......G.
+Dununba    D..D....D.D.D...D..D....D.D.D...

Alternatively, this easier version allows you to play it harder/faster/louder!
Bell 1      x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.   (optional)
+Sangban 1  ......G.......G.......G.......G.   ("Run, rabbit, run...")
+Dununba    D...D...D...D...D...D...D...D...   ("Run, rabbit, run...")
130bpm 8/4  1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-5-&-6-&-7-&-8-&-


For Makru's 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 8/4  1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-5-&-6-&-7-&-8-&-
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 Echauffement (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.

Key to notation

(c) Traditional rhythm as taught by Ade Wallace, master drummer from Sierra Leone, except the Makru Djembe 2 pattern, dun dun patterns and Waving Break which were all from Ayodele Scott and Mamady Keita as taught by Justine at Vitae Drum Circle.
(notated by Malcolm Smith on 2005-06-15 / 2008-03-22 / 2010-05-12 / 2015-06-26 overhauling the Structure, adding Intro, Break, John's Ballet Version, and Makru Djembe 4 from Seneke via Lesley)