=================== - 8 Party Starter - =================== A rhythm in eight parts to begin festivities... >120bpm 4/4 ||:1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&- | 1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-:|| Claps/Clave || X.X.X..X.X.X..X. | X.X.X..X.X.X..X. || Shekere || X..xX..xX..xX..x | X..xX..xX..xX..x || High Agogo || ..XX......XX.... | .X.X......XX.... || +Low Agogo || ......XX......XX | .....X.X......XX || Congas || tttOttOOtttOttOO | tttOttOOtttOttOO || Deep Djembe || B..Z..E.B..Z..E. | B..Z..E.B..Z..E. || Lead Djembe || BBSSOOSSBBSSOoSS | BBSSOOSSBbSSOOSS || (Swung in triplets!) Bell 1 || X...X...X...X... | X...X...Xx..X... || +Kenkeni 1 || ..K.K....K.K.... | ..K.K....K.K.... || +Dununba || D.......D...D... | D.......D...D... || Bell 2 || ..X...X...X...X. | ..X...X...X...X. || +Kenkeni 2 || K......K......K. | K......K......K. || +Sangban || ...G..G....G...G | ...G..G....G...G || (Count) ||:1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&- | 1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-:|| Key: X = loud bell/block/clave/shekere x = quiet bell/block/clave/shekere K = Kenkeni (high pitch Dun Dun) k = trapped/closed* Kenkeni G = Sangban (mid pitch Dun Dun) g = trapped/closed* Sangban D = Dununba (low pitch Dun Dun) d = trapped/closed* Dununba B = drum bass tone b = drum bass tone flam ("bdum") O = drum open tone ("top") o = drum open tone flam ("plum") S = drum slap tone s = drum slap tone flam E = drum edge tone ("ping") e = drum edge tone flam ("pling") W = drum slap + wave :-) r = right (/strong) hand Z = trapped/closed* slap tone l = left (/other) hand F = flam (strong then other hand) f = flam (other then strong hand) t = touch/tip/ghost/timing note h = heel (conga timing note) . = rest (or ghost/timing note) | = bar line - = sustain the previous note : = repeat > = accent + = continue onto next line *tone to be damped with hand/beater - To get the Edge tones in the Deep Djembe part, use a single finger right on the very edge of the skin ("ping"). - If there are no Congas present, use Djembes instead. - The two Kenkenis are together mirroring the Claps/Clave pattern, with a nice pitch offset for the first of each three-note group. It's best to have Kenkeni 2 higher-pitched than Kenkeni 1 if possible. Claps/Clave || X.X.X..X.X.X..X. | X.X.X..X.X.X..X. || Kenkeni 2 || K......K......K. | K......K......K. || Kenkeni 1 || ..K.K....K.K.... | ..K.K....K.K.... || It all starts with the Claps/Clave, playing this infectious Samba rhythm (be sure to get those offbeats right!). To begin with, the Dun Dun players hit their sticks together along with the Claps. Then comes the Shekere, next Agogo Bells (both played by one player). After the Percussion has locked together, the Deep Djembes enter. The Lead Djembe then calls the Signal for the Break, and everyone dives into it, all coming out of the other side in their relevant parts: Percussion, Djembes, Congas, and Dun Duns altogether. If at any point the leader points at a player or group of players, they should either: a) drop out if they are playing, or b) come back in if they have dropped out, at the start of the next 2-bar repeat, on the downbeat. The leader should signal to everyone to change to the Break Section with this Call, played loudly either on Djembe or Dun Dun+Bell as the second bar of the two-bar repeat (preferably as the last bar in a 16/32 bar structure): Signal Break ---> Main Rhythm | 1---2---3---4--- | 1---2---3---4--- | Everyone | (As above) | S...BBBBB....... | Leader | SSSSSSSSSSSSS... | S...BBBBBs.SS.S. | Percussion | (As above) | ................ | rlrlrlrlrlrlr r rlrlrf lr l While the Leader is Signalling the Break with the 13 slaps everyone continues until the end of that bar. Then the percussion drop out for the Break, and everyone else joins the Leader for the first part of the Break. If the Leader wishes to continue, she comes back immediately after the bass notes with the slaps to lead people back to the Main Rhythm; if she doesn't, the piece ends here. When we come back to the Main Rhythm, some brave soul can play a solo over the top. The other drummers should drop their volume level enough to allow the soloist to speak, while maintaining a solid foundation. Once the soloist has said their bit, they should gesture to the group and fall back into the rhythm which should gain volume again ready for the next Break Section. Here's the pattern written again complete with notation for drummers' left (l) and right (r) hands (and f=flam first left then right). If you're left-handed, substitute l and r, so that your strongest hand is playing r and the other one is playing l. >120bpm 4/4 ||:1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&- | 1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-:|| Claps/Clave || X.X.X..X.X.X..X. | X.X.X..X.X.X..X. || Shekere || X..xX..xX..xX..x | X..xX..xX..xX..x || High Agogo || ..XX......XX.... | .X.X......XX.... || +Low Agogo || ......XX......XX | .....X.X......XX || Congas || tttOttOOtttOttOO | tttOttOOtttOttOO || rlrlrlrlrlrlrlrl rlrlrlrlrlrlrlrl Deep Djembe || B..Z..E.B..Z..E. | B..Z..E.B..Z..E. || r l r r l r r l r r l r Lead Djembe || BBSSOOSSBBSSOoSS | BBSSOOSSBbSSOOSS || (Swung in triplets!) rlrlrlrlrlrlrfll rlrlrlrlrfllrlrl For clarity, here's the Lead Djembe part rewritten in expanded form, swung into triplets with all of the rests precisely notated. The notes fall on the first and third beats, with a rest on the second beat: >120bpm 4/4 ||:1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & - | + Lead Djembe || B . B S . S O . O S . S B . B S . S O O O S . S | + r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l l | 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & - :|| (2nd bar) | B . B S . S O . O S . S B B B S . S O . O S . S || r l r l r l r l r l r l l r l r l In the compact unswung notation, it was necessary to write flams to show the position of the three triplet open and bass tones (on beats 4 and 3 of each bar). This was not strictly correct; the expanded notation gives an accurate rendering of the triplet swung feel. Hence where flams were written before, play: Oo as OOO and Bb as BBB rf rlr rf rlr Notice that the second bass note falls between the 4/4 timing ticks that all of the other players are following, hence a different feel. Since this Lead Djembe is the only pattern in (essentially) 12/8 over a sea of 4/4, it is going to be hard work to keep afloat and not fall back into the 4/4 that everyone else is on. This friction generates ebergy when done correctly, but can drag the thing down if done badly. If you don't understand this, then you should not be playing this part! Credit and deepest respect to my teacher David Oladunni who I recall playing this Lead Djembe pattern seemingly with no effort whatsoever, his hands hardly appearing to move around the drum yet firing off the different tones distinctly. His playing will always be something to aspire to :-) Key: X = loud bell/block/clave/shekere x = quiet bell/block/clave/shekere K = Kenkeni (high pitch Dun Dun) k = trapped/closed* Kenkeni G = Sangban (mid pitch Dun Dun) g = trapped/closed* Sangban D = Dununba (low pitch Dun Dun) d = trapped/closed* Dununba B = drum bass tone b = drum bass tone flam ("bdum") O = drum open tone ("top") o = drum open tone flam ("plum") S = drum slap tone s = drum slap tone flam E = drum edge tone ("ping") e = drum edge tone flam ("pling") W = drum slap + wave :-) r = right (/strong) hand Z = trapped/closed* slap tone l = left (/other) hand F = flam (strong then other hand) f = flam (other then strong hand) t = touch/tip/ghost/timing note h = heel (conga timing note) . = rest (or ghost/timing note) | = bar line - = sustain the previous note : = repeat > = accent + = continue onto next line *tone to be damped with hand/beater (c) Malcolm Smith 1998/2005 Lead Djembe part by David Oladunni, master drummer from Nigeria http://www.thesmith.org.uk/people/musicians/index.html#masterdrummers (notated by Malcolm Smith)