An advanced rhythm - not for the faint-hearted! It is named after the courtyard where Mamady played in Conakry, Guinea, which has become the scene of many newly forged friendships.
>120bpm 4/4 || 1 & 2 & | 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & | 3 & 4 & || rl r rl lrl r rlrlrl r rl rl r rl rl Djembe 1 SS || O.SO.SOO | S.SBOOSS | B.....SS | B.....SS || Dj1 Var. SS || O.SO.SOO | S.SBOOSS | B.SS..SS | B.SS..SS || "In Matoto courtyard you will find lots of people playing drums (out there), in the sun (out there)." r lrlrl r lrlrl Djembe 2 || S..BSSOO | S..BSSOO || "Cool! Matoto's really cool! Matoto's really..." "Mad! My uncle's really Mad! My uncle's really..." Bell 1 xx || .x.x.x.x | x.x.x.xx | .x.x.x.x | x.x.x.xx || +Sangban || G.G....G | ..G...G. | .G...... | g...g... || "Matoto courtyard's THE place TO be, COME play YOUR drums here with MAmaDY!" Bell 2 || x.xx.x.x | x.x.x.xx | .x.x.x.x | x.x.x.x. || +Kenkeni || k..K.K.. | K...K..K | ...K.K.. | k...k... || "IN maTOTO the BEATS are NEAT the HEAT is HOT AND the RHYthm ROCkin'!" "GONE to LEICESTER to SEE my UNcle ALbert WHO WAS a DRUNken SAIlor." Bell 3=1 xx || .x.x.x.x | x.x.x.xx | .x.x.x.x | x.x.x.xx || +Dununba DD || .D...... | ........ | ........ | ......DD || "MATOTO courtyard's the place to be, Come play your drums here with Mamady!" The rhymes for Dun Dun parts are CAPITALISED where you hit the drum. Sangban+Dununba Bells 1+3 are the same. Djembe 1 has a variation adding slaps at the end ("out there"). Seckou Keita's Dununba variation adds panic for a few bars: Bell 3=1 || .x.x.x.x | x.x.x.xx | .x.x.x.x | x.x.x.xx || +Dununba var|| .D...... | D...D... | D...D... | D...D.DD || Notice how the Dununba and Sangban interlock: Bell 3=1 xx || .x.x.x.x | x.x.x.xx | .x.x.x.x | x.x.x.xx || +Sangban || G.G....G | ..G...G. | .G...... | g...g... || +Dununba DD || .D...... | ........ | ........ | ......DD || Mamady also taught three Djembe 'Techniques' (each 3 bars long!?) to be played repeatedly as solos over the Main Rhythm. Note that 1st and 3rd Techniques share a similar ending. 1st Technique: Count || 1 & 2 & | 3 & 4 & || rl r rl lr rl lr lrl Djembe SS ||:O.SO.SO. | SO.SO.S3 || + (triplets at end) rlrl r l r l r rl Djembe || SSSO.S.O | O.S.O.SS || + rlr r r rl Djembe || SSS..... | B...B.SS:|| ** S not played on last time 2nd Technique: Count || 1 & 2 & | 3 & 4 & || r lrl rlrlr lrl rlrlr Djembe O ||:S3.OS3.O | S3.OS3.S || + (all triplets) lrlrl lr rl lr rl Djembe || O3SS.SS. | SS.SS.SS || + rlr r r r Djembe || SSS..... | B...B..O:|| * O not played on last time 3rd Technique: Count || 1 & 2 & | 3 & 4 & || r lrl etc---------->rl Djembe B ||:O3BS3BO3 | BS3BO3OO || + r rl l l r l r rl Djembe || S.OO.S.O | O.S.O.SS || + rlr r r r Djembe || SSS..... | B...B..B:|| * B not played on last time Here they are written out again more spaced out to better show the complex timings, where OOO = three triplets. 1st Technique: Count || 1 & 2 & | 3 & 4 & || r l r r l l r r l l r lrl Djembe S S ||:O . S O . S O . | S O . S O . SSS || + r l r l r l r l r r l Djembe || S S S O . S . O | O . S . O . S S || + r l r r r r l Djembe || S S S . . . . . | B . . . B . S S :|| 2nd Technique: Count || 1 & 2 & | 3 & 4 & || r lrl r lrl r lrl r lrl r Djembe O ||:SSS . O SSS . O | SSS . O SSS . S || + lrl r l l r r l l r r l Djembe || OOO S S . S S . | S S . S S . S S || + r l r r r r Djembe || S S S . . . . . | B . . . B . . O :|| 3rd Technique: Count || 1 & 2 & | 3 & 4 & || r lrl r lrl r lrl r lrl r lrl r l Djembe B ||:OOO B SSS B OOO | B SSS B OOO O O || + r r l l l r l r r l Djembe || S . O O . S . O | O . S . O . S S || + r l r r r r Djembe || S S S . . . . . | B . . . B . . B :|| Better equidistantly-spaced version: (with some helpful phrases) 1st Technique: "If you're feeling down and sad and tired and blue, didgeridoos are the best to unlock your mind. It's not difficult. (One, two) If you're..." Count || 1 & 2 & | 3 & 4 & || r l r r l l r r l l r l r l Djembe S S ||:O . S O . S O . | S O . S O . S S S || + r l r l r l r l r r l Djembe || S S S O . S . O | O . S . O . S S || + r l r r r r l Djembe || S S S . . . . . | B . . . B . S S :|| 2nd Technique: Count || 1 & 2 & | 3 & 4 & || r l rl r l rl r l rl r l rl r Djembe O ||:S SS . O S SS . O | S SS . O S SS . S || + l r l r l l r r l l r r l Djembe || O O O S S . S S . | S S . S S . S S || + r l r r r r Djembe || S S S . . . . . | B . . . B . . O :|| 3rd Technique: "Boom tiddly (x5) Yes, cos drums/drugs(!) are good to relax your mind. It's not difficult. (One, two) Boom..." Count || 1 & 2 & | 3 & 4 & || r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l Djembe B ||:O O O B S S S B O O O | B S S S B O O O O O || + r r l l l r l r r l Djembe || S . O O . S . O | O . S . O . S S || + r l r r r r Djembe || S S S . . . . . | B . . . B . . B :||
(c) New
African drum rhythm composed (in neo-traditional
Guinean style) in 2007 by
Mamady Keita
as part of his "Evolution Of The Djembe", taught at his
advanced djembe workshop in High Wycombe, England on
Saturday
2008-05-24.
(notated by
Malcolm Smith during the class;
rhymes added later by Agents from
Secret Bass, and more rhymes for
the solos added 2011-11-27 by members of
Bedford Djembe
Group)