Hi Siete Leguas,
sorry for jumping on this topic again. The video that you linked is one of my future projects. I do play some güíro on the tumbadora, but it sounds really backdated and a bit dull in comparison to the stuff that this gentleman plays. "Mysterious" is exactly what I feel about his style. I believe he fully explores the
contratiempo concept in Cuban music, as transferred to 6/8 meter. I cannot explain exactly what he's doing, yet. But he covers a rhythmic area that I definitely want to comprehend and conquer for myself. David Font has published another sample of Maximino Duquesne "El Moro Quinto" playing güíro tumbadora:
https://vimeo.com/channels/95187/13737622He's the real thing.
The bell pattern you were hearing was:
x ||: -xx-xx | -x-x-x :||
which is just a relatively recent but nevertheless common variation of the basic pattern that you notated. You can use it to vary your standard basic pattern, or play it alternating with the standard pattern, thus forming a 4-bar-cycle, or you replace your standard pattern altogether, playing the variation instead.
The more attention you pay to meter as opposed to the clave (and this bell pattern is the clave), and the more you seek metric orientation from the perspective of the tonal, i.e. melodic and harmonic, material, the more Euro-centric is your approach. Initially you can do so in order to be able to join in and play along; but after some time you will realize that the clave is primordial in its funcion as the "organizing principle" (citing Spiro here). The songs are built around it.
Regarding your "philosophical question" I applaud your manners and your respect. In my opinion, this attitude is actually the best reason and the real legitimation to get into it and start playing this music! I tell you my story:
I had already expanded my jazz drumset playing to percussion, focusing on Cuban music and Cuban instruments, namely congas, bongos and timbales, when I heard batá music for the first time. I felt I just had to get into this field, I was attracted by it. I also loved bembé and güíro and all the songs. But I felt I had to learn about the religious background of this music first, before putting my hands on it and fool around with it for fun. After years of reading and learning about the orisha and about Ifá, I discovered a completely different type of religiosity for myself that made it possible for me to embrace religion again as something meaningful. It didn't have anything in common with the attitude towards "the holy" that I had experienced in Christianity before, the faith in which I had been brought up. To make it short, I not only started playing batá and chékere and learned some songs, but ended up being sworn to Añá first, then became initiated in Ocha, and eventually in Ifá - although to this day, I do not practice Ifá officially as a babalawo. But I never regretted it. For myself, it was one of the best things I did in my life.
That's how far I went ...
Thomas