bembe exercise - fun...give it a try

[CongaCaja]

hey all...

If you like independence exercises, I think you'll like this. It's a bembe exercise that's really fun, so give a try...

First, start with a 6/8 bell pattern in your left (or weaker) hand. this rhythm can be found at the bottom of this page.
http://www.congaplace.com/instrument/congas/rhythms/african6_8.php
you can play this rhythm on a bell or anything thing else that might be handy...stick on side of timbal, etc.

Next, with your left hand, play a bembe drum part on the tumba. The basic rhythm can be found at the following link and it is labeled "conga (middle)", however, my teacher calls this the "low" part...no matter.
http://www.congaplace.com/instrument/congas/rhythms/bembe.php

Now, here's the variations on this rhythm that I enjoy practicing:

1) start with all the non-slaps strokes as bass tones...while maintaining the slaps as written on count "5"

2) same as #1 but with open tone on "1" of every other measure (odd numbered measures begin with open tones)

3) same as #2 but replace slap of count "5" with open tone

4) same as #3 but add another open tone on count "6"

The last variation changes the conga rhythm slightly because of the extra note on count "6" (counting 6/8 meter in 6, not 2) but it works.

Mix and match these variations (and your own) into an exercize sequence and enjoy.

all the best... cjk



Edited By CongaCaja on 1074289932

[Tonio]

CongaCaja,
Yup those are great independence exersises! You can never
get bored with those. Did you get them from Michael S?
another thing thats great is the bell in one hand and shekere in the other too.
T

[CongaCaja]

No, Mike S. didn't give me those bembe exercises...I sort of came up with this on my own.

However, both Spiro and "Lali" (of Havana) had told me to play clave while place the open tones of the drum parts with the other hand. So, I guess where I got the idea. The difference with the bembe exercises is that I'm trying to play complete parts, not just the open tones. It seems to really help me feel these rhythms well.

Also, thanks for the suggestion...I really like stuff like that.

regards... cjk

[zaragemca]

Just for you knowlege CongCaja,the name is Yoruba-Patterns,bembe is and street name,the same of calling it Santeria which was used by Los Espanoles in association with the Santos de la Iglesia,but that's not the real name.

[CongaCaja]

Thanks for your opinion.

I do not claim to be an expert in Yoruba nor Santeria, however my teacher, Mike Spiro, knows much more than I about afro-cuban music and culture...and he referred to this rhythm as bembe. Perhaps he was just using a common "street" name for my benefit, however this name seems to be consistent with rhythms that I reference in the Conga Book of this very web site.

So, perhaps my teacher and contributors to this web are all incorrect...I will not attempt to venture into such an academic discussion of African cultures nor Afro-Cuban religions. I leave to you and others of greater experience to correct the erroneous influences of this site and I will mention this difference of opinion during my next lesson.

My intention was to simply to share some fun practice tips to my fellow users of this site who, like me, are not master percussionists.

Again, my thanks for your posting.

cjk

[zaragemca]

Brother CongaCaja,I don't blame you at all,I'm the first one to recognized the even in Cuba many people for years never knew the real name,so you are doing great.

[CongaCaja]

After investigating this issue of rhythm names...bembe vs. yoruba... I wish to respectfully submit that several sources agree on the following...

1) "bembe" is the name of the rhythm (music) that I was referring to.

2) "yoruba" is a culture of people from northwesten Nigeria. One of the drumming styles that they use is bembe to accompany songs of the Locumi tradition, however there are others.

So, to paraphrase my teacher's analogy... just as jazz is a musical style of united states, it is not the only musical style of the united states....that bembe (the rhythmic exercises that I posted) are a style of Yoruba people but it is not the only style of the Yoruba people.

Let me be clear, I am not the source of this information, but I did obtain it from reliable sources (my teacher, Mike Spiro, being one of them). In addition, this posting is not to try to prove anyone wrong nor right...only to help clarify this for students of the music such as myself.

I certainly appreciate the discussion and differences of opinion because the discussion motivates one to investigate the topic.

saludos a todo!

cjk

[zaragemca]

Well you could tell back to the reference,that (Bembe is, or used to be a City),around the Yorubas -Domain,and. Locumi is not a Tribes or African-Race(it is a word),and among the name of the 16 Main Yorubas-Pattern not even one start or finnish with the name 'bembe' on it.It is been the same thing that even in Cuba that religion have been called Santeria(which is not the original African-Name),and they knew that.They are now in the Northwestern part of Nigeria after been having to fight a lot of wars againts the penetration from the north from the west, from the south,but it used to be the most Sophisticated Kimdom in Africa at that time.



Edited By zaragemca on 1077230660

[CongaCaja]

Yoruba as culture... from Exeter University

This word is now generally accepted as referring to all those peoples who accept the ritual primacy of the city of Ife and speak the language of the same name....The name "Yoruba" is of more recent origin than the concept. It was originally the Hausa name for the Oyo kingdom, meaning "the people of the state of Oyo", and was given a wider use by missionaries only in the 1840s. Oyo was the pre-eminent city-state of the Yoruba between the 16th and 18th centuries

http://www.telematics.ex.ac.uk/molli/yoruba/1_about_yoruba/index.htm

Yoruba as language...from a professor of Yoruba at University of Wisconsin
http://african.lss.wisc.edu/yoruba/pages/why.html

Yoruba is the first language of approximately 30 million West Africans, and is spoken by populations in Southwestern Nigeria, Togo, Benin, and Sierra Leone. Based on the number of people for whom Yoruba is the first language, the political, cultural, and social importance of the language within Africa, and United States national interests tied to economic and diplomatic relations with Yoruba-speaking areas,

Yoruba cultural information ...from University of Nebraska
http://www.unl.edu/oduduwa/links.html

Lastly, the TimbaFunk book by Talking Drums states... on page 9

The word Lucumi refers to those Cubans whose ancestors came from Nigeria, and specifically the Yoruba people who live in southwestern Nigeria.

and... on page 12

Bembe is another traditional style of drumming used to accompany the songs of the Lucumi tradition

Mike Spiro is one of the authors of that book and his background can be found here

http://www.michaelspiro.com/html/resume.html

cjk

[Johnny Conga]

Intelligence and Fact is so strong when brought together. Thanks Conga Caja for the lessons on the Yoruba,I learned something new I didn't know about how the word Yoruba transpired......I'm Luvin It!......JC JOHNNY CONGA......

[CongaCaja]

Glad to post the info.

You know, since embarking on a quest to learn about afro-cuban drumming (not so long ago), I find it quite humbling as I discover so much that I need to learn.

How's the saying go?..."The more that you know...the more you realize what you don't know." ???

Or, something like that... I can really relate to the second part!

cjk

[Johnny Conga]

I have also forgotten a lot of information over the years or kinda missplaced it in my memory somewhere. So you can actually forget about something that you may know or have learned about 30 years ago, if your that old. Soy viejo ya!....smile JC JOHNNY CONGA......

[zaragemca]

Thanks CongaCaja for showing me how much this individuals don't know about the history and don't even talk to the African people,this is not the first time which I have to face misconception in relation to African Civilization.Talking about 16th,century would impress the people which don't know about Africa, not me which could go back to 1000 years BC.With the Fulanis,Mandingas,Guinea Impire,the Nubias,Abyssinian Impire,the Ottoman Impire,The Rhodesia Impire,the Numibians,the Ibos,Ibibios,the Ijaws,the Carabalis,the EfiksThe Mono-Um Impire,the Angolans.etc.First of all the Haussas which ar located in the North part of Nigeria and costitute the Mayority of the population have never been Yorubas and were asimilated in to Islam since the Roma Impire by the Arabians.The Ibos,Ijaws,Ibibios,Efiks,etc.,each tribes are in the south part of Nigeria but have differents Civilizations and lenguages than the Yorubas.Oyo, have never been more important than Ife,the fame of Oyo came throught a worrior which was born there(Alafia Kisieko),and which later was known by the name of Chango.Also importan Cities are Ibadan,IgBo,Lagos.The kimdom that really gain fame was the Kimdom of Dahomey(were Benin is located now),when some of the Yorubas went there and show them several trades(including the craftmanship of working with metals),which is the reason why the best work of sculptures in metal and wood in Africa are from the Yorubas and Benin.Locumi.. have never been an African- race or Tribes,Lucomi means my friend,and as they were refering to this word all the time for courtesy(and not knowing the real name of this people),spanish and everybody else start calling them lucumis.And still waiting for somebody to find in the Yorubas Dictionary the word Bembe for any of the 16 Main drumming patterns.



Edited By zaragemca on 1077384423

[CongaCaja]

zaragemca,

It is interesting to know that you have knowledge beyond that collection of scholarly sources.

I am also very glad to know that you have checked into where all those scholars received their knowledge. It is quite impressive that you are sure that none of those people very talked to an African or been to Africa. That's quite a lot of research on your part since your last posting.

In addition, the links/references that I referenced contain of emails, web sites and telephone numbers of people who might (or might not) wish to debate personal knowledge. I desire no such debate. Since I do not claim titles of "expert" or "master", I would like to personally submit that you are indeed the "champion" of this conflict that was started, fought and won in the midst of your own self-perception....but it was just another solo grandioso.

Lastly, I personally do not wish to use this public forum as a vehicle on which to tout personal knowledge. Rather, I would like to use this as a friendly way to share information among a community of people who I hope are mostly self-avowed life-long students (interestingly, my best teachers of any discipline have referred to themselves as such). However, if I discover the community to otherwise, I suppose I will leave so that the experts can exist among themselves.

As for yourself? ...it's a public forum, so I hope that you feel quite free to self-inflict upon your public image at will.

cjk
( humbly still claiming the esteemed title of "student" )

[zaragemca]

I've been forced to do my own research when I found out how the history and facts in many subjects have been distorted intentionally,or unintentionally by the scholars which supose to know better,thanks to you for bringing this subject on board.Besides the research which I did since growing up in Cuba with my ANCESTORS,I keep close to African people by playing with them,teaching some of them and talking with them all the time(there is a large community of African people here in Houston,and they are LUCUMI(my friends),which is the meaning of that word. :;):



Edited By zaragemca on 1077469204