adaption from ritual 6/8 for timbales?

[zwar]

ho everybody

we are busy in trying to translate some ritual music like bembe, achan, agbaja on timbales without damaging the heart of the music. my question was, if there is some audio, video or chart material available covering this item?
would be certainly helpful to have a look at different approaches to this theme.
only thing i found till now is the bit about bembe in changuitos timbales/book.

hopefully

zwar

[davidpenalosa]

zwar,
In 6/8 Latin jazz arrangements, it's common for the congas to replicate the supportive parts of the bembe rhythm (cachimbo and mula), while the timbales replicate the bembe lead drum part called caja. This band adaptation of bembe is the most commonly used 6/8 rhythm in Latin jazz and salsa. In fact, a lot of Latin and jazz musicians know the rhythm as just "6/8" or "Afro-Cuban 6/8" and aren't aware of its bembe origins.

Timbaleros Tito Puente and Manny Oquendo played 6/8 timbales this way.

The excellent book/CD "The Art of Playing Timbales" by Victor Rendon (Music in Motion Films 2001), shows the timbal and conga parts I speak of. Check it out.
-David

[zwar]

ho david,

thank you for answering. i looked that one up in v rendons book. listened to the cd 52 - 61. have to admit, the book was on the bookshelf in the studio all the time.
your additional info will surely be helpfull searching the internet for more material.

greetings
zwar

[davidpenalosa]

zwar,
Glad you have the book. Do you know the caja part as played with one stick and an open hand (known as bakoso)? The main motif involves playing an open tone on beat 1. The stick (strong hand) plays the standard 6/8 bell pattern on the side of the drum when not playing tones on the drum head. This part is easily transferable to timbales; the strong hand plays the bell pattern and the open tones are played on the low timbal.
-David

[zwar]

ho david

a music apppearing rather the same is called agbaja by the ewe-people in togo and benin. coastal ewe to be more precise. its masterdrums basic pattern played as you described, just left (weak) hand walking with the beats. 1open 2base 3open 4base (opens played with hand or stick).right hand playing 6/8-offbeatbellpattern on drumshell, when not busy soloing.

the double-bell with the off-beat 6/8 pattern on the higher bell,only the 1 played on the lower.

shekere is played seated, hold with the right, moving up and down between left hand and left thigh, sounds:
woum - chakichachakichakichakicha(woum)
woum and ki means shekere meets hand
cha means shekere meets thigh.

two other stickdrums
one playing:
gedengkatakatagedengkatakata

and the smallest one playing:
gedeng - gedeng - gedeng - gedeng

blekete (basedrum) playing:
dun - dun - pow - dunpow - dunpow -
dun - dun - pow - ragadagapow
(starts with the second stroke of the off-beat-6/8-bell.)

i hope you understand this phonetic transscription. dont know if it is common use in your part of the world. id write down the score, but my scanner is out of order.

most exciting to learn they play some kind of agbaja/bembe overthere. has allways been one of my favorites in westafrican music.

thanks for your description

zwar



Edited By zwar on 1174159740

[davidpenalosa]

zwar,
I'm familiar with Ewe drumming. Is there an Ewe teacher in Germany? You obviously know quite a bit about the music. I recommend checking out Ewe master drummer C.K. Ladzekpo's website:
www.cnmat.berkeley.edu/~ladzekpo/PrinciplesFr.html

The basic lead drum motif of bembe and agbaja is so common in African drumming and its descendants in the New World, that I've come to call it the "6/8 lead motif". I believe it to be the most common rhythmic motif used in African-based drumming.
-David



Edited By davidpenalosa on 1174197170

[zwar]

ho david

i do not know any native ewe teaching drums here (what of course does not mean, there is none...).
the native african drummers mainly are from ghana senegal, guinea and gambia. the drummers from ghana (most of them being ga ore akan people) put some agbaja on german stages the last decades, for agbaja got somehow common at the west coast up to ivory coast. some difference to what you will hear in the villages in togo or benin though.

zwar