Guaguanco question

[martingoodson1]

"Folklore Matancero" is also very useful because the drums are recorded on one channel and the vocals on the other, so by playing with the balance knob you hear the drums very clearly.

Hey
good tips but I can't find "Folklore Matancero" anywhere in the uk. Do you have anyother recommendations for afrocuban folkoric music which had the drums and vocals separated by channel?

thanks alot
martin

[guarachon63]

...it's really hard to keep the inspiration to learn rumba all by yourself, it's made to be played with other people.

I know this is probably super obvious to everyone, but still I think it bears mentioning here:

The best thing you can do when learning rumba, especially when starting out and biding your time waiting for other people to play with, is to practice the hell out of clave.

Play clave along with as many recordings as you can, as often as you can. When you get bored of that, you can practice guagua. When you get bored of those, you can practice singing coros while playing clave and guagua. And when you get bored of that, buy some new rumba CDs.

I know many people that start getting into rumba consider themselves "drummers" and clave and guagua are not drums, but they are fundamental to rumba, which I consider the quintessential art form for conga drums.

Perfecting your abilities on these two instruments will have many advantages.

Hey good tips but I can't find "Folklore Matancero" anywhere in the uk.

Sorry, the CD is actually called "Oyelos de Nuevo" - It is split between Los Muñequitos de Matanzas and Afrocuba de Matanzas, back when they were called "Folklore Matancero."

[Thomas Altmann]

I know many people that start getting into rumba consider themselves "drummers" and clave and guagua are not drums, but they are fundamental to rumba, which I consider the quintessential art form for conga drums.

I have always felt the same!

When I had my percussion project here in Hamburg around 1990, I had the guys play rumbas in the beginning of each rehearsal; I regarded it medicine.

I used to set up the band for rumbas in two rows: drummers in front, tumbadora in the middle. I placed the guagua player behind the segunda, because these two have to be perfectly synchronized with each other.

Today I don't play rumba anymore, principally because there are no talented people around that I could work with (secondly because I love the tradition much more than the guarapachangueo stuff, or what it has become). So while I must underline the reminders that rumba is a group thing that comes from the street and is basically open in style and variations, I am familiar with any situation that doesn't allow this approach, simply because there are no other players (and dancers, singers!). Thus my rather analytical hint:

The swing of the eighth note movement (if counted in cut time) lies somewhere between 4 straight eights and a corresponding 3/8 grouping with two sixteenth notes replacing the first of the three eighths. Practice these extremes alternately and then find your own groove within this range, depending on the respective tempo. But stay open to fit or adjust it to the group you will be playing with.

Thomas

[ralph]

...it's really hard to keep the inspiration to learn rumba all by yourself, it's made to be played with other people.

I know this is probably super obvious to everyone, but still I think it bears mentioning here:

The best thing you can do when learning rumba, especially when starting out and biding your time waiting for other people to play with, is to practice the hell out of clave.

Play clave along with as many recordings as you can, as often as you can. When you get bored of that, you can practice guagua. When you get bored of those, you can practice singing coros while playing clave and guagua. And when you get bored of that, buy some new rumba CDs.

I know many people that start getting into rumba consider themselves "drummers" and clave and guagua are not drums, but they are fundamental to rumba, which I consider the quintessential art form for conga drums.

Perfecting your abilities on these two instruments will have many advantages.

Hey good tips but I can't find "Folklore Matancero" anywhere in the uk.

Sorry, the CD is actually called "Oyelos de Nuevo" - It is split between Los Muñequitos de Matanzas and Afrocuba de Matanzas, back when they were called "Folklore Matancero."

Barry hit it on the nose once again w/ this one...take it from him...if nothing else...la rumba esta en el canto y la clave, sin esos dos no hay nada....basically rumba is in the song and clave...(you can add tres golpes and the dance to that) but without those key elements you don't have rumba, you have a bunch of drummers trying to curar themselves....if one is interested in rumba, they need to learn clave, need to be able to hold clave and guagua and sing at the same time or do coro...believe me, it will help your feel...usually i'll practice the tres golpes than i'll practice the tumba, and even quinto, but you always have to go back to clave y guagua y canto...

[TONE74]

Usually when we get together and play everyone wants to be the drummer I guess its kind of like the guitar player in a rock band. We have this one guy that wants the clave to follow him instead of the other way around. It gets frustrating but I just take it like it is and I figure Im doing something so its practice at whatever Im doing and not a complete waste of time. You'd be surprised at how many people dont know clave. We had a guy walk up to us, said I'll be right back he came back with a big bag full of guallo, maracas, claves, etc. and a drum ( expensive stuff ) and he din't know how to play any of them when I tried to show him clave he got pissed and said he din't need that so I was like so what are you doing here and I could tell he got mad. Getting the right group of people together is not easy. So thats my situation.

[JohnnyConga]

FOR ME "RUMBA" HAS ALWAYS BEEN A WAY OF "HONING YOUR CHOPS/SKILLS"....IN AN 'ENSAMBLE' SITUATION....i WAS TAUGHT YOU LEARN FIRST ON THE TUMBADORA, THEN THE SEGUNDO, AND WHEN YOU HAVE THAT DOWN, THEN THE QUINTO,MAYBE.........WHEN YOU GUYS ARE TOGETHER TO RUMBA,, JUST LET EVERYONE TAKE A TURN AROUND ALL 3 DRUMS,SOME WILL GRAVITATE TO THE DRUM THEY FEEL MOST COMFORTABLE PLAYING, OTHERS WILL BE SHY OR TIMID, OR JUST WITH NOT ENOUGH EXPERIENCE. iF THAT IS THE CASE YOU GIVE THEM THE CLAVE OR CHEKERE, OR SOMEONE PLAY THE "CUA" PARTS....SO NO ONE IS LEFT OUT....RUMBA IS ABOUT "UNITY", "COMARADERIE", EXPRESSION, IMAGINATION,WITH A "COLLECTIVE CONCIOUSNESS"............

.....MY 3 CONGAS....JOHNNY CONGA....

[zaragenca]

If it help somebody to understand the whole foundation,then I would say the brief history...First were los Coros de Clave,..(and I mean singing with nothing but Clave)..then using anything,(a piece of wood,a wooden box of beer,a shelves from a furniture a botles spoons,etc,.,,,,,and later the drums. First in Habana and later in Matanzas..Dr. Zaragemca

[davidpenalosa]

I have to disagree with the history as presented by Z. The first performing rumba group may indeed have been in the coros de clave format, but it's very unlikely that that rumba began with it. Yambu and guaguanco grew out of Cuban-Congolese fertility dances such as yuka. These genres have the complete triad of dance-percussion-voice. Columbia has strong musical and other cultural ties to the abakua. Again, it consists of dance-percussion-voice.

Both Havana and Matanzas claim to be the birthplace of rumba. It's an argument that will never be resolved.
-david

[bongo]

Here is a fast guaguanco on the indigenous roots kit, right foot cascara, left foot rumba clave.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFTZUjD_sIY

And here is slow version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-oQN-xmLWY



Edited By bongo on 1192153563

[Light Seeker]

Bongo, I sent you a message on youtube, not realizing that you and the youtube video poster were one and the same. Anyway, I was wondering how you rigged the didgeridoos? This is something I've wanted to do for a while. Peace and thanks!

[congamyk]

There is a thread for videos in the Open Discussion Forum.
That's where they should be posted.

As for new players I would never want a novice playing clave or cata for rumba.
These are essentially the foundation and must be precise.
I steer new people to shekere then Tumba.



Edited By congamyk on 1192166167

[pavloconga]

Hey thanks for posting the video, (I sent you a msg too).

Personally, I don't mind videos posted within individual threads if they're relevant to the topic.



Edited By pavloconga on 1192230764

[35-1169065824]

Bongo, Thanks for the Video! Very Intresting! Keep Posting. Bongo we all need to start somewhere good job!



Edited By #1Adrum on 1192222918

[zaragenca]

Brother David, I did explained with all the details and dates the process of the rumba in Cuba,...do I have to go through this again?.Dr. Zaragemca