Songs not in clave

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Songs not in clave

Postby flaco999 » Sat May 23, 2009 12:02 pm

Hey guy's ,
Anyone know how to approach songs that are not in clave? ( yeye ye yeo aride u ) for example , for Ochun is 13 bars long and played with Yakota. It works because the bata rythem is a 1 bar pattern , but you run into problems if you play it in a bembe setting because it's not in clave with the bell.
I repeat the 1 side ofe bell twice at the end of the song on the thirteenth and first bars to get back in the bell, but I made that up.
How is it really done? Anyone know?
Thanx
Flaco
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Re: Songs not in clave

Postby davidpenalosa » Wed May 27, 2009 4:05 am

We spend so much time thinking about how things fit within the binary clave structure that we forget that some rhythms are single-celled; they are just based on tresillo or three-over-two, as in the case of iyankota. I don't recommend artificially forcing songs like "yeye ye yeo aride u" into a two-celled structure like bembe.
-David
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Re: Songs not in clave

Postby flaco999 » Wed May 27, 2009 10:52 am

Thanks David, I'm getting that from everyone I've asked about it.
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Re: Songs not in clave

Postby windhorse » Wed May 27, 2009 12:57 pm

Yeah, but you could start a bembe by singing without accompaniment, the Ye ye yeo Adi deu in Razo, then the next part - Afigue de Ma Yeyeo Afigue de Ma.. can be sung over clave, so that could start the bell and drums for bembe. You'd probably normally start with Ellegua, but still a possibility.
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Re: Songs not in clave

Postby flaco999 » Wed May 27, 2009 6:02 pm

Thanx Windhorse.
You know I'm remembering how John Amira did Yakota songs in a bembe setting...
He played a caja part that went like this as the basic over the bell con guiro.

P ts BB O O
I never asked him if there were any parts for the cachimbo and mula.
Anyone know?

But, this is the rythem that he used for all Yakota and Guemilere tunes , and he killed on it!!!!
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