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Hi, I did a search here in the forum on columbia, found various threads, but no one seemed to cover in deep the folkloric way to play columbia.

We are learning cuban folkloric music, and we naturaly walked into columbia too. When looking at various videos (no teacher here in CZ) it seems to me there are many ways and patterns to play columbia. I know just the Matanzas and Havana Nyongo styles, that are shown on congamasterclass.com (I made the trancription to make more clear which patterns I mean). Could any of you share other patterns or give me some ideas on folkloric columbia? Thanks

I made this short vid some time ago for one of the members on here, you can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5aA6H2uFNQ

From another thread on Columbia, I also found this transcription from pavloconga, who learnt learnt this version from Guillermo Lopez Clemente of the Folklorico Nacional de Cuba
http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/download/file.php?id=210&mode=view

I've just uploaded to myspace page a recording of a folkloric style Rumba Columbia played on single drum parts.
I recorded this in Cuba while I was studying in the casa of the rumbero Mario 'Chavalonga' Dreke in the district called Ataré.

On this morning I was having a lesson with 'Macho' Sandalio Crespo Calderon (hear Macho speak on 'Black Roots of Salsa' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HywjkqmxjRo) when one of Havana's great singers and rumberos Pedro Fariña just happened to drop by.

Before too long an impromptu Rumba Columbia started with Fariña singing, Macho on tres dos and me on salidor. (I don't know the name of the person playing claves).
Fariña has a very special voice and this recording will give you a good idea of the feel and flavour of the rhythm.

I felt humble and privileged to be playing in such company!

To hear the Columbia:
http://www.myspace.com/music/41772095/songs/76150791

http://www.myspace.com/pavlosoteriou


p.s Abakua I will be in Sydney next weekend 6th and 7th Nov, are you playing anywhere?

Thank you both for your ideas. You both seem to use almost the same columbia I know from Spiro (the hand sequence is different), but there are many other different styles, which I would like to collect in this thread.

I made a short clip of the Afrocuba de Matanzas columbia from Live at El Palenque DVD , which has really different melody (just figured out it seems to be the Matanzas style with one more drum playing the first beat): http://pracovni.vasik.net/columbia/colu ... rocuba.mp4
there's another columbia on the Ballet Folklorico Ritmos Cubafricanos CD: http://pracovni.vasik.net/columbia/ball ... lorico.mp3

there's another columbia pattern on the Boogalu Rumbambeo DVD, I will post an excerpt of that later... Any info on those "other" columbia patterns?

Here's the excerpt from Boogalu Rumbambeo DVD, they call this columbia too, but I don't recognize any of those starndard columbia patterns:
http://pracovni.vasik.net/columbia/columbia2.mp4

Another non-standart columbia, Puntilla - Tio Tom Tom last track... Any ideas what's going on in this one?

http://pracovni.vasik.net/columbia/colu ... ntilla.mp3

That second song isn't playing for me. What is the song's title?
-David

davidpenalosa wrote:That second song isn't playing for me. What is the song's title?

I just tested the links and they all seem to work. What do you mean by the secong song?

Hi,
OK, it played for me this time. By the "second," I meant your last clip. Sorry I wasn't more clear.

On the Puntilla track they are using a conga drum adaptation of the batá rhythm ñongo for columbia. Here is an example of one person playing the rhythm on three batá drums.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuIqT4rp ... re=related

The first of the three lower tones (iyá enú) begins on bombo, the second stroke of clave.

On the excerpt from Boogalu Rumbambeo DVD, they are simply playing tones on both bombos on the lower drum and both ponches on the mid drum (with variations of course):

. . B . P . . . b . p .

B = primary bombo
b = secondary bombo
P = primary ponche
p = secondary ponche

The traditional Matanzas-style columbia "doubles" (sounds the very next pulse) the ponche (mid):

. . B . P P . . b . p p

The traditional Havana-style columbia doubles both the bombo (mid) and the ponche (low):

. . B B P P . . b b p p

There is also a more recent variation that only sounds half of the pattern. It's used during the verses:

. . . . P P . . b b . .

-David

Hi David, thanks for the comparison of the patterns, now it seems pretty clear. Even I'm learning bata, I didn't notice the link to bata on the Puntilla track before you told that.

Happy to be of help Vasikgreif. The melody of the bata rhythm tui tui is also used these days in columbia.
-David