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Congamasterclass.com

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 4:17 am
by windhorse
As much as I hate promotions and advertizements, I'm going to post one now.
Video lessons from Mike Spiro and Jesus Diaz.
http://congamasterclass.com/
I've been studying their bata lessons, but they are like this with all of the stuff; folkloric, Timba, Son.
They break the material down and play it super clean, so that there is no ambiguity about any part. They also relate the material in a respectful manner to their teachers so that you feel good about studying it. You can go back, back, and back again to parts for woodshedding, and it feels obtainable, because these guys are so clear.
I'm in Osain and Osun now. I just love Jesus's really cool offbeat slaps on Rumba Obatala - fourth road of Osain - as well as the way Mike's Iya and his son's Okonkolo hit in perfect rhythm.
The clarity and things I hear when they play it are helping to make this really intense and unusual music sink in. I just can't let this really great lesson and material go ignored. These guys are truly fantastic.

Okay, back to the regular programming.
Dave

Re: Congamasterclass.com

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 12:02 pm
by Derbeno
Yep, great site. I great reference point to review and rehearse material you have not touched for a while that you suddenly need to play.

I do wish they fixed some of the annoying bugs on the site. I have emailed to point these out but not even a return reply to acknowledge.

It has been a very long time indeed since I have noticed any new additions.

Re: Congamasterclass.com

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 7:51 pm
by rhythmrhyme
I like the site as well and have had an active membership basically since Michael started it up. I'll go for a while without looking at it, but I think it's important to support projects like this. I also use it to review rhythms etc as I need for various projects.

Having Jesus join the site was a very, very wise move. The second, and more cuban, view of the materials has been super informative and educational. Jesus has a fundamentally different style than Michael, different riff's, subtle differences in technique etc. He's also more direct in his lessons so his video's have less talking and more playing, which I appreciate 8)

I believe Michael has a separate brazilian/samba site that is similar. I wonder if this is why he hasn't included any of these conga rhythms on the site - I'd like to see more samba, bossa stuff. Generally I think a more inclusive lens of central/south american rhythms interpreted for the congas would be a nice addition.

RR

Re: Congamasterclass.com

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 8:18 pm
by windhorse
Yeah, RR, I will study for a while from the site, and leave for long periods of time and come back. I was on there for a while last year studying Ellegua just getting a start in bata. I believe at that time they only had up to Inle. Then, when I went back this time they had completed the whole Oro Seco. So, unlike Derbeno's experience I'm impressed by how much they added. Not sure what bugs you've noticed Derbeno. I did see that in Osain, they had a 5th one labeled Guaguanco, and it was a repeat of the fourth. No biggy for me as a site visitor, but something I would have fixed. I know from maintaining my own site how much time and effort it takes to keep things updated, so I see it as amazingly functional considering the amount of information. Wonder why they never got back to you. I've had the opposite experience.

Re: Congamasterclass.com

PostPosted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 4:27 pm
by windhorse
Thought about starting a new thread titled "What's your new favorite rhythm?" I was lurking around on Spiro's website a last week and found "Asohano" in the Arara rhythms. Lovin this! The upbeat 6/8s just happened to be what I was woodshedding, and the Caja lead was too compelling not to try!

Here's my transcription of the rhythm:
http://mrcrowder.us/asohano/

Re: Congamasterclass.com

PostPosted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 7:34 pm
by Derbeno
Excellent Rhythm!

Like all the Arara genre a bit tricky but well worth the study. We occasionally play it for the Danceclass and feel drained yet elevated when the 1.5 hour is up. It takes a lot of concentration.

Re: Congamasterclass.com

PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 9:43 pm
by windhorse
I decided to try my hand at recording with a click-track and doing all the parts myself.
Below is a little bit of it.

http://mrcrowder.us/asohano/
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7o15c7q29n1vpbg/asohano%20-%203%3A15%3A15.mp3?dl=0

Re: Congamasterclass.com

PostPosted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 8:29 am
by Derbeno
Sounds great!

Re: Congamasterclass.com

PostPosted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 12:24 pm
by windhorse
Derbeno wrote:Sounds great!


Thanks Derbeno, is this the version you guys play in the dance class? One of my projects during spring break, besides working a bunch more on bata, is to make a longer better version of this and add voice tracks of "Achina Magwa Eh", "Sarago", and "Agomado" that lay over the percussion tracks.. Question is, Where in the Arara bell pattern do they fit? I know that in the regular Cuban 6/8 bell that Achina Magwa Eh begins on the bombo, and the other two are on the "&" of 3. So, in the Arara bell which has two halfs, do you wait for the offbeats in the 2nd part of clave, or do you begin in the middle of the onbeats? Or do you start up on the "&" right before one of those sections? I'll probably be calling Mike Spiro to find that out. It's crazy complex, so I'm afraid of screwing it up badly. :wink: