Using clave to practice

[davidpenalosa]

taikonoatama,
Thanks for posting this. It's great stuff. All but the fourth stroke are pretty close to being dead-on. The fourth stroke is displaced by a twelfth of a main beat. I can clearly see that degree of displacement in the graph, but I’m not sure my ears can detect the displacement. You only hear the clave twice before the intro, so it goes by quick. It's true that it would not be practical to write this precise representation of that clave recording using standard Western notation. However, you in a sense did "write" it out here using a different system.
-David



Edited By davidpenalosa on 1176266593

[Diceman]

Taikonoatama

That is very cool analysis. What happens if you put it on a 6/8 grid?
I guess that rumba clave can move between 4/4 and 6/8 feel, so there are many 'feels' between the two.
Michael Spiro has an interesting section on the feel of rumba in his new book and demonstrates it with Guaguanco.

suave
Diceman

[burke]

Hi all,

A while back I was aked about sites for metranomes that play claves.
There seem to be two models in the lower end price range: "Boss Dr. Beat DB30" and "Korg KDM2"
I looked around the net (ebay, online stores) and then finding them at local stores - I found the korg at a store about an hour and half down the rd from me for about $75 (thats Canadian) and figured that it was close enough to the web prices (after shipping etc.) to go for that.

The specs for the korg can be found at:
http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?a_prod_no=KDM2&category_id=5

Re; if its good or bad to use a metranome - Its just another tool in the box - doubt anyone would make this their sole way to learn clave and turn into a drum playing android.

[bongosnotbombs]

for that price ($75) you could find a used drum machine, much more useful,
as you can program it for a bembe bell pattern, other congo patterns, and claves, etc etc....and different time signatures..as well as tempos.

[burke]

That is a very good suggestion - but I know me and I wouldn't use it.

Interesting site I stumbled on though while looking for Merengue patterns
http://www.berkleeshares.com/drums__percussion/afrocuban_conga_rhythms

all about what started the topic - its basic but really nice and clear
looks like some other stuff worth having a boo at as well at the berkleeshares.com site

[davidpenalosa]

Burke,
Looks like you found the answer to the original question that began this thread.

taikonoatama,
Upon reflection, I realized that the only "real" displaced stroke in that graphic is the fourth stroke. The remaining four clave strokes are very small fractions of a beat off from being dead-on. This is not “feel” in the sense of intentional displacement, but rather, proof that humans are not machines. The human ear (mind) hears those four strokes as being dead-on accurate.

The one stroke that is significantly off is displaced by a twelfth of a beat. A twelfth of a beat is not a random subdivision. For example, the flam created by playing the triple and duple pulse bombos simultaneously, is the result of playing two strokes that are separated by a twelfth of a beat.
-David

[pavloconga]

Hi all,

A while back I was aked about sites for metranomes that play claves.
There seem to be two models in the lower end price range: "Boss Dr. Beat DB30" and "Korg KDM2"
I looked around the net (ebay, online stores) and then finding them at local stores - I found the korg at a store about an hour and half down the rd from me for about $75 (thats Canadian) and figured that it was close enough to the web prices (after shipping etc.) to go for that.

There is some programmable software ( Virtual Drummer is what I use - it's shareware) that can be set up to play any clave or drum patterns you like. I use it as an aid to learning, e.g. learning to play a bell part in one hand and a drum part in the other.

I can slow it right down while also reading the 'notes' on screen until I get it down. It's great for multiplying what you do as a percussionist.

cheers
Pavlo

[afrocubarico]

David,
I found your posts on this thread very interesting and quite informative as I am a beginning conguero who has not yet learned to read music or play "in clave".

I read in the Tomas Cruz Conga Method books that you were going to release a multi-volume treatise on clave. Has this project reached fruition or this still in the works? Thank you.

afrocubarico



Edited By afrocubarico on 1180543439