"Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby konkoba98 » Sun Aug 22, 2010 3:24 am

Great book David! I was wondering how to get the audio. I could not find the downloads at bembe.com. Thanks in advance. Again, really enjoying this book.

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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby davidpenalosa » Sun Aug 22, 2010 6:26 am

Hi Colin,
The downloadable MP3 audio examples aren't available yet. There will be mention of that up on the bembe.com site soon. The book isn't officially released yet. I'll be sure to announce when the MP3s are available. Sorry about the wait.
-David
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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby vasikgreif » Sun Aug 22, 2010 4:54 pm

davidpenalosa wrote:Hi The book isn't officially released yet. I'll be sure to announce when the MP3s are available. Sorry about the wait.
-David


I don't understand it, it is on Amazon already, they say ''in stock'' and even sell it with discount...?
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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby davidpenalosa » Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:32 am

vasikgreif wrote:[qI don't understand it, it is on Amazon already, they say ''in stock'' and even sell it with discount...?


Hi Vasik,
It's a bit complicated, which is why I have tried to answer people's questions without burdening them with too much information. At this point though, it may be best if I start at the beginning.

My latest book Rumba Quinto is volume two of the Unlocking Clave series, published by Bembe Books, of which I am part owner. Recently I was turned onto an attractive means of printing flexible numbers of books. The company is called CreateSpace and is part of Amazon.com. When you print books through CreateSpace, your book is automatically available on Amazon.

Rumba Quinto will be officially released in several months, which means that Bembe's distributor will solicit and distribute the book to conventional retailers like Barnes and Noble and Borders Books. Unlike my last book The Clave Matrix, this book does not come with audio examples on CDs. Instead, downloadable MP3 audio examples will be sold separately. I expect to have the MP3 examples ready by the time the book is officially released.

Because I taught some classes in rumba quinto in July at the annual Afro-Cuban workshop at Humboldt State, I printed up a few early copies of the book (a "pre-release"). That is one of the great things about working with CreateSpace, Bembe can afford to do small print runs now. Several congaboard members took my class and bought my book. I gave my quinto students at the workshop some CD compilations of classic rumbas, taken from commercial recordings. These compilations are home-made and not the audio examples. I think there's been some confusion about that.

Since there was talk on the congaboard about the book and I had some copies left over, I made the offer to forum members to buy the book at a reduced price, and added the bonus of the CD compilations.

Today I finally emailed off the files for the revised edition of Rumba Quinto. I corrected some typos in the text, refined the Glossary and made some minor changes on the cover. Again, this is what I like about using CreateSpace, I can indulge in fiddling and tweeking with my books. Until I approve a proof of the revision, it will not be available from CreateSpace.com.

However, for some reason, the book is currently available through Amazon. And, they are selling at a discount! I didn't know that though until you brought it to my attention. I don't mind, but I can see where it may seem odd that Amazon.com is selling the book for less than I am. Since I have not yet approved a proof of the revised edition, I can say with certainty that Amazon is currently offering the old version for sale. I'm sure that as soon as I approve the proof, they will offer the revised version. That should be in a week or two.

I realize it may seem odd that I'm saying the book will not be officially released for several months and yet, it is currently available on Amazon, the world's largest book seller. That is odd. I feel like I have one foot in two worlds; the world I know, and the world I know is coming. The next step for me is getting the Unlocking Clave books in digital form for Kindle and other platforms.

What is exciting for me is that I don't have to depend upon conventional publishers like Mel Bay, or conventional means of distribution. If I can write a series consisting of a dozen books, they will be available world-wide.

I will announce when the revised version is available at Amazon and sometime after that, I'll announce its "official" release. Hope that wasn't TMI.
-David
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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby roberthelpus » Wed Sep 08, 2010 2:51 pm

WOW!

Just got my copy yesterday and had a quick look through. This will keep me busy for a long time.

Did I remember to say wow.
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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby windhorse » Wed Sep 08, 2010 4:40 pm

My friend Dan, who has taught me as much on quinto playing as anyone, is so hot on this book now that he can't stop practicing stuff and talking about it! He borrowed it for a while, and just gave it back to me a few days ago. Everytime we get together now he mentions how cool it is, and what a breaktrough it has made for him. I can totally see big improvements in his playing! And he was already the best in our group.
A quote from Dan, "I have seen lots of quinto books, and nobody has done it this way before! I like the way he breaks down the quinto spots, and builds up with doubling and leaving out strokes, and moves into crossing patterns. This book opens the door to so many possibilities rather than just memorizing patterns."
He says he's buying the book, and will have it shipped to Hawaii when he goes back in November. My friend Eric, who has also been a long-time teacher of mine, is also buying it. Seems like it has made a large impact on our Folkloric study group here. One definite change is in my own playing! I actually can confidently play some quinto now with the group, without feeling gun shy. 8)
Much thanks and praise David! :D
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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby Joseph » Sat Sep 11, 2010 3:19 pm

I’ve only had my copy of “Rumba Quinto” for about 10 days now, but I’d like to share my enthusiasm.

I’m certainly no expert on all the quinto literature available today, but I have worked with another book on quinto technique by Cliff Brooks “Rumba Soloing Technique Vol 1”, so I have a basis of comparison.
His method involves learning “quinto phrases” and piecing them together in “quinto ride and phrase flow exercises”, all in the context of his rather arcane
(though logical) notation and counting system.

After a year or so of working with it, my sense of timing and feel for playing in quinto had shown improvements, but it was just memorization of patterns.

To quote Mike Spiro :
”…if we don’t learn the concepts behind the music, we will never be able to play what we ‘know’ with a good feel, or with ‘swing’, if you will. We pretty much end up playing by rote what we learned in a book…..we really aren’t a better player than when we started”

In retrospect, that pretty much sums up my experience with aforementioned book.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rumba Quinto is Volume 2 in David’s “Unlocking the Clave” series. Although I am primarily writing about this new book, I also want to mention Vol 1 “The Clave Matrix” in comparison. I have both.

I think of “The Clave Matrix” as a Music Theory book of African derived, clave based percussion concepts.
A weighty tome of (necessarily) specialized jargon construed to describe the abstract subject at hand.
Included CD’s help to make the abstract concrete.
A theorist’s dreambook: well researched, footnoted, spanning from broad overlying principles to specific examples.
Best digested in small chunks.
Some may find it a difficult read
I admit to struggling at times, but perservered….and am glad I did.
I think of it now as a reference book.

Rumba Quinto is a practical book. My copy is gonna have a lot of well thumbed pages from my use of it.
A light refresher on clave concepts to start (that’s where I’m glad I had read Clave Matrix, as concepts were familiar)… and then right to quinto applications.

To me, the appeal of this approach is the ongoing interweave of discussion of clave concepts in the context of the practical development of the “quinto lock”…a basic form of rumba quinto.

By the time I was on page 5 of “Rumba Quinto”, all of the strokes I had rote-ly learned in aforementioned book made immediate sense to me
…and my depth of understanding of what I was doing...was to realize
…that I didn’t know what I was doing
…even though I had memorized all the strokes.

Starting with the generative “quinto lock” pattern, we are guided through all manner of variation, embellishment and development & pulse-shifting of that basic pattern.
This book is rich with specific examples on HOW to do it, but to me equally important to me, in each example a short discussion as to WHY we do it, in context with clave.
As such, the beautiful logic of the voice of the quinto drum is revealed within the clave matrix.

In addition there are included transcriptions of specific quinto solos from Los Munequitos & others performances, as well as off-beat and cross-beat exercises.

I’m only on page 20 of this book, and so far it has been a revelation to me.
I find myself eagerly looking forward to digesting more of it…and there is an epic amount of material to work on.

Woo-hoo…it’s fun!
....put on your favorite rumba recording (pick your tempo) and practice your quinto-lock licks.

As I said, I’m no expert in quinto literature, but in my view "Rumba Quinto" has set a new standard for instructional books of this sort.

A tough act to follow……..(Vol. 3?)

Bravo !!

………..and Thank You

Joseph
Last edited by Joseph on Wed Dec 22, 2010 8:20 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby davidpenalosa » Sat Sep 11, 2010 8:23 pm

Dave and Joseph,
Thank you so much for sharing your praise of Rumba Quinto. You definitely "got" what I was trying to do. Your description of The Clave Matrix as a reference book is correct. I am very happy to report that it will be reviewed in two academic journals. You can see an album containing the photos and African designs here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 ... 971c234236

Vol. 3 of my Unlocking Clave series will be an intermediate level book on bembé arranged for conga drums. It will present the caja (lead) variations in my usual methodical sequence. It will not be a challenging book to read.

Well, thanks again. You made my day!
-David
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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby windhorse » Sat Oct 16, 2010 2:10 pm

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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby davidpenalosa » Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:17 am

I recently obtained the capability to make uploadable movies. Here's a short You Tube clip of me playing quinto with Los Muñequitos de Matanzas in Arcata, CA in 1994.
-David

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVX85cPSiFQ
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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby niallgregory » Thu Oct 21, 2010 11:16 am

great stuff david !
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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby windhorse » Sun Jan 09, 2011 4:31 pm

A few sessions back at the rumba at Ritz's house, Ritz (who I hold in high regard as a phenomenal drummer) looked squarely at me and pointed out how awesome my quinto playing was sounding. He went on for a while how amazingly different I am sounding. He said the timing and spots I'm finding are really sharp and precise, how the slaps are really cracking, how the cross patterns are locking back in, how I'm playing with confidence, and just how impressed he is at how much I've changed recently..
Then, just yesterday, our main teacher Dave looked at me after a guaguanco and said, "That's good quinto!"
I can't remember the last time he has given me a compliment.. It rarely happens.

I've been working on it for a long time.
Like Joseph, I had studied for a few years from Cliff Brook's Quinto book. Even had a few lessons from Cliff himself. I've worked on emulating some of my favorite quinto players, Sandy Perez, Pili, Jesus Diaz, etc..
The way they will punch out loud firm sections, then lay back quiet for the lead singer,,
but the Rumba Quinto book and lessons at Humboldt are the main catalysts for my growth!
It's actually very simple. The thing you reminded me of is that you need to continue coming back to the "lock"
Thanks so much for this book! The next steps will be the study of the transcriptions of some the master's quinto phrasings in the book. Exciting stuff!
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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby davidpenalosa » Sun Jan 09, 2011 5:51 pm

windhorse wrote:It's actually very simple. The thing you reminded me of is that you need to continue coming back to the "lock"


Thanks for your words of praise Dave and congratulations on the well deserved recognition you are receiving. It's true that the simple act of returning to the lock is a profound technique that separates riffing, or a "drum solo" from the articulation of quinto vocabulary. Another simple, yet not widely understood element is the body of phrases I call the secondary resolution. Don't forget to interject those phrases from time to time.

windhorse wrote:The next steps will be the study of the transcriptions of some the master's quinto phrasings in the book.


You probably have all of the CDs you need to hear those excerpts. Please let me know if you are missing any of them. It's very helpful to listen to the original performances while reading the chart, before you try to play them yourself. I think that the software program Audacity can be obtained as a free download. It enables you to slow down music while maintaining the pitch. You might find that helpful in listening to the excerpts.
-David
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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby windhorse » Sun Jan 09, 2011 6:08 pm

davidpenalosa wrote:Another simple, yet not widely understood element is the body of phrases I call the secondary resolution. Don't forget to interject those phrases from time to time.

windhorse wrote:The next steps will be the study of the transcriptions of some the master's quinto phrasings in the book.


You probably have all of the CDs you need to hear those excerpts. Please let me know if you are missing any of them. It's very helpful to listen to the original performances while reading the chart, before you try to play them yourself. I think that the software program Audacity can be obtained as a free download. It enables you to slow down music while maintaining the pitch. You might find that helpful in listening to the excerpts.
-David


Excellent,, I'll look for these! Thanks so much for your help!
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Re: "Rumba Quinto" by David Peñalosa

Postby H Bomb » Sun Jan 16, 2011 10:35 pm

Hi David, is there any update on when the book will be available?
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