Thanks Michi for the interest in the topic. When I speak about well played rhythms, I mean knowledge (by musicians) not only about basic djembé accompaniments, but also about doundoun accompaniments (with variations), breaks, intro/interchange/ending phrases, nice or traditional solo phrases, using swinging, game of hands (changing roles of the hands), game with gestures (pointing with finger, etc.), and good energy ("energy of memories", like going back to the place when this music originally was born, kind of trance). It is just about the choice of the repertoire. Nobody knows everything (except for the greatest masters)
Regarding the orthography, I use French-based transcription of the Maninka and Soussou names.
michi wrote:
In general, I'd say that the list is pretty much "standard", in the sense that it includes rhythms that have been published widely. (Check out the
WAP pages for a fairly comprehensive collection.)
The WAP pages are for me not the best source, as material presented on this service is not well documented in the sense of sources of various parts, date of the event on which they has been learned, context of the teaching, authentic cultural context, information about style used, variations usage, swing in patterns. But still Paul Nas'es collection and portal is very usefull.
michi wrote:I'm not sure whether the list of rhythms varies by country all that much. At least, I have learned most (if not all) of these rhythms at one point or another in Australia, or have been able to get access to those rhythms via CDs, DVDs, etc.
I heard that in Germany and Holland much doundounba rhythms are played, and with the authentic energy. So from my experience I must say: in Poland doundounba mania is not frequent, this is not main scope for the Polish musicians/fascinates I have ever met.
My goal in this topic is the exchange of the teachers and their ideas, so it would be good to know who teaches what and where, and which styles are practised by which environment. Some persons are interested in rhythms from Bamako area (sometimes including Soninke and Khassonke rhythms, or other Malian rhythms, like from Dogon or Touraegs), some from Hamanah/Gberedou or Ouassoulon area, another people are in Soussou/Baga/Nalou/Landouman rhythms, another in Forest/Ivorian/Burkinabe style. Many people mix cultures, learn sth from one culture, sth from another very different to previous one. I can understand this, as their teachers also are doing this. Personally I'm interested mostly in forest rhythms, but I learn different patterns too, as I don't know any other man in Poland with deep interest in this crazy repertoire (maybe Maxime Piazza likes this, as he created coucou-related band).
michi wrote:Looking through your list, I recognised all of the rhythms (albeit with unfamiliar spelling) except for these two. Can you tell us more about those?
Salia song was sung for Kelefa Sanneh (a nineteenth century warrior of the Gambia region) while he was traveling. It is in Kalefa Ba rhythm family. Bubudi told in this board, that it is sofa, but I'm not sure (however culturally it can be related to sofa rhythms played for the warriors). Translation of the song: "Saliya, where is Saliya? Friend of the jalolu, Saliya the merchant has lain down."
You can listen sample of it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Salia/dp/B0060YHX32
Further discography:
http://www.mandebala.net/discography/salya.php
Sabounouma ("Good star") is a rhythm played for person which was very good human for you, which did make something great for you, or which passed away, and you miss his/her brave heart. The rhythms itself is a combination of the ternary and binary patterns. I would say it's polymeter rhythm (meter in the meaning of the time signature). According to the Wikipedia article:
Polymeter is sometimes referred to as "tactus-preserving polymeter." The measure size differs, the beat is the same. Since the beat is the same, the various meters eventually agree. (Four measures of 7/4 = seven measures of 4/4).
Polyrhythm is sometimes referred to as "measure preserving polymeter,". The beat varies and the measure stays constant. For example, in a 4:3 polyrhythm, one part plays 4/4 while the other plays 3/4, but the 3/4 beats are stretched so that three beats of 3/4 are played in the same time as four beats of 4/4.
Most simple arrangement of the Sabounouma rhythm is as follows:
Code: Select all|1yy2yy3yy4yy|
|---------f--| (12/8) played before call, f=slap flam
|1eie2eie3eie4eie|
|ttttt.t.t.t.t...| (16/8) djembé call
|1yy2yy3yy4yy|
|s-sstts-bstt| (12/8) 1st djembé accompaniment
|s-sstts--f--| (12/8) end of 1st djembé accompaniment
|1eie2eie3eie4eie|
|ttttt.t.t.t.t...| (16/8) djembé call
|1yy2yy3yy4yy|
|bs-bttt-tt-s| (12/8) part 1 of 2nd djembé accompaniment
|bs-bttsstts-| (12/8) part 2 of 2nd djembé accompaniment
|bs-bttt--f--| (12/8) end of 2nd djembé accompaniment
|1eie2eie3eie4eie|
|ttttt.t.t.t.t...| (16/8) djembé call
As the size of time measure (a bar) is constant, patterns can be written too:
Code: Select all|x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--| 16/8 time signature
|t--t--t--t--t--.--t--.--t--.--t--.--t--.--.--.--| djembé call
|x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---| 12/8 time signature
|s---.---s---s---t---t---s---.---b---s---t---t---| 1st djembé accompaniment
|s---.---s---s---t---t---s---.---.---f---.---.---| end of 1st djembé accompaniment
|x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--| 16/8 time signature
|t--t--t--t--t--.--t--.--t--.--t--.--t--.--.--.--| djembé call
|x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---| 12/8 time signature
|b---s---.---b---t---t---t---.---t---t---.---s---| 2nd djembé accompaniment (part 1)
|b---s---.---b---t---t---s---s---t---t---s---.---| 2nd djembé accompaniment (part 2)
|b---s---.---b---t---t---t---.---.---f---.---.---| end of 2nd djembé accompaniment
|x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--| 16/8 time signature
|t--t--t--t--t--.--t--.--t--.--t--.--t--.--.--.--| djembé call
So have you ever heard about Tiriya/Tirya/Tiria rhythm? Do not confuse it with Tiriba. It is very different. Do you know it?
