patterns and rhythm and more ? to come

[johnc]

Hi

thought i posted something earlier but...

both ebay attempts purchased by same buyer..one from under my nose

still...a lot of research involved leaves more 'in the know' regarding drums and wood and skins and....


So know to be patient and sensible and get a middle range djembe for the aspiring player

[rachelnguyen]

Hey John,

I am really glad I didn't buy a 'good drum' at first, without consulting with someone, because I would have spent too much money and then STILL would have wanted to upgrade at some point. The ones they sold at the music store were ok....but nothing like the ones my teacher brought back from Mali himself. In that case you have a professional player who hand selected every single one of them. And his prices are about the same as the music store, too.

My guess is that Mady has drums to sell, or can put you in touch with someone.

My fear when I was first interested was that I would not love it and end up with a $300 door stop. But the fact is, if you do decide that drumming isn't for you, you can always find a buyer for a great drum.

All of my fellow students who started with off-the-shelf or used drums are dying to upgrade at this point, because they now know what a real one sounds like, LOL.

By the way, in my class you can borrow a drum for class time... so you don't really even need to buy one right away. Maybe that is the case with Mady's class too.

Love,
Rachel

[johnc]

As of next thursday I should be the owner of a Mali djembe carved from Hare wood. This drum was hand picked by one of our own home grown but much travelled in West Afica djembefola's.



john

[rachelnguyen]

Yeah!

Good for you. I am excited that you got yourself a good drum. Can your friend tune it for you? You will find that a nice drum is so much more responsive to your hands that it is easier to learn thing on. (At least that was my experience.)

And yes, we want pictures...

I am pleased for you.

Love,
Rachel

[johnc]

well it took a week longer but today I picked up my Djembe!

Hare wood, new skin, 12 1/2" head from Mali or Mali style...forget

it was previously owned by one of our leading west african exponents so its got spirit

theres heap going on....workshops, retreats and school fundraisers to buy instruments...its been the most invigorating seven weeks since the birth of the first kid...whole new world


and it does feel right to have a west african drum!

cheers

[rachelnguyen]

Yeah for you!

Sounds like a great drum. When the dust settles, upload a picture so we can see your new friend.

And by the way, in Mali, there is really no concept of a new drum versus and old one. They are just drums. I personally was totally delighted that mine had some miles on it. I like to think it has the spirits of the tree, the goat, the drum-maker, my teacher... and now me.

And I swear that sometimes I think my drum teaches me the right way to play it.

All Love+
Rachel

[johnc]

cheers rachel

was at an all day workshop today and had a snack with Mady Keita. He looked at the drum and said its definately a Mali made drum. I didnt even ask!

My hands hurt!!

cant remember any of the rhythms despite perhaps 3 to 4 hours of drumming


but I got the idea of calls, signals, breaks and such so some learning took place.



some learn easily thru ear...i need notation for the mental imprint to help the physical imprint


we were working on the Rumbah after some non traditional warm ups and a spontaneous after lunch jam.


Anybody know the notation of Djembe part 1 (?) of the rumbah. Ive got bbbtt but i forget what goes next. I thought bbtt...but it does not sound right....or maybe ive just missed the rhythm. Ive seen some notation elswhere but it does not begin with bbb and we definately began with that


so much to learn...but what fun!

[rachelnguyen]

Hey John,

Yes, my hands hurt in the beginning, too. I found that after a few weeks, they began to toughen up. Even now, though, I sometimes have to resort to wrapping a finger or two with white sports tape.

As far as forgetting the rhythms.... that is a fact of life when just starting out. And in fact, a year into it, a complex rhythm still does that to me. What I do is carry a small digital recorder and ask the teacher if I can record the rhythm. Then I try and note down the handing. Even then I sometimes have trouble understanding what I am hearing on the recording... but at least I can feel the swing of a piece. It is always humbling learning new rhythms, though. (I sometimes cry about it, LOL.)

Cool that your drum got to meet Mady!

Love+
Rachel

PS: I don't know Rumbah... maybe check out the wap pages. http://www.paulnas.eu/wap/

[bubudi]

good on ya for taking the plunge and learning with mady. he's truly one of the best teachers for the mali style and definitely one of the best djembe players in australia. he's pure roots. i'm surprised he taught you rumba tho. that's not a malian rhythm. anyway, it's a good start. rumba is for the most part similar to the rhythm makru (also spelled 'macrou'). keep in mind with these rhythms that they are made up of several patterns. it is the coming together of all the parts that makes the rhythm happen.

as for remembering rhythms, that's a skill you'll develop over time. it's not really so much to do with whether you're an aural or visual or tactile learner, as much as it is just putting in the hours and developing the skills. one of the benefits of learning drumming, just like any language, is improvement of memory. as you get more experienced, you'll be able to retain much more complex phrases than the basic accompaniments that you learn at workshops or lessons. if you can manage to practice at least twice a week, you will find it much easier to retain the material. another thing that helps is to vocalise the rhythmic parts when you're driving home from your lessons to reinforce it (that mental imprint you were talking about). recording the parts during the lesson is good for reference. notation can help if you're stuck on handing or are having trouble distinguishing the notes, but i would suggest using it more as a cue-sheet for a rhythm you already have some familiarity with, rather than trying to learn a new rhythm with it. often an audio recording is all you need to remember the pattern, handing, timing, etc.

over time you won't even need these aids anymore. so stick in there, try to clock up as much practice as you can and above all, have fun!

[bops]

There's something beautiful about the concept of the oral tradition. Nothing is written down. If you know it, you know it. If you don't, you need to keep learning it and playing it until you know it. Once you know it, you'll never forget it. It's not in your mind, it's in your body. It becomes a part of you.

I like that.

[rachelnguyen]

Hi Bops,

It IS beautiful when you truly embody a rhythm and it becomes a part of you. I have been writing about this very thing on the Big Bang. (Follow the link below if you're interested...)

But for me, learning it without writing it down is much harder if I am not hanging out with my teacher every day. Back when I was only taking a class once a week, I really had to record it and write it down in order to be able to practice. Now that we play together several times a week, it is MUCH easier to learn a new phrase.

Sometimes I worry I will forget a part of a rhythm I have learned. I will start to panic that I have lost it. But then, I sit down and it just comes back. What a wonderful thing!

[johnc]

sorry guys missed the last few posts untill now.

Mady didnt teach us the Rumba, simon fraser did. During the day Mady played duns and later we broke into groups. Mady took the advanced players and yes, they played Mali stuff. During breaks Mady would check out someone's drum and proceed to give an impromtu performance...quite amazing coooooooooooooooooool and yes he does smoke!

However tomorrow im driving up to melboure to spend a wad of the school's money on some djembe's, a sangban and bells etc. Im also booked in for an hours tuiton with mady. I just cant get to see him that often but ive just been sent the mali rhythm book along with A LIFE FOR THE DJEMBE so im hoping to get him to start me on something simple from the mali rhythm book and i can use the cd and notation to keep going until i get back up there. Im also purchasing a copy of simon fraser's cd/booklet for the school.

Ive also just started druming classes with a west african dance teacher who also plays some mean dun and djembe. Its much closer to home... 30 min down the coast rather than 2 hours to Melbourne. This woman runs trips to Ghana and lectures in dance at the local uni. You get to the drum class early and drum for the dance students whose lessons come before so its as close to the real spirit as you are gunna get down this way. The Ghannian drum/dance ensemble "Wala" are down this way this weekend thru her connection so i feel im in good hands.

i think ive just moved from beginner to student...if you know what i mean!


cheers

john

[rachelnguyen]

I know exactly what you mean!

One of the great things about drumming is that you get to see your progress very clearly. Every step of the way you can feel how you are changing as a player. It is kind of remarkable, really.

A propos of Bops' post, on Monday we learned a pretty complex solo part for Mendiani. I neither wrote it down or recorded it... just paid close attention to the elements that made up the part. Then I went home and was able to remember it and practice it. After a year of lessons, that felt like a huge accomplishment.

By the way, playing for dance classes is very awesome! I think you will learn much faster when you actually see the steps that go with the parts. I haven't done that, yet... but definitely would love to.

Love,
Rachel

[e2c]

Playing for dance classes has been a *huge* help to me - in part because you really do learn the accompaniments, and also because the music and dance are so intertwined.

Sounds like you're off to a great start, johnc!

[bubudi]

hey john

interesting that you were able to remember the rumba and not any of the malian rhythms you were taught. undoubtedly this would have been due to having the parts broken down and played for a longer period of time.

you seem to be off to a pretty good start. just keep in mind that the djembe and its rhythms and dances come from the area historically known as mandeng (the mali empire) - an area that included mainly what is known today as mali and guinea (although it extended a little further beyond). ghana has never been part of mandeng or djembe culture and began to manufacture djembes and incorporate them into their own rhythms as a recent economical trend.

also be aware that ghanaians have their own drums and rhythms and that their ability to play guinean stuff well would depend on their exposure to it and their attention to detail in learning it. in my observations ghanaians tend to use hand technique that differs from that taught in mali and guinea and this results in a sound that is not as clean.

for now, keep up the drumming lessons, dance classes and practice as much as you can. i would suggest you pay attention to technique as mady (and simon) showed you. try and make use of mady as often as your circumstances permit and you will surely be on your way. as you progress, you will get increasingly more out of every lesson with him.