Dream interpretation...

[Carl]

Ok, here's one for ya.....

In a dream the other night, I was in a class with Mahiri, he gave me the following sangba part...

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1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . . 5 . . 6 . . 7 . .
x . x x . x x . x x . x x . x x . x x . x
o . o . . . o . o . . . o . . i . i . . .

Does anyone recognize this? I think it is a derivation of a dununba rhythm....

Speaking of which, this is the dununba part that occurred to me after I was awake...

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1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . . 5 . . 6 . . 7 . .
. x x . x x . x x . x x . x x . x x . x x
. o o . o o . o o . o o .(o o). . . . o o

(Not sure about the double in parentheses)


Might be a sign that I need to take a break from studying!

C

[guedom]

yea, don't think so Carl, u must play more

about pattern can not recognize but i save it

[bops]

Sometimes the stuff you come up with in your dreams seems really brilliant... until you wake up and think it over Actually I don't recognize that sangban pattern, but it reminds me a little of a songhai rhythm played on a calabash.

It also reminds me of how we used to count when we played "ghost in the graveyard" as kids...
one o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock rock... four o'clock, five o'clock, six o'clock rock...

[e2c]

I have a fair number of dreams with people playing really crazy percussion instruments - sometimes they're things that exist IRL, though usually not. and I don't think any of them would work - or be playable - outside my dreams. But they sure seem plausible while the dreams are happening.

[bubudi]

hi carl, first of all, have you checked our thread about djembe addiction? see how many criteria apply to you, then report back

it's a 7 beat rhythm? i don't recognise it as any rhythm i know. the dununba pattern (without bit in parentheses) does remind me of the percussions de guinee style kontemuru that they do on all 3 vertical dununs, but the sangban is more like soli (mali/wasolon versions).

[Carl]

but it reminds me a little of a songhai rhythm played on a calabash.

Do you remember which tune? I'd love a reference

it's a 7 beat rhythm?

Yes 7, when I was half awake and trying to write it down I wrote it in 8, played it for myself and said "that's not right" then took off the last beat and I was OK...

but the sangban is more like soli (mali/wasolon versions).

Yes, it's like Soli with a halt in it... But when I woke up, I really felt like it was a dununba (like Tama or something...?)

Anyway, as soon as I figure out what to do with the djembe's and kenkeni I'll try and post something...

I'm thinking the kenkeni should be a "western" 7/8 pattern (3 cycles per sangba part) or just let it be the traditional kenkeni from "dununba" and let it cycle against 2 sangba parts...

I'll let you know if I "get" any more parts tonight...

C

[michi]

I'll let you know if I "get" any more parts tonight...

Thanks, I look forward to it!

I'll dig out my copy of Sigmund too, just in case...

Cheers,

Michi.

[Carl]

I'll dig out my copy of Sigmund too, just in case...

Jung is more my style...

Nothing new, but it is tick season here in Maine, so I was picking ticks last night... Not nearly as fun as learning sangba parts....

-C

[michi]

Nothing new, but it is tick season here in Maine, so I was picking ticks last night... Not nearly as fun as learning sangba parts....

Just pick them out rhythmically, and it'll be alright...

Michi.

[Carl]

Ok, it's mechanical but this is whats stuck in my head now...

Software: Reason
Samples: my own
Composition: who knows?

I went with the "dununba" kenkeni part, a standard-ish djembe part, and a Konkoba-ish djembe part. I'm not sure if I'll stay with the kenkeni part, but it's good for now.

I have some ideas of how a solo would work over this, but I need some time to work out the details.

Feedback?

C

[michi]

Bloody awesome!

Carl, you are composing! My heart-felt congratulations!

I have no idea how to make a solo work with this right now. The 21/8 cycle really throws me. But I do like the groove--it's just that I'm not familiar with it.

Whatever you do, don't stop!

Michi.

[Carl]

Thanks Michi.

My western education is in music composition (which I rarely do now-a-day's) My current project, which gets about 2 hours a month, is testing out the compositional techniques of Elliot Carter (my favorite composer) I have some orchestral sketches, and more recently a percussion quartet (much more manageable) Nothing has come of it yet, because each time I get back to it, it takes me at least an hour to figure out where I left off, then try to add something to it...

As for the solo, you know the "closing" technique for traditional dununbas? I'm imagining one which closes on beat 6 of "dream" to match up with the single dununba hit...

something like

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1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . . 5 . . 6 . . 7 . .
sss s s . t s s s . s . ttt t t % . . . .
rlr l r . r l r l . l . lrl r l rl. . . .

Where the % = slap flam

It works mathematically, but I need to see if it "swings" and to do that I need "real" sangba and dununba players.

I'm thinking of a long chauf, with that lick at the end like a 'dununba' solo.

I might also change the kenkeni part, which will change the nature of the solo and put me back at "square one" compositionally.

Maybe I'll bring this to the band and see what we can make of it...

C

[Carl]

It's amazing what a nap can do...

So I was trying to figure out what the inspiration for this sangba part was. I knew it was a dununba as that was the feeling that I woke up with after the dream.

Yet the sangba part seemed to me more from the soli family...

Anyway, here is how it works... The sangba for Konowulen 2 is this...

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1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . . 1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . .
x x . x . x . x x . x . x . x x . x . x x . x .
. . . . . o . . . . . . o . . i . i . . . . o .

Here's a variation that I often play...

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1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . . 1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . .
x x . x . x . x x . x . x . x x . x . x x . x .
o . . . . o . o . . . . o . . i . i . . . . o .

Shift the last open hit to the downbeat and you get this:

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1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . . 1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . .
x . x x . x . x . x x . x . x . x x . x . x x .
o . o . . . . o . o . . . . o . . i . i . . . .

Shorten it by taking out the space under the 1st "3", the space after the second "1" (removing the 8th notes for those "classically" minded...)

Code: Select all

1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . . 1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . .
x . x x . x x . x x . x x . x x . x . x x .
o . o . . . o . o . . . o . . i . i . . . .

Clean up the bell, and drop off that extra space and you have:

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1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . . 1 . . 2 . . 3 . .
x . x x . x x . x x . x x . x x . x x . x
o . o . . . o . o . . . o . . i . i . . .

I started singing the parts in my head and I found 4 cycles of Konowulen 2 followed by 4 cycles of dreaming worked best (have to add the extra beat going back into Konowulen to have the pickup in the right place) If I do the math right that's a 61 beat long count.

Hate to be the dancer trying to figure that one out!

Back to my cave.
C