Kuku - New parts ?

[bubudi]

bloody noice, you aussie

[e2c]

e2c, you know that bass djembe parts are a modern addition, right? with the original kuku, the parts were originally played on lower tuned djembes, and without the addition of the dununba.

Yep, I'm well aware of that. I enjoy playing bass dejmbe and used to be able to do so regularly, for dance classes - kuku being a staple of warm-ups, I don't think I'd have been able to avoid learning that part if I'd tried.

At any rate, the part is what it is, whether played on bass djembe or a low-tuned djembe with those awfully newfangled steel rings and nautical/climbing rope, no?

Just in case my replay above went amiss (or perhaps wasn't phrased all that well?), I honestly wonder if a bass djembe (with sewn-on head) might not be a bit closer to the "original" low tuned drums than is the case re. most djembes today?

[michi]

I honestly wonder if a bass djembe (with sewn-on head) might not be a bit closer to the "original" low tuned drums than is the case re. most djembes today?

Almost certainly. Mamady was telling a story about how him and Famoudou came across steel rings on djembes in the Ivory Coast (in the early seventies, I think), and found out about modern rope that they got from some army people. He told how excited everyone was about the convenience and the much higher pitch they could get.

The djembes prior to that time, laced up with cow hide strips, would never have reached even what we'd consider medium pitch today.

BTW, in Youssouf Koumbassa's DVD "Landouma Fare", you can see some unusual djembes with giant (and permanently attached) seke seke. Here is a screen grab:

Djembes with big seke seke

grab.jpg (144.78 KiB) Viewed 272 times

Anyone know more about these drums? I haven't seen them anywhere except in this video.

Cheers,

Michi.

[bubudi]

re: bass djembes - bops and duga posted some pics of bass djembes they have with the traditional stitching on the skin as opposed to metal rings. those have a very warm sound. in the context of playing kuku, i suppose you can say that a bass djembe is closer to the real thing. that would apply to quite a few rhythms actually, as metal rings have only been in use on djembes for about 40 years.

however, bass djembes nowadays usually play a 3rd, 4th or 5th accompaniment, when there are already enough players to cover the basic parts. so the parts played on a bass djembe nowadays are not exactly the traditional (read: 'original') parts. but they make a very nice addition. a good bass djembe should have really deep tones and the bass djembe accompaniments usually make plenty use of that.

[Dugafola]

a good bass djembe should have really deep tones and the bass djembe accompaniments usually make plenty use of that.

it should also be tuned lower then your kenkeni.

[e2c]

bubudi - yes, i understand what you're saying about bass djembe being used as 4th, etc., but that's not always the case. I've played it plenty of times where it was just me and the lead drummer for a class... so it filled the role of a lower-tuned djembe (which it is) at that point.

I like the flexibility of it, the fact that it can either function as straight accompaniment djembe or filling out the ensemble sound... because nobody else (except the dununfolas) are playing in that sonic range... and the cowskin sound can really add something to the overall feel, no matter how many (or how few) djembes there are.

So as far as I'm concerned, some of the discussion on whether it's "traditional" or not is ... well. Hairsplitting, maybe? It does what it does sonically; that makes it useful in a variety of contexts, not just for playing Conakry-style ballet arrangements (imo, anyway!).

bops and duga posted some pics of bass djembes they have with the traditional stitching on the skin as opposed to metal rings. those have a very warm sound.

Again, yes - i haven't posted any pics of mine, but it's headed in that way. I've had the opportunity to play 2 other bass djembes that were headed in the same fashion. That sold me on wanting one of my own - I love the sound.

b, no offense, but I kinda think you're preaching to the choir!

[michel weelen]

on my first trip to Guinea, i had to deliver a letter from a french Dancer Alphonse Soumah to his family in the Landouma district .... After an horrible truck trip 36 hours at that time, and a night full off mosquitos in the town, i forgot the name, where you cross the river, we arrived in Boké ....
The following day we went to this litlle bush village to meet the family .... Fortunatly there was at the same time a mariage and off course a bounch off drummers, i've got a pict some where, those guys played on the same drums with those big seké seké on .... the djembes were in "white light wood" and the set up was like 4 or 5 djembes & 2 tamanis, no duns ....
This guys were playins really nice music .... wery fast chort intricated phrases ....
We also "discoverd" on the trip the drums called Boté .... played with a stick and a bell in the other hand .... You saw them iff you saw "Percussion de Guinée" ....

[michi]

BTW, in Youssouf Koumbassa's DVD "Landouma Fare", you can see some unusual djembes with giant (and permanently attached) seke seke. Here is a screen grab:

grab.jpg

Anyone know more about these drums? I haven't seen them anywhere except in this video.

I asked Epizo about this last earlier this month, and he said the drum is called a "gumbo". He also said that the resonators are not permanently attached, even though it looks like that.

Cheers,

Michi.