Most difficult dunun / dundun rhythms

[James]

I'm not the best dundun player, and would love improve, what are the most challenging dundun rhythms you've learn't?

Are there some rhythms that are essential to learn in your experience?

I recently go the hang of the kenkeni for soli, which took me ages. In hind sight it feels like some kind of landmark and I'm sure there's other gems out there.

What do I need to know

[michi]

Try playing Mamady's sangban parts for Djabara, Wassolonka, and Soboninkun. These are pretty much the hardest ones to play of all the ones in the book, in increasing order of difficulty.

Cheers,

Michi.

[bkidd]

Hi James,

The rhythms that Michi suggested are great because they require hand independence between the striker and stick.

The kenkeni for soli is a good one for playing off-beats. The kenkeni for dununba rhythms is also a great pattern to get solid for playing off-beats. In addition, you might try the dununba for Mendiani (MKs version) and of course the dununba or sangban patterns for just about any of the dununba family of rhythms will put your dunun playing skills to the test.

Best,
-Brian

[Dugafola]

i think bundiani in general is one of the hardest rhythms to really rage in an ensemble format.

there are other versions of soli and konkoba that are pretty challenging as well.

[kosta]

and of course the dununba or sangban patterns for just about any of the dununba family of rhythms will put your dunun playing skills to the test.

I agree with Brian. Most of the dunduba rhtyhtms have really tested my ability to play the duns.

One rhythm that I still cant play properly is N'Gri/Wassolonka especially when I am trying to give that 4/4 feeling...

but I guess if everything was easy it wouldnt be any fun...
Cheers
Kosta

[Afoba]

I'm not the best dundun player, and would love improve, what are the most challenging dundun rhythms you've learn't?

I'm sorry James, I don't really get your idea.
The way this sentence touches me is like: I got problems with something, so please show me something more difficult. (Maybe I'm wrong?)

If you say, you're "not the best dundun player", then my advice would be to keep off the rhythms mentioned by Duga here, and off most dundunba rhythms as well, and try to add more variations to rhythms you already play quite well!

Maybe you don't know yet, how far it goes, how deep the music can be. So let me tell you that in general you should play easier stuff to be able to play harder stuff later and not the other way around. Otherwise (sorry, that's what I think) you will end up playing/knowing everything a bit and nothing really well!

Good luck!
Daniel

[James]

Maybe you're too far ahead to remember where I am then

My motivation is that I like to hear something like:

Learn to play the Abondon Sangban in time with the kenkeni, and that will teach you a lot.

(the above is off the top of my head, so don't pursue it on my part)

I am not trying to aquire difficult things to put in my pocket and flash around.

The fact is we are discussing language and certain parts teach certain 'concepts' though not everyone may look at it that logically...

[Dugafola]

Maybe you're too far ahead to remember where I am then

My motivation is that I like to hear something like:

Learn to play the Abondon Sangban in time with the kenkeni, and that will teach you a lot.

(the above is off the top of my head, so don't pursue it on my part)

I am not trying to aquire difficult things to put in my pocket and flash around.

The fact is we are discussing language and certain parts teach certain 'concepts' though not everyone may look at it that logically...

if that's the case, Afoba would say, "learn to play soli kenkeni and that will teach you a lot."

[michi]

Another truly tough one is the dundunba part in Bangouraké's version of Soli, on the "Djembe Kan" CD (track 12). Not easy…

Michi.

[Afoba]

The fact is we are discussing language and certain parts teach certain 'concepts'

absolutely correct! but you were asking for

the most challenging dundun rhythms you've learn't

....
that was what I did not understand. And I still think that I was right to say that most ideas/answers that people have given in this thread are therefor no good idea to continue. Because it's just a too big step!

To bring it back to the material thing:
Get 3 or 4 motivated guys or girls and have a closer look at Kud(r)abadon. That's a nice little dundunba with a bit more references to the down beat than usual, but still the typical dundunba "places" (notes) and bell lines (both!) played. Get familiar with this one, learn to feel free with the Kensedeni on it, to play eachu8ffements and variations and feel free while soloing. If you do this well as a group, you could go one - with Denmusoni or Bolokönöndö, or anything else apart from Kon/dundungbè (too hard), maybe Könöwulen (Sangban structure too different) and especially what Famoudou calls "Donaba" (Sankaranba - completely different dundun rules).

Greets, Daniel

[e2c]

Off-topic (sort of), but the sangban part for Konowulen is one of my faves.