"Passport" accompaniment

[michi]

I've come across the term "passport" for the run-of-the-mill 4/4 accompaniment a few times. Does anyone know why it is called "passport"? Seems like a strange name for a djembe part...

Thanks,

Michi.

[Carl]

I learned the term "passport" from Mamady. That particular accompaniment part is in approximately 70% of the 4/4 songs that I knew 2 or 3 years ago. (I've learned a lot since then, but that number seems accurate) Yes I actually did the math... I'm that kind of geek.

If you know that one part, you could accompany some 10-20 songs (assuming you knew where to come in relative to the sangba... ) Possibly even more!

So that part is a "passport" to the world of djembe music. It can get you into the country, then you can start exploring!

As far as I know, Mamady came up with the term. Anyone hear anything different?

C

[bubudi]

a passport lets you travel across borders and the passport accompaniments are played across many rhythms, so that's how it came about. i'm not sure who invented the term but it's used in french as well. could well have been mamady.

[michi]

Thanks for the explanations! The carte blanche of djembe rhythms, in other words--makes sense

Cheers,

Michi.

[Djembe-nerd]

Is the Ta-Tu-Ta accompaniment called the passport accompaniment?

[e2c]

Yes.

I understand the reason that Mamady refers to it that way, but I'd rather use syllables to describe it, as you have, Adam - it clarifies things.

[Djembe-nerd]

I guessed right, then the one that mostly goes with this Ta-Tu-Ta as the second accompaniment is Ta-Tu-Tu-Ta. Is that also considered a passport accompaniment?

If you change the hand orientation for Ta-Tu-Ta from r-r-l to r-l-r it becomes another accompaniment with a different micro timing, will this be also called passport?

[michi]

I guessed right, then the one that mostly goes with this Ta-Tu-Ta as the second accompaniment is Ta-Tu-Tu-Ta. Is that also considered a passport accompaniment?

You have to draw the line somewhere...

As far as I know, there are only two "passport" accompaniments, the 4/4 version discussed originally, and 6/8 version you mentioned. I haven't heard other accompaniments, such as Ta-Tu-Tu-Ta, being referred to as "passport".

If you change the hand orientation for Ta-Tu-Ta from r-r-l to r-l-r it becomes another accompaniment with a different micro timing, will this be also called passport?

Yes, it's passport independent of the handing. And, whether the micro-timing changes depends very much on the player. There are people who can play it with either handing without any change in micro-timing.

Cheers,

Michi.

[e2c]

There are so many variations on the basic pattern that Mamady calls "passport" - which is where (imo) the confusion comes in re. the name.

[bubudi]

kata tiki ta... that passport accompaniment has a swung version like in dansa, tansole, bara and sanja. then there is the somewhat straighter way when the rhythm gets faster. and there is the somewhat straighter way again which is how i hear most guineans play that accompaniment for the majority of binary rhythms. add to that variations in handing or the addition of bass notes and you have quite a few ways to play 'passport'.

[Djembe-nerd]

kata tiki ta

This is the combination of the 2 i mentioned earlier (ta-tu-ta and ta-tu-tu-ta) when played by a single person.

I am assuming that all of these are passport, either played separately or together, as they show up in lot of rhythyms.

[Carl]

Is the Ta-Tu-Ta accompaniment called the passport accompaniment?

Mahiri called that part "vacation"


C

[bops]

kata tiki ta

This is the combination of the 2 i mentioned earlier (ta-tu-ta and ta-tu-tu-ta) when played by a single person.

No, I believe bubudi was referring to the common binary accomp, for Kassa, Madan, Dibon, etc.

[bubudi]

kata tiki ta

This is the combination of the 2 i mentioned earlier (ta-tu-ta and ta-tu-tu-ta) when played by a single person.

No, I believe bubudi was referring to the common binary accomp, for Kassa, Madan, Dibon, etc.

right, bops. indeed i was. that acc is also used in dansa, sanja, tansole, sogoninkun and a whole lot of others.

I am assuming that all of these are passport, either played separately or together, as they show up in lot of rhythyms.

as michi already told you:

As far as I know, there are only two "passport" accompaniments, the 4/4 version discussed originally, and 6/8 version you mentioned. I haven't heard other accompaniments, such as Ta-Tu-Tu-Ta, being referred to as "passport".

perhaps 'takututa' is also called a passport acc, but it is not as common as 'ta kuta'. a hybrid of the two would also not qualify, as it's not common for one person to play that.

[e2c]

this has all become quite (unintentionally) confusing...