Perception breakthrough on dununba rhythms

[bkidd]

Hey Gang,

At one point, Duga showed me a bell pattern to "geek out on" that has helped me get a handle into the illusive offbeat patterns of dununba rhythms. Thanks Duga!! Recently I've been listening to a lot of Famoudou's material and the dununba patterns are starting to click. It was a bit of a revelation to be able to hold the djembe and kenkeni patterns steady while occasionally feeling how the sangban or dununba phrase fits in.

The one trick that I've been using for locking in the djembe and kenkeni is to play the 3 against 2 polyrhythm pattern with my right and left hands.

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Has anyone else experienced an a'hah moment with dununba rhythms and what was it?

Best,
-Brian

btw, the bell pattern that Duga showed me was what works for playing the kenkeni phrase in dununba rhythms:

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[djembefeeling]

I've had three breakthroughs that I remember well. First of all, I practised Dunungbé and Bada with me on the Kenkeni and two other people on Sangban and Dunun (no djembes included). When they went in and out of the Echauffement, that was a killer for me. It was so hard to keep my pattern in time, cause there is a point where they play along with you and you start to hear your pattern as if it is the passport sidedrum on the beat. Then they leave you and you feel like you are lost in space. To relax was my breakthrough there.

In Conakry, I had much trouble to play the Dununba off-beat pattern largo. This feeling is so important, it makes all the difference. I tried hard, but my pattern was always to tight. But when I concentrated on the dununbafola only, not the beat and the rest of the group, I got the idea he might perceive his pattern as leading to the beat. All of a sudden, I could play it largo, though I started having trouble to hold my pattern in time again.

In Kouroussa, I focused to play the Kenkeni off-beat pattern while perceiving it deliberately as if it is the passport sidedrum. I got better with holding my pattern and playing it largo. But you have to get used to this new perspective, its like you hear a totally different rhythm. And listening to the basatinbadaba or an appel can be a killer again and throw you off time.

Having said all this, I still have trouble to perceive the beat and move my feet alternately while listening to some tracks on the Hamana cd

[michi]

I know what you mean by playing the dundunba kenkeni largo. I know that, if I mentally "hang onto the pulse", I tend to cramp the pair of open strokes, and the pattern doesn't groove properly anymore. Not that it's wrong, but it feels strained and somehow "not right".

The same thing can happen to me on off-beat accompaniments on the dundunba, such as for dundunba rhythms, Mendiani, or Konden 2.

It's all in the mind, of course. After all, I can play the same pattern on the down-beat to perfection, and as largo as you like

I don't know how to explain this properly, so forgive me for the awkward description please…

There are times where I try to play one of these off-beat patterns, I focus hard on "getting it right". That's exactly the time when the pattern goes cramped. And then there are times where I tell myself to relax, and somehow manage to do that. When that happens, all of a sudden, my perception of the rhythm changes completely. It's almost as if I were lying back and listening to someone else play. Suddenly, there really isn't a pulse anymore. Instead, there all these different pulses that sort float side-by-side, and I sort of can feel all of them without really singling out any one of them.

When that happens, the kenkeni suddenly goes nice and relaxed and just floats in among all those pulses in its proper place, like magic. Sadly, I'm unable to find that state of mind regularly yet…

Michi.

[Paul]

For me it was on Mendiani dununba that gave me my first real shot.. Before that I think I was constantly trying to feel the upbeat in relation to the downbeat.. But the teacher was adamant that we didn't tap pulse with our foot, it was funny you could see people nodding or even twitching on the beat until he saw them and made them stop.. So for me it was more to realise the place of the offbeat in the melody (of the dununs) and for this I found it particularly helpful when the mendiani sanban came in early (ie. F tt tt S s s s c) off the break and I just had to connect my first off beat double stroke with the second tone of the sanban and was sure I was in place when the kenkeni clicked in after my phrase.. S.DD.DD..KK..
Though it's hard when the solo is blairing on beat..

Don't know if this either clear or in anyway useful but it paved the way to learn dununbe stuff.. I must say loads of African teachers had tried to show me before with no success, I just don't think they realise it's totally alien to western music (or me at least)...

Enjoy your geeking.

[michi]

But the teacher was adamant that we didn't tap pulse with our foot, it was funny you could see people nodding or even twitching on the beat until he saw them and made them stop..

Mamady suggests the same thing. He says to not tap your foot or otherwise hang onto the beat until you get familiar with the feel. He says that the foot then happens automatically and for free once there is enough familiarity.

I know that, if I have to tap my foot in order to keep some pattern going, that's a sure-fire way of knowing that I can't play it properly…

I found it particularly helpful when the mendiani sanban came in early (ie. F tt tt S s s s c) off the break and I just had to connect my first off beat double stroke with the second tone of the sanban and was sure I was in place when the kenkeni clicked in after my phrase.. S.DD.DD..KK..

Yes. Magic how perception changes when you let go of the pulse, isn't it?

Enjoy your geeking.

Milking it for all it's worth…

Michi.

[Dugafola]

another geek here.

i geeked out so hard on dunun rhythms. what worked for me beside listening obsessively was to consider the dununs as a whole and not just as parts, whether up or downbeat. once i got over that, i was able to make significant gains in my dunun playing.

[michi]

consider the dununs as a whole and not just as parts, whether up or downbeat

Yes, good advice. One of the best ways to remember all the parts for a rhythm is to remember the composite melody of the dunduns. Once I can remember that, I have the essence of the rhythm, and all the parts fall out for free.

And being able to hear and feel the composite melody while playing makes it more likely that I will play my part correctly because I'm in tune with the other players, rather than desperately trying to hang onto a pulse that may only be implied, or hanging onto a 6-pulse when the other players are feeling a 4-pulse.

Michi.

[Mikeleza]

When I am showing a new person how to play a dundunba kenkeni part I usually start by telling them to step and clap the two offbeats in between each step and become really familiar with this, it's the best practice I find to hold offbeats in your body.

After this I think that making the connection between some of the other consistent rhythm parts in Dundunba is helpful. Firstly, to realise that the kenkeni part makes up the tones of djembe parts 1 and 2. That is, if you take the tone out of the first passport djembe pattern and add it to the tones from the 2nd accompaniment, you end up with the same pattern as the kenkeni. If you can picture that the djembes and the kenkeni are in this way playing the same thing, it becomes easier. Then lastly for me its the link between the kensendeni and the kenkeni part that helps. If you can vocalise the totally melody of these two parts, it helps to stay orientated with the djembe parts. The totally melody of this is /ooK.KK/ooK.KK/ooK.KKoo/. The beauty of this is that you are internalising the spacing and the first downbeat against the kenkeni melody... It's feeling the other side of the beat (.) where it gets a bit trickier. Personally I really find this last idea very helpful when trying to hear the beat when listening to a recording of some nice dundunba pattern that you struggle to hear. When I vocalise this pattern above it helps me to hear the whole melody... Singing the kensendeni part with the kenkeni part makes this a lot easier I find!

Michael

[davidognomo]

hi mike, nice too read you around

Now you got me confused what is this distinction you make between kenkeni and kensendeni?
I thought it was the same thing...

[bkidd]

davidognomo wrote:
Now you got me confused what is this distinction you make between kenkeni and kensendeni?
I thought it was the same thing...

Me too. Please explain Michael.

dugafola wrote:
what worked for me beside listening obsessively was to consider the dununs as a whole and not just as parts, whether up or downbeat. once i got over that, i was able to make significant gains in my dunun playing.

obsessive listening is definitely helping. it's interesting notice when i sometimes get the ensemble and overall melody, and then everything grooves. often though, just when i am aware that everything is fitting is when it slips away. an elusive, yet worthwhile pursuit to geek out on.

-brian

[davidognomo]

I must say, dunumba rhythms are what I like the most, but I haven't studied it yet on classes. In what concerns listening to it, sometimes it's really hard for me to listen to it properly. I have this tendency that remained from continuous listening to Hamanah (MK/FK) without knowing yet that the kenkeni was upbeat. So, sometimes I still can't hold on to the pulse, even if I know where it is. I keep falling to that tendency of putting the kenkeni pattern onbeat. Of course, when the djembe passport is high enough, it's easy.

I have this thing with Bando Djei... it's really hard for me to listen to it in the proper way. I had this breakthrough, I think it was with the An Bada Foli, Mansa Camio, where I first listened to it with the pulse on the right place. Man, I was so happy...

Same thing goes for the call. Many times I hear it as if the first pulse was on the first tone of the call. It's when that phrase appears that I check if I'm listening to it right or not.

I've gathered a small group of guys to play on a theatre play I directed where I put djembe and duns (I hope I can soon post a video of that) and I tried out dundumgbé, bando djei, bolokonondo, with a lot of imprecisions, just trying to get the feel right. But it's hard without the proper knowledge.

Hopefuly, i'll resume these sessions and get someone to teach us right.

[Dugafola]

I have this thing with Bando Djei... it's really hard for me to listen to it in the proper way. I had this breakthrough, I think it was with the An Bada Foli, Mansa Camio, where I first listened to it with the pulse on the right place. Man, I was so happy...

when i play jembe on bando or if i try to teach people how to play the accompaniement in the correct spot, i try to get them to listen to the bell of the sangban.

i think it's one of the more difficult dunun rhythms because the duns are entirely offbeat except for the bell of the sangban.

[davidognomo]

ok, josh, thanks for the tip.

It's difficult, but it rocks