singing the rhythm

[johnc]

It took me ages at a lesson to apply this, (as best i good) but when i did the timing and flow improved dramatically. Mady just looked at me and said "ah..you got it now". I think he was wondering what took so long.

However his singing the rhythm is something that i could copy then and there and I asked if i could write it down as best i could but other than that....very hard to apply by myself. He does not seem to use same sound for same hand positions so it is very much song like.

ive started trying to use Baba Olatunji's Gun go pa system on rhythms that ive already learnt and thats a bit like relearning them and it will take some time for naturalness to arise.


any thoughts, ideas, tips appreciated


john

[Dugafola]

i'd suggest singing it the way that makes you remember and play it best. if the dungopa method works for you, then go with it.

[e2c]

Singing the rhythm is a great way to learn - partly because you're hearing it and repeating it as a melody line. I've been doing this (with studies of other kinds of percussion) for quite a few years now, and it definitely is the easiest way for me to learn/remember...

And I agree with Dugafola - don't worry about the syllables you use (etc.), just do it the way that works best for you.

[bubudi]

for most mande people there is no set system of syllables to represent djembe sounds. one set of syllables might suit a particular rhythm particularly well, another set will sound better with another rhythm, and one's preference can change on any particular day. i agree that when starting out it is useful to have some consistency. later on, it doesn't really matter. these vocalisations are just cues designed to impart the feel of the rhythm and not necessarily the precise sounds or handing used. when i started out i used du, da, gon for tone, slap and bass, respectively, which i think is about as accurate to the sounds as you can get using syllables. you can borrow this if you like. i have never found it necessary to specify handing when vocalising a rhythm but these sounds can easily be modified to distinguish between left and right hands if you feel that necessary.

[James]

Trust you to find the most accurate way to sing something

I never thought of vocalising differnt hand differently.... that may be useful for something, not sure what... but something

[e2c]

I'm kind of geeky about this myself (the most accurate way to sing a rhythm), but err on the side of representing pitches/strokes rather than handing.

[bubudi]

when starting out you kind of of gravitate to something that gives you the most clarity & consistency (therefore accuracy) but later on when you are simply using it to impart feel you might change your syllables to whatever suits at the time.

[komadich]

I use "du, ka, ko" (bas, tone, slap). I agree that someone should choose a different singing every time depending on the needs.
But I also think the choice is very important. For example people who sing "pa" for slap and "ti" (or "tee" in English:-) ) for tone tend to play tones very quietly and do never stress them. In fact if you think about "pa ti pa ti ..." you can't really picture "ti" beeing a stressed djembe tone.
I chose "ka" and "ko" because "ka" gives a feeling of a non-squeeling slap, or as the French would call it "claque" (I actually think the slap really sounds like this French word "claque"). Then "ko" is a tone that has a similar strength but different pitch. I find it very important when singing to newbies.

[bubudi]

interesting point about the french 'claque'. here are some other french words for sounds which are good to know if you're going to west africa or need to communicate with a teacher who doesn't speak much english:

bruit/pouf - whack/thud
boum - thump
crepitement/craquement - crack
crachement - crackle
touche/doigte - touch, light tap
appuy - press
frappe - hit
claquette - tap
ton - tone
claque - slap (literally: slam)
basse - base
doigte - light hit
tremblement - shaking (of ksekse, djabara, etc)
frottement - rub
sonnerie - ring (of a bell)
tintement - tingle
jouer - to play
chanter - to sing

[e2c]

Very interesting list there - though it might be wise to check the other meanings of some of these words. (Double entendres, common meanings, etc.)

Some of them are a bit tricky that way, though I should add that it's been a long time since I last studied French, also that slang changes all the time.

[bops]

I think the syllables or sounds used to sing drum patterns are determined first and foremost by the native language of the drummer. I've studied with with Susu, Bamana, Wolof and Mandinka drummers, and they all have a similar but unique way of singing jembe phrases.

A couple of examples:

Basa ti mbara ba - a Malinke phrase meaning "the head of the gecko". This is the enunciation of the call for Dununbe, according to Famoudou Konate.

Ke sere - the phrase of the kenkeni part in Dununbe, and the origin of its name, ke serene. (Also from Famoudou.)

Bakh - Wolof for good or nice. This is often used to enunciate a slap.

Tanku nye - Wolof for "the foot of the elephant". Sometimes used to enunciate accompaniment 1 for Dununbe, Soli, etc.

[rachelnguyen]

Oh, my friend.... THANK YOU! This is going to be a huge help in Mali next month. Vraiment, LOL.

interesting point about the french 'claque'. here are some other french words for sounds which are good to know if you're going to west africa or need to communicate with a teacher who doesn't speak much english:

bruit/pouf - whack/thud
boum - thump
crepitement/craquement - crack
crachement - crackle
touche/doigte - touch, light tap
appuy - press
frappe - hit
claquette - tap
ton - tone
claque - slap (literally: slam)
basse - base
doigte - light hit
tremblement - shaking (of ksekse, djabara, etc)
frottement - rub
sonnerie - ring (of a bell)
tintement - tingle
jouer - to play
chanter - to sing

[rachelnguyen]

I never learned the go do pa ta thing as my teacher is from Mali and doesn't use it. As others have mentioned, he doesn't seem to differentiate between hands when he sings. In the beginning, it might have been helpful to have a system that specified handing, but at this point, it is much more important for me to learn to remember the swing of a piece. The handing is easy for me to remember now. The rhythm is much more difficult. So, when I sing a rhythm, it is so I remember the musicality of it.

Sometimes, too, there is a particularly difficult series of sounds and I try to sing it when I am having trouble getting my hands to do it. That helps too.

[e2c]

Those syllables (that you mentioned) came from Olatunji, and I personally don't find them helpful - or even relevant - for my own learning and playing.

I tend to make up my own syllables as I go along. for me, the pitch differentiation is what's important (between tone, slap and bass). Like you, I tend to go for the musicality; the rest seems to fall into place much more easily if I already feel familiar with patterns and phrases as melody.

Hope you have a wonderful trip to Mali, Rachel!

[bubudi]

hey rachel, glad you found it of use. have a great time in mali. are you bringing a recorder and camera with you? try to record some of your thoughts and bits of wisdom you gained, then when you get back you will have a sort of diary which you can share bits from here or on your blog!

anybody else heading to mali soon?