ROLLS!??

[Onilu.BR]

Hi, people!! I am a begginer student of the malinke rhythms, djembes, dununs.... and i will do a beginner question! What are "Rolls"? As i live in Brazil, roll can have another name here in my contry as on others too....

[davidognomo]

here in portugal, we call it "rolamentos". but the rest of the guys can expain it to you in a more clear way. Basicaly it's when you have a group of notes that are played in a row and very fast.

[Onilu.BR]

Davidognomo, can you post a video of a roll/rolamento here please?

[michi]

Hi, people!! I am a begginer student of the malinke rhythms, djembes, dununs.... and i will do a beginner question! What are "Rolls"? As i live in Brazil, roll can have another name here in my contry as on others too....

A roll is a sequence of three or more notes that are spaced 1/16th bar or less apart.

Here is a video with plenty of rolls



Michi.

[davidognomo]

at 05:09 you have a very long roll, alternating tones and slaps. That's a roll.

As Michi pointed out, it could be just a 3 note roll. It has that "trrrrrrrrrr" feel.

you get it?

[Onilu.BR]

Thank you guys! Is there any specific techinique to do a roll, mainly these long rolls? Any good exercises?

[Waraba]

Start slow

[Onilu.BR]

Start slow

And....?

[Waraba]

Speed up one tick at a time on the metronome. how long have you been playing djembe? Stay relaxed, don't let muscles cramp. also really you gotta learn the accompaniment parts. Do you have a teacher or group you play with?

[Onilu.BR]

I am studying djembe about 1 year. Before play djembe, i had bebb playing congas, atabaques for 3,4 years. Me and some friends get material from internet, and some instrucional dvds and we play and study together. I had some classes, but here in Brazil malinke culture isn't very known yet.. only in the beggining, not many good teachers!

[michi]

It takes time. Expect to play several years to reach a moderate level of competence and knowledge. You just can't hurry this stuff…

As to the rolls, you need to learn to walk before you can run. People usually start off with 3-rolls first. For example, play a simple ternary pattern:

Code: Select all

1..2..3..4..
sttsttsttstt


Make sure you can play that so it is stable and even. Then replace each pair of tones with three tones filling the same amount of time (starting and ending on the same micro-pulse). In the notation, "TT" represent three tones, not two:

Code: Select all

1..2..3..4..
sttsttsttsTT


Note that, because there are now three notes where there used to be two, on each cycle, you get "thrown to the other side" so, in one round, you roll right, and in the next round, you roll left. That's a good exercise, and you can modify it arbitrarily. (Put the roll in every second time, or have three of the rolls in each round.)

The same idea also works for binary patterns. Once you have the 3-rolls down, start working on 5-rolls and 7-rolls. Budget a few years for all of this

Cheers,

Michi.

[Onilu.BR]

Ok. But always alternating hands right? The double stroke technique used on drum set players to make rolls aren't used on djembes!?

[michi]

Ok. But always alternating hands right? The double stroke technique used on drum set players to make rolls aren't used on djembes!?

Correct, rolls are played with alternating hands.

Michi.

[Waraba]

Consider downloading one of the tasumakan videos. gives a taste without major spending.

[michi]

Consider downloading one of the tasumakan videos. gives a taste without major spending.

Good advice, that!

Michi.