Teaching Clave: Part 2

It can arguably be stated that the Son, Bossa Nova, and Rumba clave can trace their roots to the Drum Gahu tradition in Africa.

Although the Gahu rhythm was originally played by the Gankogui (a double bell similar to the Agogo bell), it's function was the same in that it provided the 'heartbeat' of the music.

Top: Agogo bell

Bottom: African Double bell

To further my students' knowledge of clave, I introduced the Gahu 'clave' rhythm. Then they played along with recordings of each tradition. Once they became solid in these 'play alongs', I had them play 1 style as they listened to a different one.

Having 4 students who were particularly good at playing these rhythms I wrote a quartet for claves that included all 4 of the traditions. It started with 1 player playing Gahu followed by the others one at a time. Eventually one player's part would morph into a different tradition. The final 2 players would introduce the remaining rhythms. The piece ended with everyone playing the Rumba Clave
I didn't realize how difficult it was until we started rehearsing it. To play a rhythm similar to another with only an eighth or quarter note difference with four layers required total concentration. Ultimately they performed it perfectly. Whether anyone in the audience could follow the transition of these rhythms, I'm sure that those four students will always remember that performance.

Comments

The Amadinda

The Amadinda is an African xylophone originally made from slabs of wood or even large sticks, with or without gourds for resonators. There was no reason for this project other than to see if I could make a simple mallet instrument. The box was made from plywood (which also acted as the resonators) and the bars were made from maple. Since this was to be a true xylophone, the bars were all of equal width. Tuning was done by cutting the bars to different lengths and removing material from the bottom. Using a router I created a sort of 'stepped pyramid' instead of the traditional arc cut found on marimba or xylophone bars. Cutting the underside is not only for tuning but it focuses the pitch and creates the characteristic overtones of the instrument. Since I wanted to play this with other 'Western' instruments, I chose to use a pentatonic scale of 2 2/5 octaves (C#,D#,F#,G#,A#,C#,D#,F#,G#,A#,C#,D#). Two people sit on either side of the instrument and strike the ends of ...

Tambourine Shell Repair

A broken tambourine shell usually means that a new tambourine purchase is necessary. This can be exciting: I like getting new instruments, or sad: Any instrument that is damaged is a terrible thing. All tambourine shells can break, from my famous $14 variety to top of the line brands like Grover and Black Swamp. It's easy to replace a tambourine head but broken shells/missing pins and jingles usually means an early grave for the instrument. My early attempts at these repairs were stopgap measures until a new one was found. Wood or 'super' glue used on the shell turned out to be poor choices. It wasn't until last year that I really focused on shell repair. It happened during a Canyon Winds rehearsal when one of our tambourines exploded, pins and jingles were flying everywhere. Yep, it was the Resident Gorilla playing it. The shell had cracked between three sets of jingles near the head of the tambourine. We eventually replaced this with a Black Swamp tambourine but I s...

The Practice Pad

The practice pad has long been a staple for the drummer. After a pair of sticks it usually was the next thing purchased. Or in the case for my brother and I, a DIY project by our father. It could be as simple as a square of linoleum nailed on a board to the double sided models that produce various amounts of rebound. There are many reasons for using a practice pad. I'll start with the obvious: Practical: Compared to a real drum, they are cheap. They are fairly quiet, you can play them without annoying a sleeping parent or a neighbor in an adjoining apartment. They are portable, they can be taken on a family vacation where space is at a premium. Musical: Usually they provide more rebound than a drum head, which helps in developing single strokes but especially rolls. Articulation: The sound of each stroke is cleaner giving the player important feedback on the precision of their playing. Developing positional accuracy: Drawing a circle the size of a quarter on the pad provides a ...

A Percussionist's Notebook

Search This Blog