Monday, September 3, 2012

Bembe 6 (Santiago)

Bembe 6 (Santiago)
This is a Bembe from Santiago de Cuba.
Bell plays the basic Bembe rhythm (Please check my previous post for notation).
Cata plays the same as bell.

This style has two drum parts.

Llamador (Mula) / Higher drum.
Played by hands.




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2

1

2

Llamador (High)    6/8
B S M M O S B S M M O S
(hands)
R L R L R L R L R L R L



Caja / Lower drum.
Played by hands.




1

2

1

2

Caja  (Low)         6/8
H F O . O . B F C B F C
(hands)
L L R R L L R L L R




C = Campanita/Campana (Played by tips of index, middle and ring fingers. hit closed to the edge of drum head).

Please click HERE for YouTube demonstration.




Sunday, July 29, 2012

Bembe 5 ( Bembe de Sao, Bembe Nilo Niye)

I will show you 5th Bembe this time.

The bell is the same as other Bembe (see my previous post).

Salidor (Highest drum).




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2

1

2

Salidor (High)    6/8
H T O O (T) S H T O O (T) S
(hands)
L L R R L R L L R R L R



Medio (Mid drum).




1

2

1

2

Medio  (Medium) 6/8
S S . S S . S S . S O O
(hands)
L R
L R   L R
L R R



Caja (Low drum).
This rhythm for Caja is ride. Caja player improvise based on this rhythm.




1

2

1

2

Caja  (Low)         6/8
T H T T H T O H T O H T
(hands)
R L L R L L R L L R  L L



Please click HERE for YouTube demonstration.

Last time, I received a question where I got these information from. I am studying Afro-Cuban music almost 20 years. I went to Cuba, took classes from many different instructor (including Giovanni Hidalgo), and have many information. I cannot tell which information came from where anymore. I started this blog to share my information to make easier to access this wonderful music to many people. So if you have any comments, please send to me. Thank you.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Bembe 4 (Bembe Omo Aye, Bembe Santa Teresa)

Cuban Rhythm This Bembe is from Matanzas region.
The bell pattern is the same as other Bembes.

Cachimbo (Highest Drum).
Played by bare hands.




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2

1

2

Cachimbo (High)    6/8 O S . S S T O S . S M M
(hands)
R L
L R L R L
L R L


Mula (Mid Drum).
Played by bare hands.




1

2

1

2

Mula  (Medium) 6/8
B . O O . . B
O O . .
(hands)
R
R L
R
R L


Caja (Lowest Drum).
Played by one bare hand (for this example, left hand) and one stick (right hand).
The example I posted here is ride.
Caja player improvise.
The right hand (with stick) slap is created by pressing drum head with left hand and hit flat by stick (my YouTube example doesn't have enough "slap" sound but please make sure to make nice slap sound.




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2

1

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Caja  (Low)         6/8
O . B B T S . . B B S .
(with one stick)
R
L L L   
L L R
Right hand with stick













Please click HERE for YouTube demonstration.


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Bembe 3 (Bembe Bakoso)

Cuban Rhythm This Bembe is played by three drums.
Bell part is the same as other Bembes, please check previous post for the bell pattern.

Cachimbo (Salidor)
Highest drum.
Played by bare hands.




1

2

1

2

Salidor (High)    6/8
O S S . S S O S S . S S
(hands)
R L R R L R L R R L


Mula (Medio)
Middle drum.
Played by bare hands.




1

2

1

2

Medio  (Medium) 6/8
S S O S S . S S O S S .
(hands)
R L R L R R L R L R


Caja
Lowers drum.
Played by a bare hand (Left) and a stick (Right).
Caja player improvise, so one I showed here is a ride.
Stick play open (middle of drum head) and rim (rim or side of drum).




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2

1

2

Caja  (Low)         6/8
O . Rim . Rim Rim . Rim . Rim . O,O
(with one stick)
R
R R   
R,L
Right hand with stick















Please click Here for YouTube demonstration.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Bembe 2 (Havana Style)

Cuban Rhythm This is "one" of Bembe from Havana.
All Bembes use same Bell (and Cata) rhythm, so I don't show that here.
Please check my past post for Bell and Cata pattern.

Salidor
Salidor is highest drum for this ensemble.
Some barrios (neighborhood) call highest drum "Cachimbo".
Salidor just keep tempo.
Played by bare hands.




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2

1

2

Salidor (High)    6/8
O . . O . . O . . O . .
(hands)
R

R

R

R




Medio (Mula) is middle drum played by bare hands.




1

2

1

2

Medio  (Medium) 6/8
O S S O S S O S S O S S
(hands)
R L R L R L R L R L R L



Caja is played by one bare hand and one stick.
Caja player improvise.
I showed here the ride for this rhythm.




1

2

1

2

Caja  (Low)         6/8
O . . B ST . B . . B ST .
(with one stick)
R

L R
L

L R
Right hand with stick














Please click Here for YouTube demonstration.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Bembe 1

Cuban Rhythm From this time, I will post several different Bembe styles.
Bembe rhythm is usually used for songs for Orishas.
If you are interested to learn songs for Orishas, Italian Santeiro Luca Brandoli is writing marvelous books.
Bembe has several variations depend on regions.
One I post today is one of the most popular Bembe rhythm.
Instrumentation I show here is:
Bell, highest drum (Cachimbo), mid-high drum (high Mula), mid-low drum (low Mula) and lowest drum (Caja).
If you have 3 drums only, play Cachimbo, high Mula and Caja.
Cata can be added to ensemble by playing the same rhythm as Abakua.

Bell
Bell rhythm is most popular 6/8 bell rhythm.




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2

1

2

Bell                 6/8
X . X . X X . X . X . X



Cachimbo is highest drum for this ensemble.




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2

1

2

Cachimbo        6/8
O S . O S . O S . O S .


R L
R L
R L
R L .



Mula (high).




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2

1

2

Mula (High)      6/8
H T S T O O H T S T O O
(High drum)
L L R L R R L L R L R R



Mula (low).




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2

1

2

Mula (Low)       6/8
B B O T S T B B O T S T
(Mid drum)
R L R L R L R L R L R L




Caja
Caja player improvise.
The pattern I showed here is a ride.




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2

1

2

Caja                6/8
O T B B S T H T B B S T


R L R L R L L L R L R L



Please click Here for YouTube demonstration for this rhythm.



Friday, May 18, 2012

Gaga 3 (Guantanamo)

Cuban Rhythm I show you 3rd Gaga mainly from Guantanamo.
Triang (Guataca/Bell) pattern is the same as the other two Gaga, so I don't show that here (please check Gaga 1).

Salidor pattern is the same as Gaga 1.
xX is Flam stroke.




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1


2


Salidor (High drum)   2/2
xX . X X . X X . xX . X X . X X .
with 2 sticks
r, L
R L
R L
r, L
R L
R L


Bocu pattern.




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2


1


2


Bocu (Mid drum)      2/2
O . M . B . B . O . . B B . . .
hands
R
L
R
L
R

L R





Bas
This is 4 bars (for 2/4 notation) pattern.
I divided this to two lines because it doesn't fit in one line.
Sorry that it looked a little be strange.






































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1


2


Bas (Low drum)       2/2
B . . . O . . . B . . . O . B .
hands
L


R


L


R
L



































































  
1


2


1


2


B . S . B . S . B S . S B . S .
L
R
L
R
L R
R L
R







































































Please click Here for YouTube demonstration.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Gaga 2 (Santiago)

Cuban Rhythm Gaga (Santiago)
 I show another kind of Gaga.
This is old style, but still played in Santiago area.
Instrumentation is Guataca (Bell), Cata, Bocu and Bas.

Guataca rhythm is the same as Gaga 1, so please check previous post.

Cata pattern is:




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2


Cata   2/2
X . X X X . X . X . X X X . X .


R
L R L
R
R
L R L
R

Bocu pattern is:





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1


2


Bocu (Mid drum)      2/2
s,S . . . s,S . . . s,S . . . O . O .
hands
r, L


r,L


r,L


R
R


















s,S played as Open Slap and "Flam".

Bas pattern is:




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2


1


2


Bas (Low drum)       2/2
B . . . O . . . B . . . O . . .
hands(improvise)
L


R


L


R



Bas player improvise.
What I showed here is ride.

Please click Here for Video Demonstration for this rhythm on YouTube.






























































Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Gaga (1)

Cuban Rhythm Gaga 1

Hello everybody.
I am sorry that I couldn't update my blog for a while because my computer couldn't connect with network.
This time, I will show you Guantanamo style Gaga.

Guataca (Bell)

They use Guataca (Hoe Blade), but you can substitute with Cow bell.



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2


Guataca (Bell)         2/2 
X . . X . . X . X . . X . . X .


































Salidor (High drum)
If Cata is available, Cata plays the same rhythm as Salidor.
On beat "1", "Flan" sounds need to be made.

 


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1


2


Salidor (High drum)   2/2
xX . X X . X X . xX . X X . X X .
with 2 sticks
r, L
R L
R L
r, L
R L
R L























































































Bocu or Medio (Mid drum)

 


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1


2


Bocu (Mid drum)      2/2
S . . S O . O . S . . S O . O .
hands
L

L R
R
L

L R
R





















































Bas (Low drum)
This drum usually improvise.
I am showing basic ride for Bas here.

 


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2


1


2


Bas (Low drum)       2/2
O . B S . . S . B . S . . . O O
hands
R
L R

R
L
R


R L
























































Addition to these imstruments, sometime they add "Basin" that makes bass sound and mark "1".

Please click Here to see YouTube demonstration.
Thank you.
I will try to update more often.
Chao.