Message 11/24
Date: 14-Mar-00 @ 08:38 PM -
RE: Basslines/drum grooves relationship
well, it's a religious philosophy really, and the music that goes with it carries the same name.... just get down to a record shop specialist, and get an album by 'Ras Micheal & the Sons & Daughters of Negus' - check it out.. for an instant hit try that link above... as i was taught it, it is essentially african hand drum riddims, but also when you played it was like an event ... (& a lifestyle if you can deal with the discipline required) ... you smoke tons of weed, and play drums... for hours and hours, and trust me... nuff wierd things can happen at those times, some of the guys i met during that period had a very marked effect on me... and there is the 'Reasoning' also, which in these totally utter bullshit times, i REALLY miss... where you sit and discuss things like real men.. 'Reason' things outso the music is like music which goes with that philosophy and lifestyle... but really, it isnt the same on disk, although you can hear it... it is the event and the participation which is so important i think.... it seemed to have an actual tangiable intellectual & spiritual purpose.... some of those guys have alot of power man , but by that, i mean a power born thru innocence and resistance to corruption to create a 'shining' individual... the best way i can describe it is you 'open' emotionally and whatever is inside comes out... bad or good, and you cannot hide it ... it'll show like a stain...a word of warning tho.. be VERY careful... dont play with that EVER, cos those that play get hurt.. nuff brothers have gone insane thru messing with it... Also, you MUST treat the Herb with respect... it is not something you just skin up and puff like a cigarette, be very concious of the herb, treat it with respect dont 'indulge' in it... and you cant smoke any of that chemically grown skunk crazy-brain shit neither.. gotta be pure organic bush...the music itself essentially seems to be constructed of 8's played with a mix of 3/3/2 & 4/4.. like most african based music, it has 3 time feel in there ... it drops in on a big ONE-two then comes 'the drop' where there is a gap, and the treble drum/skin-edge/rim plays a likkle riff in that gap... to actually play that style, essentially, you just get stoned, and arrange yourself over the drum in a relaxed way... raise your hands above the head, and just drop both hands onto it... count silent 4's with the right hand (if right handed)... so like the starter basic pattern/s is ...BANG-two (-3 -4 *silent-count) / BANG-two (-3 -4 *silent-count) / BANG-Two - diddle-iddle) / BANG-two (-3 -4 *silent-count) heh heh - the BANG is where you drop both hands on the head.. but it is all relaxed, keep the shoulders & neck etc totally relaxed, and rather than banging the heads, just raise your shoulders & drop them, allowing your hands to fall onto the head center (bass) - it's subtly different to 'hitting' a hand drum - if you get the dropping of the hands right and are relaxed enuff, then the right hand bounces off and drop back down again to create the second beat the TWO grace beat... This creates the initial ONE-two of the beat, which can be further embellished by adding trap & bass drums which play the ONE (and two as offbeat emphasis) similarly to the way a samba Surdo section plays an offbeat bass drum on the two whilst the rest of the group plays 3 time over the top resolving at naturally occuring mathmatical points where divisions of 3 & 4 naturally occur ... then come variations... and i cant really describe those.. just listen to some.. there is skip variations done by holding in 3 time feels etc...for a more commercially available track, try 'This Train' - Bunny Wailer... off the 'Blackheart Man' album (Island) - try that link above for some Nyahbingi from 1961, and see this page for more info on Ras Tafari & Nyabinghi...http://members.aol.com/PraizeJAH/Nya1.htmlalso there is some Ras Micheal & others at this website which also has some great resources for world drumming lessons/tapes, kids drumming books/tapes/cd's etc etc etc...
http://www.rhythmtraders.com/html/worldm.html#anchornyabi... enjoy !...