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ADVANCED INSTRUMENTAL STUDIES-1 (Drums) WEEK 5 Lesson Aim: To examine the musical style of Songo, with specific reference to left-hand improvisation. HISTORICAL CONTEXT The Afro-Cuban songo rhythm was developed for the drumset in the 1970s by the renowned Cuban percussionist Jose ‘Changuito’ Quintana, famous for his work with the band Los San San. Throughout the1970’s and beyond, ‘Chanquito’ continued to innovate with songo - incorporating new techniques, rhythms and combinations of percussive instruments, including drumset. Nowadays, many musical styles such as funk, gospel and jazz/fusion, have been influenced by the evolution of songo. Example 1 This shows the basic linear songo pattern, in 2:3 Clave. The bass drum part in this example is more common in more contemporary funk/fusion contexts, complementing the popular bass Tumbao rhythm. Traditionally, the ride line would be played on cowbell or on a combination of bells. At this stage, we will play on the hi-hat or ride cymbal (body or bell). Example 2 This shows the same general pattern with an alternative bass drum part. This bass drum pattern is more traditional, complementing the Bomba drum note. It is also acceptable, in either example, to play an additional bass drum note on the first note of the first bar. However, this should be occasional rather than regular, so as not to state the downbeat of the pattern too often. We can effectively incorporate any of these bass drum parts when playing songo, though for the remainder of our studies we will be using the bass drum pattern shown in Example 1. Similarly, we will only be referring to Clave in 2:3, though all themes and examples can be played in 3:2 Clave by simply starting the pattern on the second bar. Please note that throughout our songo studies, all text will refer to right-hand lead. All left-hand lead students to interpret as left-hand lead. © Perform Music Ltd 2009-17 Material prepared by Paul Elliott This PDF document has a digital signature attached for security purposes. 1 ADVANCED INSTRUMENTAL STUDIES-1 (Drums) WEEK 5 LEFT-HAND MOVEMENT As stated, this basic pattern is of a linear nature, which lends itself easily to improvisation with both hands. With reference to hand movement, we will begin with the left-hand part. We can see that there are three left-hand accents within the pattern, interspersed with ghost notes. An effective way to create alternative grooves is to experiment with permutations of these accents as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Play all accents, as shown above. Play accent 1 only (accent 2&3 ghosted) Play accent 2 only (accent 1&3 ghosted) Play accent 3 only (accent 1&2 ghosted) Play accents 1&2 only (accent 3 ghosted) Play accents 1&3 only (accent 2 ghosted) Play accents 2&3 only (accent 1 ghosted) We can try each of these 6 permutations in the lesson. The patterns have deliberately not been written out, so that we can and feel and memorise the permutations, which will prove to be a beneficial exercise. From a co-ordination and feel point of view, it is very important to concentrate on maintaining a regular flow of notes and good balance of sounds, through correct technical execution of dynamics, as written. LEFT-HAND MOVEMENT TO HI-HAT Another effective way of improvising with the left hand is to move it to the hi-hat. Essentially, we can practise this by using the format shown in above, the difference being that we play all the ghost notes on the hi-hat. The following example shows this idea with the full accent pattern on the snare drum. We should then work in a similar way using the other accent permutations above (figures 2-7). In this example, the ride line is played on the ride cymbal, though it is musically feasible to play the ride line on the hi-hat. Example 3 We can also move accents to the hi-hat with the left hand. The following example shows the basic pattern played over 4 bars, with selected accents/ghost notes moved between the snare and hi-hat. Please note that there are many accent/ghost note permutations of left hand movement between hi-hat and snare and we should not worry about writing everything down and trying them all out because they will just appear to be more difficult than they are. It is best to improvise with the theme and find out which patterns feel and sound good to you. Ultimately, in performance contexts we would be more likely to improvise within this theme rather than play set patterns from exercises. This philosophy stands for all of our songo studies. © Perform Music Ltd 2009-17 Material prepared by Paul Elliott This PDF document has a digital signature attached for security purposes. 2 ADVANCED INSTRUMENTAL STUDIES-1 (Drums) WEEK 5 Example 4 ALTERNATIVE LEFT-HAND MOVEMENT Apart from improvising with left-hand accents on the snare and hi-hat, we can create new patterns through alternative left-hand movement. This basically means that we move the left hand to other voices (sounds) on the drumset, beginning with the toms. One general idea is to moving the left-hand accents between the snare, high and low toms, with all ghost strokes played on the snare. This can be technically challenging so work slowly and get a feel for the movement and sounds involved. There are many permutations using this idea, though the following examples are a good place to begin. For physical and technical ease, these patterns are best played with the ride line on the ride cymbal. Example 5 Example 6 Example 7 Feel free to experiment with other similar left-hand applications. The next stage is to move the left hand with less restriction on dynamics, which means that all notes can be played on any toms (not just ghosted on the snare drum, as before). © Perform Music Ltd 2009-17 Material prepared by Paul Elliott This PDF document has a digital signature attached for security purposes. 3 ADVANCED INSTRUMENTAL STUDIES-1 (Drums) WEEK 5 As such, the following examples show left hand movement around the snare and toms, though no ghost strokes are written. We should get familiar with the movement involved and then improvise with dynamics (including ghost notes). These grooves will tend to sound less funkier than the earlier examples. Example 8 Example 9 Homework: 1) Further research on the historical context of songo rhythms. 2) Listen to some recording of ‘Chanquito’ with Los Van Van. 3) Study lesson notes and practise selected themes. © Perform Music Ltd 2009-17 Material prepared by Paul Elliott This PDF document has a digital signature attached for security purposes. 4