Colombian Instruments! - Caja, Guache, Maracón!

[tamboricua]

Hi CongaForum, hope all is well. Attached is a cool link to a short video demonstration on the Colombian Caja, Guache, and the Maracón. Demonstrations are made by percussionists Neil Benítez and Ramón Yslas.

Hope you guys like it!

http://www.yslas.com/Colombian_Instruments.mov

Saludos,

Jorge Ginorio

[CongaCaja]

Jorge,

Thanks for providing that link! I actually bought one of those caja drums while on vacation in Cartagena. However, I didn't have time to take lessons while on the vacation and iit has been difficult to find any instructional material on-line.

If you happen to find any more information regarding the instrument, please post that as well. I would appreciate it very much.

Thanks again!

chris

[Conuno]

Hi,

It's really difficult to find information about colombian rhythms.
I'm from Colombia and I know many of them, however I have learned by "oral tradition". I live actually in Europa and I'm looking for further information through some friends in Colombia. I hope to have some reliable material soon and I will tell you.

About the rhythms written in the CONGABOOK, you must be careful.

CUMBIA is not thought as 4 bar rhythm !!

CUMBIAMBA does not exist as Rhythm, cumbia is the simplified name of cumbiamba, and the name cumbiamba is used for certain kind of dance, similar to cumbia dance but with some differences (Number of dancer, candles, etc).

CURRULAO ABORAO : I haven't heard the word "aborao" before. Idon't know what that means. If the rhythm here written makes reference only a CURRULAO, then you must be also be careful because it's not completely right.

greetings

Conuno



Edited By Conuno on Aug. 29 2003 at 15:03

[tamboricua]

Hola Conuno, hope all is well! I do look forward to learn Colombian rhythms from you.

All the best,

Jorge Ginorio

[Conuno]

Hallo Tamboricua,

I see you are interested about colombian rhythms. I would publish some information here but I don't know how to do it.

Tell me what rhythms you know or want to learn and I will tell you if I can help you.
I have read you have a Caja, let me tell you something, the problem with the Caja is that there isn't a determined pattern like guanguanco or salsa. The Caja is used usually only for Vallenato and a traditional Vallenato group has only three musicians: Acordeon, guacharaca (like guiro function) and caja.
The rhythm is basically supported by the guacharaca (somethig similar as salsa guiro pattern but into the vallenato feeling) and the caja make the bongo function but without a pattern (what Martillo for bongo is).
Every Caja player plays different, and the fill out(repliques) depends on song and lyrics. What they really do is to used the bass tone very often, because analogous to the bongo, this is only one drum able to produce high tones and bass tones.

The way to fill out (replicar) is thought more on time and no too much symcopated figures are used as in guaguanco or afrocuban rhythms. This is difficult to achieve if you have play afrocuban music since long time, and viceversa. I would say that the style is completely different and it's obligatory to listen the music. I would recommend the first album of Carlos Vives (Escalona), the works after this I wouldn't because they don't play really vallenato. What they play is already a fusion. You must search for the traditional vallenato groups like Diomedez Dias, el Cocha Molina, los Hermanos Zuleta, Jorge Oñate, etc.

I hope this will help you.

Regards Conuno.

Please If you have questions let me know.

[tamboricua]

Hola Conuno, hope all is well! Thanks for the information, very useful. Do you have this rhythms notated? If so, I would like to check'em out. Maybe some common caja repiques? Who is your favorite caja player?

On the other hand, can you please comment about the Cumbia Folklórica and it's adaptations to popular music? Looking forward to hear from you.

All the best,

Jorge Ginorio



Edited By tamboricua on Sep. 05 2003 at 17:34

[CongaCaja]

saludos conuno,

Like Jorge, I am interested in Colombian caja drumming. I own several Carlos Vives CDs, but I am aware that this is a bit of fusion. I have been to Bogota several times and once to Cartagena (where I bought a caja...and I saw traditional 3-person groups), but I did not have time to study the techniques of the drum or the Vallenato.

Unfortunately with the Carlos Vives' CDs, the conga drumming is stronger than the caja drumming. So, it is difficult to learn from those CDs. A friend from Bogota is arriving to my house tomorrow so I hope he will bring some more traditional Vallenato and Cumbia music.

If you do have the opportunity to notate any of the vallenato rhythms, I would be very interested. muchas gracias!

chao...

chris

[Conuno]

Hi people,
Unfortunately I’m not the man for vallenato, I know the style, because I have grown up listening this music, but I haven’t research too much about it. I know there are 5 styles of vallenato: Paseo vallenato, Son vallenato, Puya vallenata, Merengue vallenato, Canción Vallenata. Basically the difference is on Tempo. As I mentioned before, the solo or accompaniment is thought on tempo and depending on lyrics and style, with few syncopation in comparison to afrocuban music. Because the head is a film and sounds quite loud, they used to play strokes with the fingers (as indian tabla) and the bass tones are always present. Few triplets ! and lot of strokes on tempo alterning bass and high tones. Check out the groups I mentioned before, It’s not so difficult to get the feeling !

In colombia you can find more than 200 rhythms. Actually I’m interested in such rhythms, that few people know, but slowly are appearing in the new musical works from my country. (Carlos Vives, Juanes, El bloque, Toto, Bahia, Saboreo, Joe Arroyo etc). I will mention SOME OF THEM.
From Caribe: Cumbia, Cumbión, Gaita, Bullerengue, Mapalé,.Puya,.Porro tapao,.Porro palitiao, Fandango, Chandé, Garabato, Pilón, Son Negro, Son Palenque, Lumbalú, Chalupa, Merecumbé.
From Pacific: El currulao, El berejú, El aguabajo, El Makerule, El andarele o amanecer, El calipso chocoano, La juga, El bunde o chigualo, Alabao, Jotas.

About Cumbia, typically the instruments are Alegre(kind of Conga) llamador(kind of conga), Tambora (kind of Bombo), Guache (Big shaker of metal), Maracon (big Maraca) and Gaitas macho y hembra (Special Indigenous flute).

I woul like to published the rhythm here, but I don’t know how. Then I will make the correction of the already Cumbia written in the conga book.
The left hand is wrong written. The left hand has not silences, It is playing always with the beat and alterning slaps(very light) and open (accented). Then remove the silences and write all together (open tone correspond to second and fourth beat).
The rigth hand is partially okey, but you must take the first bar and repeat it on the third bar. The second and fourth bar doesn’t have a fix patern, then you must fill out them with right hand improvising.
Left hand for conga , rigth hand for tumba. They should be tuned in a third ! The fill out includes lot of triplets !
What you get is an adaption of tambora, llamador and alegre for two congas.

I hope you can understand this explanation !

Jorge may be you can give me some tips for Plena. (Plena and cumbia are similar in some way, but the improvisation is with the opposite hand )

Regards Conuno



Edited By Conuno on Sep. 09 2003 at 10:13

[tamboricua]

Hi Conuno, hope all is well! Thanks one more time for you valuable info. I'll give a shot, and try to notate some of the stuff you are referring to, but I'll need your input. Do you consider Cumbia to be in 2/4 meter?

For some stuff about Plena check out the attached links:

http://www.rhythmweb.com/jorge/plena.htm

http://www.lpmusic.com/Play_Like_A_Pro/Tech_Support/plena.html

There you will find a brief article on Plena I wrote a while back. Included in the article are some samples of the type of music notation I do. If you have any other question feel free to ask. Looking forward!

All the best,

Jorge Ginorio

[Conuno]

Hi Jorge,

No, Cumbia is thought in 4/4 meter and only as two bar pattern. Likewise the pattern of the tambora takes 2 bars. Thus you can mix or change from whatever pattern in 4/4 (also from 6/8) easily to cumbia and viceversa. Of course, in order to get a right Cumbia feeling, if you decide to change or mix the rhythm in a song, not only the drums must change but also the bass and piano lines.
That is normally the problem, when cuban musician try to mix the cumbia into salsa (for example: El medico "para mi gente"), the bass remain still in the cuban style. The result is very poor and far away from the cumbia.
I hope you follow me.

I will check your articles. I would like to know if you have written some solo improvisation ideas for the left hand. I'm working on the adaption on three congas, letting the quinto for improvisation with left hand.

Thanks
Regards Conuno

[tamboricua]

Check the Plena articles, there you will find some basic "requinto" phrases that you can adapt to one player covering all the parts. Also, check out the Congabook on this site, there you will find a Plena solo by Giovanni Hidalgo taken from one of his videos. Hope this helps!

All the best,

Jorge Ginorio

[tamboricua]

Conuno, in the Cumbia ensemble which istrument does solo?
Alegre or llamador?

Thanks,

Jorge Ginorio

[Conuno]

Hi Jorge,

The Alegre does solo, in this case would be the drum with low pitch (Tumba, Right hand). The conga with high pitch corresponds to the Llamador and this plays the basic pattern with accent on 2nd and 4th beat.

I checked out the articules, they are very good gratulation !, but the solo phrases are very basic !

Have you studied the advanced solo phrases of Giovanni's video?

Regards Conuno



Edited By Conuno on Sep. 11 2003 at 09:12

[tamboricua]

Conuno,

Is the Llamador traditionally played with both hands? Does it plays bass notes on beats 1 and 3? or slight slaps? Can you talk about the palitero and the basic tambora patterns?

Referring to the Plena articles and it's music notation samples. There were originally written as an "Introduction to Plena", so I didn't include "advance" requinto solo phrases. Now, the "essence" and beauty of Plena lies on it's simplistic approach and the rhythmic and melodic interaction between the panderos. Remember, the panderos are played by a single hand and the other hand holding the instrument, so you won't find a bunch of 16th's or 32nd notes on "requinto" solo phrases.

The best example is given by Giovanni Hidalgo on his video. Giovanni surely can play 16ths, 32nd or even 64nd notes as "double stops" if he wants, but what he did? He did keep it "In the tradition", by using eight notes and quarter notes on his improvisation, and trust me it does "swing like crazy", very funky!

Now, when you transpose this patterns to the tumbadoras you have two hands available and the possibilities increase even more, I suggest that you check out the stuff Richito Flores do when playing Plena on tumbadoras.

Saludos,

Jorge Ginorio

[Conuno]

Hi Jorge,

That was really good ! Thanks for the tip .

Yes the llamador is played with both hand. The beats 1 and 3 are not really bass notes, but let's say light touch with the palm of the hand.
Remember the cumbia is a simple rhythm, the simpler the groove is played the better it sounds.

About palitero, I don't know what you mean.
About the tambora pattern: I will try to write it, I hope you understand it (Two bar basic pattern 4/4)

N= quarter note= negra
C= eighth note = corchea
S= silence
R= Right hand
L= Left Hand
M= wood = madera
P= Heads (R/L) = parches (der/izq)

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

N C C N C C | N C C SC C N |

R L R R L R R L R L R

M M M M M M M M M LP RP

regards

Conuno