Drumming in Africa - Traditional Guinean Rhythms

[steady freddy]

Hey fellow drummers,
I am starting this... Guinean thread! Next week I will be going to Guinea, West Africa for a month and it is going to be awesome. I will be studying Djembe, Dounouns and hopefully a bit of balafon with my friend Mohamed Bangoura and his family. I would like to share the experience with you but I would like to hear also some of yours! So if you are into Malinke Rhythms and have been there.... please share!

Happy Drumming always (and a bit more this coming period )

Steady Freddy

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... djembe.jpg

[ABAKUA]

Hey Freddy!

Please send the Bangoura family my well wishes.
You are going to have an awesome time. Please take loads of pics and video footage to share on here.

What an incredible experience lies ahead of you.

Ache pa ti.

[Bataboom]

you have to record an mp3 or video of the song fankani, sofa, or manjani heck anything would be great.



Edited By Bataboom on 1139412158

[pavloconga]

Hey Freddy,
All the best for your trip to the great African continent, the motherland of the drum and humanity! Africa is gonna amaze you and blow your socks off man! Being there even for a month will take your playing to a new level. You're going to feel something really different and really special there. An new understanding that comes to you in a different way.

I haven't been to Guinea but I've visited Ghana, West Africa 3 times. Let me know if you need any general travel tips for that part of the world (If you haven't seen it already, see the thread on 'pics of drum ensembles in africa' I posted about a month ago).

I had a few lessons with Mohammed about 7 or 8 years ago when he visited here. He's a great player with amazing hands (and what callouses on his hands). Some beautiful rhythms in Guinea!
cheers and safe travels
Pavlo

ps do you know percussionist Ray Periera?

[captainquinto]

Awesome! :laugh:

Send some vibes our way while your there brother ...

... I'll be daydreaming vicariously. :p

Peace,

Cap'nQ

[GuruPimpi]

Geeez, Freddy!!!!

Waw, lucky man, u gonna have great time!

I'm not familiar with Malinke rhythms, i sense u goona share some great knowledge after a month!
Thanks in advance!!!

WAW!

Primozz

[steady freddy]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the kind replies.

To Abakua - I will give him your regards, brother. And I have the Video and Audio all sorted !
Bataboom - I have those tracks already, hahaha! Do you need some? PM if you like?
Pavlo - I have been studying for a while (8 years) now but you are right... I think being there will add a lot more to "it"!
Yes, I met Ray Pereira but it was briefly. I actually got some work to do at the local conservatorium because of him... he cancelled, hehe! I have however good contact with Tuza who is a Ghanaian Maser Drummer of the group WALA from Ghana.
Captain Quinto - I will send some vibes!
GuruPimpi - If you would like a few djembe transcriptions already... I have some for you! PM me if you like

I will definitely post some media as soon as I am back!

Happy Drumming always,

Steady Freddy

[Bataboom]

Bataboom - I have those tracks already, hahaha! Do you need some?

yeah freddy! I would love to see you doing them with some Griots from Ghana but I would love to see some that you have already as well that would be cool !

Email me as many as you can stand to send, my msn mail can handle 250 meg ugflash@msn.com

would be interesting to see might have some different variations that I can use Thanks!

[pavloconga]

Hey Freddy,
The drumming world's a small one isn't it? I know Tuza and the Wala guys very well and studied with Tuza in Ghana in '03. He's a great teacher too.

all the best
Pavlo

[Bataboom]

great looking head skin and ksink ksink's on that djembe freddy... what kinda drum is it?

I have purchased over at least 15 drums in the past year and moslty I have been getting the ghana made drums which are great if you know what your looking for.

But I have been wanting to try a drum of better quality such as a Mali, ivory coast, or guinea made drum. I get everything I buy online so they are not easy to find, most places sell the ghana made drums because they are more affordable.



Edited By Bataboom on 1139708827

[steady freddy]

Hey Bataboom,

You don't believe it but it is a good Ghanaian djembe.
The Ksink-ksink or Se-se as the guineans call it are from Guinea! The skin is from an old goat and very good!
But at the moment I have 2 new djembes which are from
Mali ... and I will not go back to Ghanaian Djembes again.
They are alright but Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Burkina and Ivory coast produce the better quality!
I will buy a :p Guinean drum when I am there!

Happy Drumming always,

Steady Freddy

ps. Download Fankani click here



Edited By steady freddy on 1139632199

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... djembe.jpg

[Bataboom]

Great clip of fankani freddy thanks!

Yeah from all my short experiences and tons of research I know the mali, guinea, ivory coast djembe's are of better quality thats why I have the itch to get one, I have been playing on some real good Ghana made drums and I want to experience the playing quality of these other drums as well.

I have some Ghana drums that are better then others but for the most part they are all great.

Thanks for the clip and pic, love the white fur on that one bro!

[zaragemca]

welcome SteadyFreddy,Djembe and Djun-Djun,Ashikko,Tama,etc., are part of the percussion training with I do provide,I did start learning back when I was in Cuba and still performing around here with Guinean,South African,Senegal and Ghana Percussionists,(some of them being my Djembe,and Conga students).There is a large community of African people here in Houston. Dr. Zaragemca



Edited By zaragemca on 1140045727

[pavloconga]

Hi guys,
From what I have seen many of the Ghana djembes are made of a much lighter weight wood which doesn't give as good a bass and tone response. (it's more suited to the kpanlogo type of drum etc). As well as djembes being a drum that is relatively new to the drummakers of Ghana.

Here's a djembe I bought from my teacher in Ghana - but it's originally from Guinea and it's a very old cylinder. At the time it was my teacher's personal drum but he needed to sell it to finance an operation for a family member.
cheers to all
Pavlo



Edited By pavloconga on 1140092225

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... shidaa.jpg

[pavloconga]

They do make some good bucarabous in Ghana though (something like a cross between a conga and djembe sound). see pic. This one has a great sound and has a dark, heavy wood.

peace

P