Name/origin of alternative afro 6/8 bell part?

toddbishop

Platinum Member
Does anyone know the name and/or origin of this bembe-type bell pattern:

6/8 ||: x - x - x - | x x - x - x :||

As opposed to the standard:
6/8 ||: x - x - x x | - x - x - x :||

I heard one of the drummers with Don Pullen's African-Brazilian Connection using it, and I pull it out occasionally. I thought I read years ago that it was an African thing, but haven't been able find any information about it recently.
 
Hi Todd

I'm not sure of its origin but it is commonly used in West African drumming. It is a bell pattern used as part of a dun dun rhythm; one of the accompaniments.

Bell ll: x - x - x - l x x - x - x l x - x - x - l x x - x - x :ll
Dun ll: - - x - - - l x x - - - x l x - - - - - l - - - - - x :ll

That is one variation. The bell part might stay the same but the dun part would change depending upon the rhythm (song) that it is being used in.

There are many other variations in the bell parts as well depending on the rhythm and variation of that rhythm (different villages will have different variations of well known rhythms)

Bell ll: x - x - x - l x x - x x - l x - x - x - l x x - x - x :ll
 
I covered aspects of it in the "where did the skip-note in jazz come from?" thread. You will hear variations on it from different tribes in West Africa...names of it escape me since my studies over 25 years ago.

One thing i'll add as I did in the other thread is that they don't break in down in a 6 beat 6/8 type of cycle of beats but in 4-3 beats cycles with a shaker playing the pulse note at the top of each 3 beat cycle. In western terms a 12/8 bell pattern so to speak. In Cuba they think of it in a 6/8 clave pattern terms.

I'll add this terrific video again by Jerry Leakes on the name and possibilities stemming off the bell pattern in a 12/8 cycle of beats. Jerry plays the shaker pulse part unmoved with his left foot and the bell pattern with his left hand no matter where the other poly-time patterns can be divided up or move about around it with the other drums played with his right hand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHLHiBjWOaw

Some wonderful "12/8" based cycle tribal drumming in context for reference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XpBKkdqEo0&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqOFWRExXss&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bhyuq2x_3M
 
Thanks for that, Stan- the Leake thing is very helpful- it's similar to some things I've been doing using Stick Control. It's going to take me a minute to work up the 4:3 thing, I think.

You're most welcome Todd and yes isn't it a trip where you can "move" with poly-time with the right hand off the 12/8 bell pattern.

In the 3rd clip I posted from Africa check out the guy on the far left and what he's doing with implying different meters on the larger low pitched drum within the 12/8 groove with his right hand using the talking drum stick well his left hand plays the continous pattern. Same crazy stuff Jerry touched on that just has to make you laugh with how EASY he makes it appear to be within the ensemble....NOT :}
 
Nice thread.. I'd been wondering that recently myself. The two Todd mentioned first seem to be the most common. I was playing along with Art Blakey's Caravan tonight.. he uses this one

ll: x - x - x - l x x - x x - :ll

and then does: snare_rim/ floor tom/ snare_rim/ high tom evenly in 4 spread over the 6/8 starting on the 2 (so I think these are on 2, 3+, 5, 6+). Also he starts it in a funny place (on the floor tom! on the 3+ I think), which makes it sound brilliant when the piano and stuff comes in. Well worth jamming along to this tune. Can anyone recommend more tunes that'd come under the 'jazz' category using afro 6/8 grooves? There's afro blue that gets played at jazz gigs every now and then, and also an alternate take of Like Sonny with Elvin on drums (it's on Spotify) but I'm struggling to find more to practice along with... also any more ideas on this stuff would be great!

As for the 4/3 thing, do you mean 4 over 6 or actually 4/3? Like what the guy's doing with the left foot shaker on that video? I'm happy playing the 4 over 6 on bass drum or high hat - but have been told to count it in these measures of 4 instead of as a 6/8, and that's *kind* of ok but I struggle to do it out loud really comfortably. Basically every time I play a 6/8 grooves the other musicians are all feeling and counting it in 4, so it'd be good to be on board with them on it.

Again.. great thread! cheers
 
As for the 4/3 thing, do you mean 4 over 6 or actually 4/3? Like what the guy's doing with the left foot shaker on that video?


No very specifically 4-3 beat cycles with the left foot playing the downbeat of each 3 beat cylce of the total 12 beat cycle needed to complete to bell pattern like shown in the instructional video I linked with the shaker part played with the left foot giving you the "pulse" as seen {and heard}.

That's the basics of the division of the pattern in several West African examples. You can poly-divide it up for sure and think of it in other meters like the Cubans do and such but the essence of the West African bell pattern is more closely in line to what we call 12/8 {4x3} in Western terms with the pulse "feft" on the top of each 3 beat cycle per bar or what we would call 4 sets of triplets in a common bar of 4/4 time.

I gave a lesson the other day and showed a student how you can also hear the same 12/8 bell pattern played on a ride using even straight 1/8ths in a 6/4 bar pattern with the other limbs implying a 1/2 note three beat cycle underneath or the 12/8 cycle underneath well still hearing it in 6/4.... this can go MANY places as many have discovered and as also shown in the 12/8 Afro bell pattern instructional video.
 
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