DRUM LANGUAGE
IF YOU CAN SAY IT
YOU CAN PLAY IT
SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW DRUM SONG MUSIC VVV
There are many drum vocabularies around the globe and they tend to have common sounds. This language of the drum is a spoken one, as are all of the tribal languages of Africa. The written notes/vocabulary of the drum language described in this tutorial has been derived from the many different teachers we have studied/drummed with in Sierra Leone West Africa, Trinidad & Tobago & Canada, as well as some of our own adaptations. We went on to compose out own 5 & 6 part drum music. That was deeply FUN & gave us a huge sense of how much we could ROCK!

These written notes will serve only to refresh your memory of songs and beats; it is NOT intended to be be read as you play your drum, as in other traditionally notated music like an orchestra. To be able to use the notes, you will need to commit the SOUND & TIMING of pauses and beats to memory. You will achieve this faster by playing and SINGING THEM OUT LOUD repeatedly. As soon as you learn each pattern, you MUST begin to practice the new rhythm patterns daily. The written notes will then correspond to an auditory and hand memory. A taped recording is helpful as well, giving you an exact auditory record of the pattern in case you get mixed up, which is inevitable. Saying/singing the syllables out loud to create the rhythm is an almost mandatory step to mastering complex beats for us linear thinkers of a western or European education. The Late Great Nigerian drum master, Babatunde Olatunjii coined the phrase
IF YOU CAN SAY IT
YOU CAN PLAY IT
BABA was SO right!
We spent a week with him on Cortez Island along with 30 or 40 other newbies as well as the fabulous fabulous lead drummer SANGA!

Try singing the syllables over and over again any time you have difficulty achieving a rhythm. You will be amazed at how your hands are able to do it once your brain has a language for it.

Having a drum language also allows you to write down rhythms learned or invented as you come across them. You will be able to remember them and play them again later, and even pass them along at the next jam session.

The drum can be used to produce many many different notes. Mor Thiam, a master drummer from Senegal, is able to produce all the notes played by a symphony orchestra on just a single djembe drum.

It does take a great deal of practice to achieve a variety of sounds but within a week or so you will begin to detect the different notes. The more you practice the more skill you attain. Once you can play a few of the main notes you will be able to play melodies.
YES! SONGS! DRUM MUSIC!
Sounds a bit strange, but the notes on a drum go from high to low and every note in between. Each drum can be tuned to a key if you want to all nuts about pitch.

Groups of drummers who have a common vocabulary of rhythms and notes can enjoy the challenge of learning poly-rhythmic song playing, and even go on to form a band. Our intent with these workshops is to give drummers just such a language to facilitate the growth of more advanced percussion music.




Hand Positions

BASS - The LOWEST NOTE is called TUN, DUN or GUN When played, It makes a Long GOON sound. Place the fingers & thumb together with a very slight cup in palm & fingers. Strike the centre of head or skin rapidly pulling it straight back up again. NO PART OF YOUR HAND OR FINGERS TOUCHES THE RIM.

SONG - The second lowest note, is called DO, GO or KO. When played, it makes a short OH sound. Place the fingers together with the thumbs up & out to the side. Your palm and thumb DO NOT STRIKE the drum. Only the fingers below the big knucle hit the drum, the crease at the base of fingers stays at rim of drum with knuckle bones just back off the rim. Strike rapidly with the fingers bouncing straight back up again quick.

CUTTING - One of the higher notes, is called TA, PA or DA
When played it makes a high short piercing AH sound. Place your fingers together like in GO, with the thumbs away to the side & up. The difference is that your fingers are turned up towards the centre and held at a 30 degree angle to the drum head surface. This stroke has a super fast hard, sideways slice/cut that moves from side to centre with a sharp lift as soon as the fingers hit. You can hear the lead drummer cutting through the back beat using this powerful call.

TING - This is one of the highest pitch notes. When played it makes a high TI, TING or TEET sound. The fingers are held together as in GO, but you strike ONLY with the first section of your first 3 finger tips, just at the edge of the rim. Fast, hard and straight up and down. Make sure you keep that first knuckle just off the rim. It hurts when you miss and handily, the pain will eventually guide those fingertips to the correct position after a number of misses.

SOLO - This note is a mid pitch, but very striking, pounding loud and POPPING. It is called pop. This is called the solo stroke because it is the main one used to solo and signal the other drummers. The fingers are slightly apart with the thumb out & up. Strike the centre of the drum with just the fingertips almost levering them from the heal of your hands, which are positioned at the rim. The strike must be super fast and really hard, to make that pop. It takes quite a bit of practice to get it, but when you do, You will feel like a real HOT DRUMMER!

The song below just uses three of the easiest notes:
GUN, GO DO, and PA TA. Remember GO = DO and PA = TA
Gun is the low note.
GoDo are the medium notes.
PaTa are the high notes.
So when you try singing the song just pick any 3 notes you want.
The old Doe Ray Me would do. It does not matter at this point, which notes as long as one is low for GUN, one mid for GoDo and other is high for PaTa.
When you see a forward slash / in the music it denotes a pause, one / for a short pause, two // for two beats, three/// for three beats, etc.

Below is a very easy beginner level drum song that you can try.


SENEGALESE BALLET (African Ibo)


TUN DAT TUN DAT TUN DAT DO-DO

DO-DO TUN DO-DO TUN DO-DO TUN //

TUN DA-TA DA-TA / TUN DAT DO-DO

TUN DO-DO TUN DO-DO TUN DO-DO / DO DO-DO

DATA TUN DATA TUN DATA TUN DAT DATA

DODO DODO DODO DO / DATA DAT DATA

IGH - IGH IGH - IGH IGH - IGH IGH-IGH
(can also be played as da-ta da-ta da-ta da-ta )


EXERCISES
(1) Open fingers and thumb, palms facing forward.
Push forward as if pushing against a wall, then
when arms are fully extended, contract the
chest and breath 8 counts.

(2) Arms outstretched with hands turned down, pull
fingers toward body and breath 8 counts.

(3) Turn hands to original position (palms forward)
and breath 8 counts.

(4) Arms extended to sides with palms open. Rotate
hands 7 times in each direction. Arms should be
at a comfortable height ( not too high)




LEARNER LEVEL DRUM SONG
AFRICAN DRUM SONG
Dance of Strength
Each of these parts can be played in their turn or all at once by different drummers. It is a great song to jam on.
Note the pause ( / ) in line one of each part
 GO-GO GO-GO / GO GO-DO PA! PA! /
GO-GO GO-GO / GO GO-DO
GUN GUN GUN

GO-GO GO-GO GO-GO-DO PA-GO-PA /
GO-GO GO-GO GO-GO-DO
TUN TUN TUN

GO-GO GO-GO / GO-GO-DO PA- GO-PA /
GO-GO GO-GO / GO GO-DO
GUN GO GO-DO GUN

PART 2 PLAYED INTERMITTENTLY BY ONE DRUMMER AT A TIME FOR EXCITEMENT:
PA-TA GO-DO PA-TA //
PA-TA GO-DO PA-TA GUN
REPEAT 4 X

MORE WRITTEN DRUM SONGS GO

Sponsored Links