Rhythm of the Week...
Drumming Music Notation: Hand Drum Lessons with Easy Rhythm Instruction
for African Drumming Music, Latin Drumming and other Hand Drum Rhythms.
free music education resources and drumming tips for beginning or
advanced drummers...or anyone just wanting to groove with world
beat and alternative music
This Week's Lesson:
Basic Hand Drum Rhythms and Practice
Exercises
...in easy notation for African drumming beginners
or advanced drummers...
Practice Exercises
BREATHING:
40 bpm (beats per minute):
10 times counting:
1-2 (inbreath), 1-2 (out)
5 times counting: 1 2 3 4 (in), 1 2 3 4 (out)
HAND DRILLS:
Paradiddles (176 bpm):
- RLRR
LRLL
- RLRLRR
LRLRLL
- RLRLRLRR
LRLRLRLL
Rumba (D - g g): 108 bpm. Switch hands (G - d d).
rR lL rR lL
: 116 bpm.
4 + 3: play four notes, then three in same time span; then
both together. Switch hands, vary loudness:
_______
| | | |
R R R R
L L L
TIMING: 176 bpm:
_______ _______ _______ _______
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
x x x x x x xxx xxx xxxxxxxx
YIN-YANG:
(D, G = left, right bass; d, g = left, right rim)
_____ _____ _____ _____
| | | | | | | | | | | |
d g D G d g D g D g D g
D G d g D G d G d G d G
KIDI VARIATIONS, both hands, @ 208 bpm:
_______ _______ _______
| | | | | | | | | | | |
x - x - x
x - - - x
x x x x x
x x x x x x
x x - x x
x x x - x
x - x x x
x x - - x
x - - x x
Basic Rhythms
_____ _____ _____ _____
| | | | | | | | | | | |
G d g D g d G d g D g d basic 6/8 time: Yanvalo
D g d G d g D g d G d g (switch lead hand)
_______ _______ _______ _______
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
D g g D g g D g g D g g rumba
_______ _______ _______ _______
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
D g d G d g D G d g d g Ethiopian walking rhythm
_______ _______ _______ _______
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Moon Bear: parts
G g d g d G P
G P G P g d
G P T P T G P g d
_______ _______ _______ _______
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Duncan: parts
G P G P G P G P
G P G P G P P
g d g T P g d g P
_______ _______ _______ _______
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Duncan: parts
P T g P T G P T g d g d G
(P T P T)
P T G P T G P T G P T P T
P T T T T d
The
rhythm notation . . .
The following notation can be easier for
drummers and percussionists to use, compared to the usual notes
and lines of conventional sheet music. Because drum notes aren't
sustained but struck once, it makes sense to show the timing for
these beats as single and equal. Rests are measured by the same,
single-beat units.
All the rhythms at this site, and in the
book Roots Jam, use the following
notation for drum beats--primarily those played on the west African
djembe.
D:
Dun ("Doon") = bass
beat with left hand
G: Gun ("Goon") = bass
beat with right hand
d: do ("doe") = rim
beat with left hand (tip half of fingers)
g: go = rim
beat with right hand
T: Ta = slap
beat with left hand: sharp glancing
stroke
P: Pa = slap
beat with right hand
- = space
About left and right hand
notes:
Though the majority of the rhythms displayed
here will show leading with the left hand, the handing can be reversed.
In fact it makes sense to play both ways equally well, or to alternate
for balance.
If you're just starting out and want to
follow my notation with a dominant right hand, you can treat D's,
d's and T's as right-hand beats, and G's, g's and P's as left-hand
beats.
Additional Notes:
X = low note on bass
drum or two-tone bell or percussion
x = any note on monotone percussion,
or high note on two-tone percussion.
[Another way to show hi/lo notes
is hi on first line, lo on second;
or by H and L]
k = bell note when played with bass
drum (jun-jun)
x = underlined (or bold) note means
stressed or accented.
(d) = parenthesis means optional note(s)
or way to play a given note(s)
d__g__d: = triplet, with three notes
played within 2, 4 or 8 beat measure.
d_g: = two notes played as if two ends
of a triplet (d_-_g)
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