conga drums

bat drums

6/8 Bemb

by Phil "Felipe" Pasmanick 1993

This chart shows four of the parts of the 6/8 bemb , an Afro-Cuban rhythm played played with sticks and three congas. For reasons of simplicity the drum parts are not shown. The bemb accompanies religious songs sung in Lucum, a language derived from the same west African roots as modern Yoruba, which is spoken in Nigeria. The songs are prayers or hymns to the orishas, the deities of the West African pantheon, such as Elegu, Chang, Ochn, who are also worshipped in Hait, Brazil, and elsewhere in the Americas, as well as in West Africa. In some places, the orishas have been assigned the name and image of a Catholic saint; for example, Chang is associated with Saint Barbara. This disguising of of one religion with another is known as religios syncretism as is often found where colonial or other oppressors impose their religion on captive peoples. You can find objects associated with this religion in the botnicas, herb and candle shops found wherever Afro-caribbean peoples congregate. It should be noted that the bemb is a simplified version of the rhythms played on the sacred bat, two-headed drums played in serious ceremonies. The bat rhythms are extremely complex, demanding solid rhythm, fierce concentration, and an excellent memory to keep track of the patterns which change many times for each aspect of each deity. 1 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 +
6/8 bell 6/8 pulse (downbeat) 1 4/4 pulse 6/8 clave 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 +

Bemb is polyrythmic because it can be played and felt in 4/4 or 6/8 time. That is, some of the patterns, such as the clave and the bell, are 12 element patterns, while the pulse is a four element pattern which repeats three times in the time that the clave or bell is played once. The drums play three element and six element patterns, while a shkere, a large gourd covered with a network of beads, might play the 6/8 pulse, a six element pattern, or sometimes a very complex pattern of its own. In any case, just as three, four, and six are all factors of 12, the overall pattern has 12 elements. It reiterates every 12 eighth notes (every six beats). While the origins of rhythm are endlessly debated, many people accept the notion that the fundamental rhythms of the human body are the two element (AB) and three element (ABB) patterns. The two element pattern occurs in breating and walking, while the heartbeat provides the three element pattern. It is the dynamic relationship between two and three (or four and six) that provides the rhythmic excitement of African-inspired music, particulary the Afro-cuban religious and secular styles that form the basis of contemporary salsa. Try to tap three to the bar with one hand and two to the bar with the other. Do you see how only the beats falling on the one are simultaneous? It sounds like this: flam, right left right , flam, right left right. For some people this is really hard, but once you get it, it's easy. Then try to play the 6/8 clave with the 4/4 pulse. This one is harder, but if you write out the parts, practice them slowly and separately, then s-l-o-w-l-y put the together, you will have a better understanding of this rich musical tradition, the bemb.

1 R. H. L. H. 1 2

2
3

1
1 2

ABABAABABABA

Twelve is an interesting number. We count 12 months in the year, 12 hours in a day, 12 objects in a dozen and 12 dozens in a gross, 12 nights of Christmas, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles, 12 inches in a foot, and 12 astrological signs in the European and the Chinese zodiac. Adding with 12 produces interesting patterns too.

And look at this cross-cultural 12-based musical curiosity. The pattern of white notes, starting at C, is the same as the pattern of the 6/8 bell. Can your students see it? And what do they make of it? Coincidence or ?