Class # 13 - Jan 31

More variations! 

Try these variations on beladi. 

Speaking of...  

Check out the similarity between beladi and masmoodi. 

Which is Which?  

If you're like me, you might struggle to remember which rhythm goes with which rhythm name. Someone calls out "malful" and you go blank,  or you can play along with a track that randomly pops up in your iPod's shuffle just fine (you've spent months playing that rhythm), yet you're stumped to "name that tune". 

Back to a favorite trick from elementary school: Make flash cards! Print these out and carry them around with you. Several times a day, give them a shuffle and either try to correctly recall the name after singing the rhythm to yourself, or recall the rhythm after reading the name. If you have some of them down cold, remove them from your deck so you can concentrate your efforts on the tricky ones. This method can also lets you practice reading TUBS notation.

Directions: Download and carefully print the file on a single sheet of paper (double-sided), then cut the sheet into business-card sized rectangles. Hint: For best results, print them on Avery Business Cards stock (28877 for ink jet, 5871 for laser jet).

Disclaimers: These depict only the core structure of each rhythm to help you associate rhythms with names. 

You may have initially learned these rhythms differently, or happen to know they play them a different way or call them by other names in   (insert place name here)   . That's fine, and even interesting (long discussions ensue...). However, these cards reflect how our we tend to refer to and play the rhythms in our class; This is our local dialect.

Happy Practicing!

Beladi and Masmoodi

For many dancers (and drummers), the rhythm commonly known as "beladi" feels comfortably familiar; I heard one dancer describe it as "home base" — it's often the first rhythm one learns to dance to (or play), and it might seem the one you go back to after excursions into other rhythms.

Many Arabic musicians refer to the rhythm as masmoodi saghir, or "small masmoodi". So is there a big version? You bet! What Arabic musicians call masmoodi kabir (big masmoodi) is what musicians and dancers in the U.S. typically refer to as "masmoodi"  [1, 2]. 

Here's the interesting part: they're the same rhythm! Beladi is just double-time masmoodi (and masmoodi is just half-time beladi).

Here's beladi:

And here's masmoodi:

The first is made up with eighths notes and rests, the second with quarter notes and rests.

Here's another way to think of it: Say a dance choreography has eight beats of masmoodi followed by eight beats of beladi; In the first eight beats, masmoodi would play through ONCE, and in the second eight beats, you'll hear beladi TWICE. 

Try listening/dancing to this combination: http://bit.ly/7OqfB4. 

Keep in mind that musicians typically don't play such simple versions - they embellish each of them in very different ways, ideally to compliment and inspire the dancer's moves.

So what about this word "beladi"? It means "of the country" or "old-fashioned" [2], and you'll hear it more commonly in folk or pop music than in classical Arabic music [1].

References:
[1] MaqamWorld.com
[2] Jas's Middle Eastern Rhythm FAQ

Class #5 - Nov 8

Rhythm Review

Maqsum 4/4
           1...2...3...4...

Home       D.T...T.D...T...

Walking    D.T.K.T.D.K.T...

Frame Drum Variations:

           1...2...3...4...
Home       D.C...C.D...T...
Walking    D.C.K.C.D.K.T...

Karachi 2/4  
           1 . . . 2 . . .
           T . . k T . D .  
           C . . k C . T .   frame drum variation


Practice Tips

Cycles
Read page 22 of the NWR book for a full explanation of cycles. While you play a rhythm, practice calling out cycles of various lengths by calling "one" on the first beat of your cycle. 

Play Along!
The  ensemble Helm has a few Karachi tracks on the album Itneen. You can hear samples on their website. You can also listen to samples, purchase tracks or buy the whole album from iTunes ($.99/$9.99) or PayPlay.fm ($.88/ $8.88).

More Steering Wheel Practice 
Waiting to turn left? Practice your timing with Left Turn Rolls. 

Class #4 - Nov 1

Class Notes for Nov 1, 2009

Maqsum 4/4
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
D T . T D . T . home (listen)
D T K T D K T . walking (listen)


Another variation for frame drums:

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
D C . T C . T . 

Where C="Cha"

Maqsum is sometimes also called "maSmuudii saghiir" (meaning "small masmoodi" - We'll learn the bigger masmoodi later). Jas says that beladi is a folksier version of maqsum.

New Calls

Reset - Break, and the person who calls it sets a new tempo.

N to A - The named individual (A) gets the specified number (N) of beats to fill while the rest of the ensemble is silent.


Practice Suggestions

See Vanquishing Wimpy Kas in Your Car


One fun way to practice your rhythm and timing is to play along with a recording. To practice both maqsum and beladi, you might like to use a track entitled (strangely enough) "Maqsum, Beladi" by The Black Drum from the album Rakshasa. You can hear a sample or buy the whole track for about a quarter. (By the way, this album rocks, and you can (currently) buy the whole thing for $3.26).

Links

New World Rhythmatism

New World Rhythmatism - Official site of NWR creators Joshua Levin andDeborah Nervig. Includes practice sound recordings, video recordings and pictorial study resources, and an Active Listening Guide linking to (mostly) free music recordings that "illustrate interesting technical and cultural concepts" or are "associated with assigned readings and other NWR exercises."

New World Rhythmatism (book) - This is our textbook - order it at cost plus shipping. Hint: specify air mail if you want it any time soon.

Rhythm Collections

Arabic Rhythms (Maqam World) - with sound clips, notation, meaning, origin, use & related rhythms

Jas's Middle Eastern Rhythms FAQ - Notation, sound samples, and information about many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean rhythms. Use the MIDI Rhythm Generator to create sound clips of any rhythm you type in, and at whatever tempo you choose.
 
History and Culture

Frame Drums and Tambourines - This article by percussionist N. Scott Robinson describes and shows many types of frame drums from various regions of the world. Extensive bibliography. An edited version of the article was published in Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Volume 2: Performance and Production.

Discussion Lists

Gobet Drumming - A Yahoo eGroup "for all those percussionists interested in the goblet shaped drums of Asia, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. "

Framedrummer - A Yahoo eGroup for "players to engage with each other in discussing this ancient and global family of percussion instruments."

TaKeTiNa 

TaKeTiNa - The official site
Rhythm Full Circle - site for local TaKeTiNa facilitator Deborah Masterson

Organizations

NAFDA - North American Frame Drum Association with a mission " to cultivate awareness and education among the general public and students of the artistry of frame drumming in all of its forms found in both traditional and modern cultures through its annual and regional events."

MEDAH - Middle Eastern Dance Artists of Hawaii - "Promoting the diversity of Middle Eastern and related forms of dance, music, and culture through education, instruction, and community."



International Folk Dancers of Hawaii - Meets weekly to enjoy" regional dances of Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Armenia, Turkey, Israel, Yugoslavia, and many other countries."

Class #3 - Oct. 26

Class Review for Oct. 26

A new handing for walking beladi:

Beladi

1...2...3...4...
D.D...T.D...t... Home (listen)
D.D.K.T.D.K.T... Walking (listen)

Also, review the Class 1 and Class 2 notes. Plenty of stuff to go over!

Happy practicing!

Class # 2 - Oct 18

Class Review for Oct. 18, 2009


New Rhythm

Ayoub 2/4 (listen)
1...2...
D..kD.T.

Omar Faruk Tekbilek's composition "Whirling Dervish" from the album Whirling has a slow ayoub rhythm that speeds up in the second half. Listen to it on YouTube, or buy the track for a dollar at the iTunes Store or iMeem. 

see Notes on Notation


New Calls

"Sing it" - speak the rhythm or cycle of rhythm once, unless another number is specified

"One" - designate the beginning of a cycle

"_______" (name of rhythm) - Call the ensemble to begin playing the new rhythm at the beginning of the cycle

"Add _______" - Attach one cycle of the named rhythm to the end of the established cycle (see NWR, p. 49)

"Drop _______" - Stop playing the named rhythm (see NWR, p. 49)

"Converge in the River" - Play unison subdivisions of the pulse without any time signature or stylistic variation (see NWR, p. 49)

See Straight Roll Drill

Learning a New Rhythm or Variation

Speak the Notation: Joshua recommends tapping a slow, even pulse while you point to each period in time in represented by the notation. Speak each drum syllable as you point to it, leaving a rest (silence) as you point to each dot or empty cell (p 111).

Speak and Step: Set your metronome to 60 bpm, step from side to side on the pulse, and speak the rhythm. When you can speak it flawlessly, on time, five times in a row, you’re finished with this part, and can move on.

Find the Spots on your Drum: Turn off the metronome, pick up your drum, and play the rhythm (you may find it helpful to continue to speak the rhythm as you play). At first, go as slow as you need to, and don’t worry about perfect timing. This exercise is about your hands learning to move between left and right strokes, and between tek and dum strokes. Once you feel your hands know how to get to the correct place on the drum in the correct order (regardless of how bumpy the timing is or how yucky the sound is), then you’re finished and can move on.

Find the Spots in Time: Set your metronome at 60 bpm and play the rhythm. Concentrate on getting your hands into the correct place for the correct stroke and on time (don’t worry for now about how it sounds). Once you can play it through three times in a row right on the beat, you’re finished, and can move on.

Improve the Sound: Turn off the metronome. Play the rhythm slowly, concentrating on good form and good sound. You might do this in front of a mirror so you can visually check your posture, hand positioning, stroke motion and tension levels. When you are satisfied that you have gotten consistently deep dums, and crisp teks and kas while playing the rhythm three times through, you’re finished, and can move on.

Stretch: Turn on the metronome at 60 bpm. Play the rhythm with good timing and good sound. When you can do so three times in a row, increase the speed on the metronome by 1 bpm. Repeat. When you get to a speed where good timing or good sound becomes difficult, even after several minutes of playing (notice if you feel muscle tension or fatigue), stop for now. Make a note of the tempo where you ended. The next day, start a few bpm slower than the previous day's ending tempo, then increase little by little as before. With daily stretching, you will gradually play faster while maintaining good timing and sound. 

Happy practicing!

Class #1 Review

Class notes from October 11th

Please feel free to post questions or observations below as a comment.

Dum, Tek and Ka

See tips on Practicing Good Form and Coordination Practice. 

Frame drummers, also check out Joshua Levin's videos on playing the frame drum while seated and while standing. 

Doumbek players, take a look at Alex Spurkel's videos on playing the Dum, the Tek, and the the Ka (what he calls "Caa")

Beladi

1...2...3...4...
D.D...T.D...t... Home (listen)
D.D.T.k.D.k.T... Walking (listen)

See tips on Learning a New Rhythm or Variation


NWR Cues

“Show Me One” - Ask for the location of the first beat of the cycle. Other ensemble mates will call out “1” at the appropriate spot in time
“Count #” – Stop playing for designated number of pulses
“Go Home” – Return to the core unembellished structure of the rhythm
“Break” - Stop playing for the duration of the current cycle
“Cut” - An abrupt ending at the end of the current cycle
“Match Me” - Play what I am playing
“Sail In” – Quietly begin and slowly increase volume
“Sup” - Slowly increase tempo
“Slowit” - Slowly decrease tempo
“Level up” – Slowly increase volume
“Level Down” – Slowly decrease volume
“Steady” - Hold the current temp / volume indefinitely