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Krakatoa - Styles - African - Ear To The Ground

 
 

 

  
 

Links:

  

Go To: Styles-African-Ear To The Ground-Shows:

Go To: Styles-African-EarToTheGround-BandRehearsals Flash Video Icon ONLINE Video

Go To: Styles-African-EarToTheGround-PrivateLessons Flash Video Icon ONLINE Video

See also FREE Lessons for general Instruction not specific to a particular Style.

  
 

 

Further Private and Group Drum & Percussion Lessons are available by Contacting Us.

 

  
     
 

 

Background

One of our members, Donna B., had gone to a moving experience by Ubaka Hill (see http://www.eomega.org/omega/faculty/viewProfile/25a2642da7a8d699a4fc338613b154e7 and http://www.drumcentral.net/Hill.htm). She brought a CD by the group and we liked it so much, we created a Groove based on it and Donna decided to Improvise on its lyrics. See also She's Been Waiting.

Song's Accompaniment Style-Guidelines - See also Accompaniment Role-Guidelines:

Listen to an Flash Video Icon audio clip of a Show that has a good "Mother" Drum Groove for practicing:

Click here to see the Chord Chart.

Key: E                                    Afr. Chant         (Wah Bass)
|1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a|                         Count 1/16-note Subdivisions
|1  +a2     3  +  4     

Here are the main lyrics of Ubaka Hill, Donna was inspired by:

Ear to the ground,
Can you feel the earth shaking?
Ear to the ground,
Can you feel?

Ear to the ground,
Can you feel the earth speaking?
Ear to the ground,
Can you feel?

Ear to the ground,
Can you feel our hearts open?
Ear to the ground,
Can you feel?

Ear to the ground,
Can you feel our bodies healing?
Ear to the ground,
Can you feel?

Ear to the ground,
Can you feel the people praying?
Ear to the ground,
Can you feel?

Ear to the ground,
Can you feel the singers singing?
Ear to the ground,
Can you feel?

Ear to the ground,
Can you feel the dancers dancing?
Ear to the ground,
Can you feel?

Ear to the ground,
Can you feel the drummers drumming?
Ear to the ground,
Can you feel?

Song's Drum & Percussion Style-Guidelines - See also Instrument Role-Guidelines:

The focus is on the Vocalist when they are singing, so come down in volume.   There's a lot of ebb & flow to the music, rising in volume and falling.   Listen (give "ear") carefully to the "Mother" Drum Groove.  Really bring out the Bass tones - these are "grounding."  Give it a really earthy, groovy feeling to this chant-like song.

Role 1 "Father" Drum Style-Guidelines:

Bringing out the 2-Pulse Feel, a strong Pulse on 3, and adding Pick-up notes to signal the end of the Phrase:

|1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a | Count 1/16-note Subdivisions
|1            3           +a |
|B            F          bb | B = loud Bass, b = softer bass, F = loud open Flam
|r            lR          r l  | right-handed: r = right, l = left

Role 2 Steady Time-Keepers Style-Guidelines:

Shakers:

|1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | Count 1/8-note Subdivisions
|1    2 + 3     4 + |
|r     r  l  r     r  l  | right-handed: r = right, l = left

Tambourine:

|1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | Count 1/8-note Subdivisions
|      2        + 4    |

Rasp or Guiro:

|1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | Count 1/8-note Subdivisions
|1           3 +       |
|L           L s       | L = Long scrape, s = short scrape
|d           d u       | d = down-stroke, u = up-stroke

Metal - Low-pitched Cowbell:

|1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | Count 1/8-note Subdivisions
|1 +       3     4    |
|c  c      m     m  | c = center, m = mouth

Wood:

Role 3 "Mother" Drums Style-Guidelines:

|1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a| Count 1/16-note Subdivisions
|1  +a2     3  +  4      |
|B  ooh    B  o   f      | B = loud Bass, o = open, h = show hands, f = muted flam
|r   r l       r   l    lR    | right-handed: r = right, l = left

Role 4 "Child" Drum Style-Guidelines:
|1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a | Count 1/16-note Subdivisions
|1  + 2e     3      4e    |
|r   L r l     h      r l    | right-handed: r = right, l = left (L = rim), h = hands up

Role 5 Advanced Time-Keepers Style-Guidelines - Woodblock or Claves:

|1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | Count 1/8-note Subdivisions
|1        +       4    |  1-Bar Clave (see Styles-Cuba -Tresillo Cubano)

|1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a | Count 1/16-note Subdivisions
|1    a    +          4      | Double-time 1-Bar Clave inserted into a 1-Bar Clave   

Role 6 "Master" and Solo Drum Style-Guidelines:

We’ll use The Quinto “Conga” Drum or Bongas to Call Responses from Soloists and can also be used to improvise w/ the vocals and dancers.  The Calls and Responses could be 1 Bar (or more likely 2 Bars long), and usually respect the Clave rhythm (if there is one) – starting or stopping phrases on the notes played by the Clave.  They can also “play off” the other Time-Keeping patterns or Dialogue with any of the other Drum parts (especially the "Mother" Drum) or Accompaniment players.

 
     
     
     
 
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