Krakatoa - Styles - Latin-Rock - Clocks
Links:
See also FREE Lessons for general Instruction not specific to a particular Style.
Background
"Rhumba" can also be spelled "Rumba." It's played in Cuba but with origins from the Iberian Peninsula of SouthWestern Europe (ie., Spain, Portugal, and Gibralter). It's Folkloric music & Dance, traditionally played only on drums & percussion, accompanied by vocals and dancers. We'll play it in 4/4 Meter (that's 4, 1/4 note Beats in a measure) at a tempo of 110 1/4 note bpm, but it's often played much faster - even up to 320 1/4-note Beats per minute! If you take it faster, give it a 2-Pulse Feel which is how 2/2 Meter or Cut-Time is played, with the 1/2-note becoming the Pulse or "beat" instead of the 1/4 note. In that case the tempo would be 55 up to 160 bpm. We may just do a gradual accelerando or even a ritard for the performance, so practice your parts at all Tempos!
See also Styles-Latin-Rhumba for a 2-3 Son Clave version.
Song's Accompaniment Style-Guidelines – See also Accompaniment Role-Guidelines:
Most of the other Instruments in someway, Support the Clave Rhythm – usually starting or stopping their phrases on one of these counts. By the way, the dancers traditionally depict dramatic, comical, or sexually suggestive themes.
Click here to practice the Rhuma along to an 
audio clip of "Clocks" by Coldplay.
Click here to see the Chord Chart.
Key: Gm
|1 2 + 3 4 |1 + 4 + |
Song's Drum & Percussion Style-Guidelines – See also Instrument Role-Guidelines:
The real "key" to knowing which measure you're in is to listen for the Clave Rhythm, which means “key” in spanish. The Clave is usually a 3-2 Rumba Clave. What's that mean for us? Listen for the 3 "spread-out" hits in the 1st measure on counts 1, the + (And) of 2, and + (And) of 4, then the 2 "close-together” hits in the 2nd measure on counts 2 & 3. Most of the other Instruments in someway, Support the Clave. Soloists should also do the same, often starting or stopping their phrases on one of these counts.
The suggested Parts below are 1st based on a 3-2 Rumba Clave (as played with "Clocks" by Coldplay):
Role 1 “Father” Drum Style-Guidelines:
The Salidor is the large low conga – we use the Low Tom using this suggested rhythm that Supports the “Mother” Drum and Clave rhythm:
|1 2 + 3 4 + |1 2 3 + 4 | to fit the 3-2 Rhumba Clave
|d r d t |d r d d t | r = hit rim, t = sticks together in air, d = hit drum.
|r l r t |r l r r t | right-handed player: r = right, l = left, t = together
Role 2 Steady Time-Keepers Style-Guidelines:
These can be used for either Clave Rhythm:
The Maracas keep 1/8-note Time: |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |, Accenting 2 & 4 with a “fatter” sound. Hold the beads flat or slightly downward for a tighter sound. Don’t play too loud. Don’t drag or rush.
|1 +a2 + 3 + 4 + |1 +a2 + 3 + 4 +| This requires very quick flicks of the wrist to make it "tight."
|r r lr l r l r l | r r lr l r l r l | right-handed player: r = right, l = left
Guiro or Rasp plays: |1 2 + 3 4 +|, as long, short-short, long, short-short strokes.
Tambourine should play on the Back-Beats 2 & 4 or 2 & 4+ in the 2nd Bar.
See Role 5 below for use of Wood (Clave or Woodblock).
Role 3 “Mother” Drums Style-Guidelines:
For the 3-2 Rhumba Clave rhythm:
|1 2 + 3 4 + |1 2 + 3 4 + |Using a standard Latin Tumbao - see also FREE Lessons - Role 3.
|b s s b o o |b s s b f o | s = muted slap, b = bass, f = open flam, o = open tone
|r r l r r l |r r l r r l | right-handed player: r = right, l = left, t = together
Role 4 “Child” Drums Style-Guidelines:
The Tres Golpes is the middle conga. It Supports and often Counters (fills-in holes) the Clave & Cowbell. Here’s we’re playing it on a varily high-pitched Conga Drum with beater-sticks (so it doesn’t damage the head), where the clicks support the Back-Beat in Latin-Rock (similar to the Vaqueteo technique used by Timbale players), and the open tones give a Mambo feel in the 1st Bar and fill-in the “Mother” Drum Groove in the 2nd Bar that helps create a Build-up that the “Mother” Drum will continue.
|1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | to fit the 3-2 Rhumba Clave
| o r o o r o | o r o f f | r = rim, o = open drum tone, f = open flam
| r l r r l r | r l r t t | right-handed player: r = right, l = left, t = together
Role 5 Advanced Time-Keepers Style-Guidelines:
1 person plays a 3-2 Rhumba Clave rhythm using Claves, Woodblock, or Jamm Block:
|1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |Counting 1/8-note Subdivisions
|1 + + | 2 3 | 3-2 Rhumba Clave rhythm
Another person can play Palitos time-rhythms (e.g., the Cascara): on a Cowbell (hitting between the mouth, center/neck with/without finger muting for tonal variation).
|1 2+ + + |1 2 3+ +| to fit the 3-2 Rhumba Clave
|m cm m c |m m cm c| m = open mouth, c = muted center/neck
Another Cowbell rhythm than can be played is:
|1 + +3 4+|1 2 3 + +| for 3-2 Rhumba Clave
|mc mc cm| m mc c| m = open mouth of Cowbell, c = muted center/neck.
Time-Rhythms (e.g., Cascara) can also be played on the shell (Paila) of a drum (as Timbale players often do during low Dynamic sections) using small sticks (also called Palitos). Optionally, the left-hand can filling in the holes lightly or on a different sound (rim) in the right-hand rhythm:
|1 2+ + + |1 2 3+ +| louder right-hand to fit the 3-2 Rhumba Clave
| + 3 4 | + + 4 | quieter left-hand
Role 6 “Master” and Solo Drum Style-Guidelines:
The Quinto “Conga” Drum or Bongas will be used by the Master Drummer 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 – 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 or Accompaniment players.