Drum Language
Most people have no idea that there is a language of hand drummers. This language is a different and much simpler method of musical notation that the written musical notes we are all familiar with. The language of drums is still an incredibly complex systems whereby there are notes that are notated by a verbal word or sound. It must also be said at this point that you will be much better at drumming and learning how to play the different notes or pitch if you have a good drum with a nice tight goatskin on it. If the drum skin is not stretched tight enough, you will never get a good sound out of it no matter how hard & long you practice. So get a good djembe drum and get it tuned/tightened by the drum shop or learn how to do it yourself. There is an excellent video How To Tune Your Drum Video is available free at Djembe Drum Shop
For example, the big boom boom, base note of the drum is called GUN. GUN is played by striking the very center of the skin with a flat hand that has the fingers and thumbs held
together with a slight cup. There are several dozen different hand positions and striking motions that each create a different note on a djembe or other hand drum.
The great African drummer, Mor Thiam from Senegal, is able to produce EVERY NOTE played by all the instruments typically found in a symphony orchestra. Of course, this level of skill takes many years of practice to master. A beginner can typically master the 4 main drum notes within a few hours or days of practicing.
It was the renowned Nigerian drum master, Babatunde Olatunjii who brought the concept of a drum language or vocabulary to so many non-African parts of the world. It was on Vancouver Island, British Columbia that we first met him for a workshop he was teaching on drum language of course. We had been playing drums for many years; even spent a year in Sierra Leone, West Africa. That's another whole story. OMG!
BABA, as he was known to all, somehow taught 40 lily white people all about the drum notes and how to play songs on our own hand drums in 7 days ending in a big community dance at which WE were the big band that rocked the small hall on Cortez Island.(smaller island off east coast of Vancouver Island) BAB was a genius at drumming and at teaching. He had amain motto which I'll share with you.
"IF YOU CAN SAY IT...YOU CAN PLAY IT"
This motto was at the center of learning how to beat a rhythm as part of a song created by different drum sections playing different parts.
A simple example of a drum language phrase would go something like this;
GUN GUN GO-DO / GUN GUN GUN
THE GO-DO or GO note is higher in pitch than the GUN note. GO or DO or GO-DO is played by holding the hand with the thumb back and up & off the skin with the 4 fingers held together. The skin is struck straight down with only the fingers not the palm. the finger should just extend past the hard rim, so that the main knuckles of the hand are NOT striking the drum. Just the fingers from the crease down actually hit the drum. This takes practice, but it is important to the sound of this note as well as the health of the hands. That rim will hurt you if you hit it with your knuckle bottoms; the pain makes for a terrific teacher.
So when learning a beat, we had to say it first with the timing correct. The above GUN GUN GO-DO / GUN GUN GUN was said or sang like this:
GOON GOON GODO PAUSE GOON GOON GOON and repeat.
There is something special in our human brains that will make a solid connection in learning. If we say these rhythm phrases repeatedley until we know them like a nursery rhyme, we WILL be able to make our hands play the pattern of notes we have learned. It is truly an extraordinary learning tool that opened up a huge new world of drumming capabilities to everyone who managed to learn it. It does take a great deal of practice to achieve a variety of sounds, but within a week or so you will begin to detect the different notes. The more you practice the more skill you attain.
Once you can play a number of notes you will be able to play melodies. Groups of drummers who have a common vocabulary of rhythms and notes can enjoy the challenge of polyrhythmic song playing and even go on to form a band. With a drum language, drummers can actually communicate with each other to create the co-operation that is required to make music. Drum circles that learn to communicate this way will be experience rapid growth of a more advanced percussive sound.
Hand Positions
BASS - The LOWEST NOTE is called TUN, DUN or GUN When played, It makes a Long GOON sound. Place the fingers & thumb together with a very slight cup in palm & fingers. Strike the centre of head or skin rapidly pulling it straight back up again. NO PART OF YOUR HAND OR FINGERS TOUCHES THE RIM.
SONG - The second lowest note, is called DO, GO or KO. When played, it makes a short OH sound. Place the fingers together with the thumbs up & out to the side. Your palm and thumb DO NOT STRIKE the drum. Only the fingers below the big knucle hit the drum, the crease at the base of fingers stays at rim of drum with knuckle bones just back off the rim. Strike rapidly with the fingers bouncing straight back up again quick.
CUTTING - One of the higher notes, is called TA, PA or DA
When played it makes a high short piercing AH sound. Place your fingers together like in GO, with the thumbs away to the side & up. The difference is that your fingers are turned up towards the centre and held at a 30 degree angle to the drum head surface. This stroke has a super fast hard, sideways slice/cut that moves from side to centre with a sharp lift as soon as the fingers hit. You can hear the lead drummer cutting through the back beat using this powerful call.
TING - This is one of the highest pitch notes. When played it makes a high TI, TING or TEET sound. The fingers are held together as in GO, but you strike ONLY with the first section of your first 3 finger tips, just at the edge of the rim. Fast, hard and straight up and down. Make sure you keep that first knuckle just off the rim. It hurts when you miss and handily, the pain will eventually guide those fingertips to the correct position after a number of misses.
SOLO - This note is a mid pitch, but very striking, pounding loud and POPPING. It is called pop. This is called the solo stroke because it is the main one used to solo and signal the other drummers. The fingers are slightly apart with the thumb out & up. Strike the centre of the drum with just the fingertips almost levering them from the heal of your hands, which are positioned at the rim. The strike must be super fast and really hard, to make that pop. It takes quite a bit of practice to get it, but when you do, You will feel like a real HOT DRUMMER!
The song below just uses three of the easiest notes:
GUN, GO DO, and PA TA. Remember GO = DO and PA = TA
Gun is the low note.
GoDo are the medium notes.
PaTa are the high notes.
So when you try singing the song just pick any 3 notes you want.
The old Doe Ray Me would do. It does not matter at this point, which notes as long as one is low for GUN, one mid for GoDo and other is high for PaTa.
When you see a forward slash / in the music it denotes a pause, one / for a short pause, two // for two beats, three/// for three beats, etc.
SIMPLE SONG
GUN GO GUN // GUN GO GUN
GUN GO GUN GO GUN GO GUN
GUN-GODO-GUN / GUN-GODO-GUN
GUN-GODO GUN-GODO GUN-GODO GUN
GUN-PATA-GUN / GUN-GUN-PATA-GUN
GUNGUNPATA-GUNPATA GUNGUNPATA GUN
After mastering each 2 line phrase, you can practice playing with two other drummers, each drummer playing one of the three parts.
