Thank you love. This is my 2st online lesson. 20 years ago I knew an abundance of drummers from Senegal who would drum in my yard and do stilt walking.
That groove is so slinky: that nice tight Guineafare backtrack contrasts so nicely with your lovely, romantic phrasing. Though my mind initially calls it "funky", I believe that it is FAR from funk - no disorder or chaos here, syncopation and cooperation have always been the name of the game for me. Any solos I have ever attempted were ham-handed, overly-loud, and fairly transparently American, if I was even able to follow the beat correctly. I have always wondered - are these phrases meant to be played verbatim, in a tight quantized timing, or is a "swing" in the tempo allowed for one that may attempt such a feat? Follow-up question: If a swing is acceptable, is there a preferred style of swing based on the groove being played? And final question - If a swing is indeed used in the "solo" phrasings, are those swings traditionally based on the region from which the musician hails? I feel like I can tell the region a drum was carved in by sound, but that likely has everything to do with the wood leveraged. Also, thanks so much, dude. Learning some of these traditional rhythms, hearing them played by someone that isn't "guessing" about how it should all "come together" is always magic. I've never seen a traditional cycle played in person, only online. LOVE it. I consider myself lucky - 200 years ago I'd probably have never had the pleasure of hearing, seeing and playing these drums. And I'm still not sure I'll ever figure out how to get mine tuned to quite the "KA!" I have heard from masters such as yourself. Cheers!
