Kapagchan

This rhythm comes from the Senufo people in Korhogo, northern Ivory Coast. It was composed in the 1980's for an election, but more recently is played as a mask dance and is used at weddings.

Song

The song is sung in call and response, one line each. The lyrics mean "I've had a shower, but I am not clean". This is referring to political corruption, meaning that their heart is not clean.

  Nkola oh ma gbe
  Ndou su la mbe la

Main Rhythm

The rhythm is slow and the parts are very swung - think reggae skanking!

84bpm 4/4   | 1...2...3...4... |
Signal      | o.OO.O.OO.SSS... |

              r  lr rlr rlr rl
Djembe 1    | B..OO.SSB.OOO.SS |

                            $
            | 1...2...3...4... |
Bell        | ..xx..xx..xx..xx |
Kenkeni     | ..KK..KK..KK..KK |   ("Pecker, pecker")

Sangban     | g.xGG.x.g.G.G.x. |

                             $
            | 1...2...3...4... |
Dununba     | D.xxx.d.d.d.d.xD | +
            | D.xxx.d.d.d.d.xD | +
            | DD.D.DD.x.DDD.D. | +
            | D.xxx.d.d.d.d.xD |   (Signal comes on this 4th line)

Break

The manic Call for the Break has lots of doubles but is not too hard since the tempo is slow. Just like the Signal, the Break Call comes on Dununba's 4th line after its long bit.

84bpm 4/4   | 1...2...3...4... |
Break Call  | BsSoOsSoOsSsS... |   (where s=SS and o=OO doubles, not flams)
=             rflFrflFrflFr
84bpm 4/4   | 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . .  |
Break Call  | B.SSS.OOO.SSS.OOO.SSS.SSS....... |   (written double spaced)
              r lrl rlr lrl rlr lrl rlr

84bpm 4/4   | 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8... |
Response      rlrlrlrl
Djembes     | BSBSBSBS...OO....s.BB.s....BSSSS | +
            | S   (instead of initial B of Main Rhythm)

84bpm 4/4   | 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8... |
Duns (G=G+K)| DGDGDGDG.xxGG.xxxG.DD.G.x.xDGGGG | +
            | G   (instead of initial note of Main Rhythm)

Solo

84bpm 4/4   | 1...2...3...4... |
Signal      | o.OO.O.OO....... |     (comes after Dununba's long bit)
                        \                        
Solo A      |            BOOSS | +   (before downbeat, as Signal ends)
              rlrlrlrlrlrlrlrl
            | S..........BOOSS | +
            | S...........s..B | +
            | OOSOOSOOSOOSOOSS | +   (coincides with Dununba long bit)
            | S..........BOOSS | +

            | S..........BOOSS | +   (2nd time)
            | S...........s..B | +
            | OOSOOSOOSOOSOOSS | +
            | S..........BOOSS | +

            | S..........BOOSS | +   (3rd time)
            | S...........s..B | +
            | OOSOOSOOSOOSOOSS | +
            | S...........S3SS | +   (move into section B)

Solo B      | S...........O3OO | +
            | S..............B | +   (no flam in this section)
            | SSOOSSOOSSOOSSOO | +   (coincides with Dununba long bit)
            | S...........S3SS | +

            | S...........O3OO | +   (2nd time)
            | S..............B | +
            | SSOOSSOOSSOOSSOO | +
            | S...........S3SS | +

            | S...........O3OO | +   (3rd time)
            | S..............B | +
            | SSOOSSOOSSOOSSOO | +   (move into section C)

84bpm 4/4   | 1...2...3...4... |
              r     r r r r r        (wave with left hand sweeping R-L)
Solo C      | S.....W.W.W.W.W. | +   
              rl    l l l l l        (wave with right hand sweeping L-R)
            | OO....W.W.W.W.W. | +
              lr  r r lr  l l        (swap slapping+waving hands each time)
            | OO..W.W.OO..W.W. | +
              rl      rflrl  l       (Sidiki ended with r|l, instead of l|r)
            | OO......S3SSS..O | +

            | O.....W.W.W.W.W. | +   (2nd time, identical)
            | OO....W.W.W.W.W. | +
            | OO..W.W.OO..W.W. | +
            | OO......S3SSS..O | +

            | O.....W.W.W.W.W. | +   (3rd time, identical)
            | OO....W.W.W.W.W. | +
            | OO..W.W.OO..W.W. | +
            | OO......S3SSS..O | +

            | O                ||    (end here)

The Sangban and Dununba both join in with Solo C (without waving), just leaving Kenkeni on its part right to the end. Here, Sangban is notated as the opposite of Dununba's presses+hits, or alternatively Sangban could just play the same as Dununba instead.

84bpm 4/4   | 1...2...3...4... |
Dununba.C   | D.xxx.d.d.d.d.d. | +
            | DD.xx.d.d.d.d.d. | +
            | DD.xd.d.DD.xd.d. | +
            | DD.xx.x.DDDDD.xD | +
            | D                ||    (end here)

Sangban.C   | g.xxx.G.G.G.G.G. | +
            | gg.xx.G.G.G.G.G. | +
            | gg.xG.G.gg.xG.G. | +
            | gg.xx.x.GGGGG.xg |
            | g                ||    (end here)

Structure

  1. Song
  2. Signal, then Main Rhythm
  3. Break, then Main Rhythm again
  4. Break, then Main Rhythm again
  5. Break, then Main Rhythm again
  6. Signal, then everyone capable plays Djembe Solo while others stay on Djembe 1
  7. It ends after the third iteration of Solo section C

Key to notation

(c) Modern traditional rhythm from Ivory Coast taught by djembefola Sidiki Dembele at an afternoon workshop with dununfola Yahz (Yahael Camara-Onono) at Vitae Djemboree on Sunday 2018-08-19 (notated by Malcolm Smith during the class and and reformatted here on 2018-08-22, last updated on 2018-09-03 to add solo and on 2018-09-17 to correct Break from S.BB.S to s.BB.s).