In these videos, C.K. Ladzekpo (director of the African music program at Berkeley) introduces polyrhythms and African instruments and walks us through several rhythmic patterns. Focus on the second video. Pay attention to each line as it is introduced and try to tap along. 

Activities

• Performing Polyrhythms: Try performing the some of the polyrhythms in Examples 1 and 2 on the polyrhythm handout. Break into groups. Each group is responsible for one rhythmic layer. Consider using different instruments for each layer or anything you can find in the classroom to create different timbres. 

  • • • The instructor begins by performing one of the layers first. Group 1 repeats back the pattern heard and continues repeating it. 

      • While Group 1 continues, the instructor performs the second rhythmic layer. Group 2 repeats that pattern back and continues repeating their pattern along with Group 1. 

      • The instructor continues with the 3rd rhythm pattern and so forth until all rhythmic layers have been added. 

      • Discuss your experience as a class.

• Slow Agbekor: Discuss what you learned about the Slow Agbekor from the prepared class materials. Review the instruments and the rhythmic parts you heard in the recording. Then, work through the steps in the Slow Agbekor handout here. This is an exercise prepared by the master drummers of the Ghana Dance Ensemble to help give you a feel for what it's like to perform in an African drum ensemble. 

• Improvisation: Select one of the African time lines from the time line handout here. Perform the time line until it's comfortable. Select a few members of the class to continue repeating the time line using a bell or other distinctive timbre. Individually explore and try improvising different repeated rhythmic patterns with the time line and the rhythms your classmates are performing. If you plan in advance, bring in some percussion instruments to use for the improvisation. Discuss the interplay between different instruments and the rhythmic communication that occurs within the ensemble. If you'd like an example, see Ladzekpo's video (Part 2) on African polyrhythms in the prepared materials above. 

• Want to practice more polyrhythms? Explore some of the other examples of African drumming styles on the World Music website here. There's a brief description of each style, followed by an interactive audio mixer that allows you to mute or change the volume of the different rhythmic layers so that you can isolate and practice them before joining in with the others.