DJEMBESOLO PATTERNS contains a large amount of material, and many students eventually ask the same question: where should I start and how should I organize my progression?
Why a roadmap
If you are working through DJEMBESOLO PATTERNS, you may at some point encounter the same situation many students have mentioned to me. The course contains so much material that it can sometimes be difficult to know where to start and how to organize your progression.
The roadmap provides that direction.
How the DJEMBESOLO Roadmap Works
Within the roadmap, you will first work with a limited set of rhythm families and pattern functions. This allows you to understand the learning process. Once the process is integrated, you will be able to extend it to other rhythm families and additional pattern functions.
You can practice on your own, with others, or using the backing tracks from the B-Tracks course.
Scope
Understanding patterns and their functions.
Rhythm Families
- Binary
- Ternary Type 1
- Dunumba
- Ternary Type 2
Pattern Functions
- START Signal
- STOP Signal
- SOLO Pattern
- BRIDGE (Pick-Up)
- WARMING
- CONCLUSION Signal
The acquisition of patterns
The acquisition of patterns takes place in two phases.
Phase 1: Memorization.
Learning the patterns and being able to reproduce them.
Phase 2: Integration.
Combining, transforming, and what I like to call juggling the learned material.
Memorization is the most accessible phase. Almost everyone can memorize patterns.
However, integration is the most underestimated part, and yet the most important, not only in terms of musical impact but also in terms of the amount of time you will spend practicing.
A solid memorization phase can give the impression that the musical material has already been acquired. In reality, it is only the first step.
To put it simply, you could think of memorization as moving from 1 to 2, while integration takes you from 3 to 10.
The integration phase is what will allow you to go beyond simple repetition.
START & STOP Signals
Whether you are playing alone and need to start, or playing with others and want to lead the group, you have to play a START signal to start the rhythm and a STOP signal to stop it.
In short: As a leader the usage is to play a START and STOP signals to begin and end a rhythm.
Instruction: Practice the following START and STOP signals in each of the four rhythm families.
SOLO Pattern
Depending on its length, a SOLO pattern can be repeated as the soloist likes: as a rhythm, every other time, every fourth time, or using other repetition modes.
In short: A SOLO pattern can be played just like in the examples shown in the video, but feel free to experiment.
The first four selected SOLO patterns should be practiced by going through all the stages as described earlier, starting with memorization and then moving through several levels of integration.
BRIDGE
This type of pattern is used to announce what will happen on the first measure of the next cycle:
- a pattern
- a signal
- a warming
Sometimes, it simply highlights the accompaniment.
In short: A BRIDGE (pickup pattern) either announces what will happen on the first measure of the next cycle, or simply highlights the accompaniment.
Instruction: Practice the following BRIDGES in each of the four rhythm families.
The same BRIDGE can be used for Ternary Type 1 and Dunumba rhythms.
Conclude to Relaunch
As soon as you feel comfortable blending your new patterns with your own material, and using the BRIDGE at certain moments to create elegant transitions, you will need to be able to conclude your variations in order to start fresh on the next one.
The audience, your colleagues, and even yourself need this musical pause to breathe and to validate what has been done so far.
To do so, you will play a CONCLUSION Signal.
CONCLUSION Signal
The CONCLUSION signal, as its name suggests, is used to conclude a musical event.
This musical event can consist of the presentation of one or two patterns, developed variations, or a WARMING.
In this last case, the CONCLUSION signal is used to end the WARMING without stopping the rhythm.
In short: Use the CONCLUSION signal to conclude a musical event, including after a WARMING.
Instruction: Practice the following CONCLUSION signals in each of the four rhythm families.
WARMING
The WARMING is a process through which the soloist forces the accompaniment rhythm to increase in speed and intensity.
WARMING sequences end either with a CONCLUSION signal or with a STOP signal.
In the case of a CONCLUSION signal, the rhythm then returns to its previous tempo.
In short: The WARMING increases intensity before returning to the original tempo or stopping.
Instruction: Practice the following WARMINGS in each of the four rhythm families.
A Simple and Effective Djembe Solo Plan
A good solo is never random. Like spoken language, it is shaped by shared musical conventions, even when it may seem purely instinctive and free of any constraint. Let’s break this down with a simple example.
- START signal
- BRIDGE pattern highlighting the accompaniment
- SOLO patterns
- BRIDGE announcing what comes next
- WARMING ending with a CONCLUSION signal
- STOP signal ending the improvisation
Try the DJEMBESOLO PATTERNS course risk-free for 30 days.*
*If DJEMBESOLO is not the right fit for you, you can request a full refund within 30 days. No questions asked.