The Pleasure of Polyrhythm

In Simon’s intermediate djembe class, we have been inspired by the Malinké rhythm Mendiani to explore a deeper understanding of the nature of polyrhythm. In Mendiani and other 12/8 rhythms the dance movements and the solo djembe parts alternately emphasise different groupings of notes.

Sometimes the pulse seems to be clearly obvious and then like a wave a new melody comes in and destabilises our assumptions. We move from a trot into a canter and occasionally a frog leap from one point to another, and back again.

There are ways to understand these different ‘pulses’ intellectually, but feeling it in your body is something else. There is no substitute for playing the rhythms again, and again, and again, moving from one feeling to another. While at first uncomfortable, the familiarity with these changes develop a stronger and more versatile ‘rhythm power’ – something worth aspiring to!

The numbers explained

4 pulse 
This is probably the most common place to feel the beat – 4 groups of 3 beats in a cycle of 12

6 pulse
If we divide the 12 into 6 groups of two we feel the ‘6 pulse’

3 pulse
Often more difficult to find is the ‘3 pulse’ where we divide the 12 into 3 groups of 4. We see this often in Dundunba rhythms and occasionally in Sorsoner, Mendiani, Soli, Kakilambe

Feel it in your body

Simon has created a series of exercises designed to help you feel these different ‘pulses’ on the djembe. Play them everyday – preferably in a group setting (or join a class!) Sweet mamas are dancing to 12/8 rhythms too 😊🕺