Fanga Update

[Kim Atkinson]

Like many of you I’ve been playing and teaching Babatunde Olatunji's Fanga for many years. I’m fortunate that I learned it directly from him in Santa Cruz in the late 1980’s when we had a week of classes at Portuguese Hall ( Arthur - what year was that?)  

It is such a great foundation rhythm, a stand alone pattern for djembe, and its complementary parts are fairly easy for beginners. 

With the flood of other more complex and difficult djembe music becoming available, I made it my goal to help people really understand, embody and fully  groove with the Fanga rhythm.

To help that happen, I developed my own variations on all three parts, created my own ballet dun dun parts (which I posted here some time ago) and worked on my own solo ideas off the second part, (absent the dancers.) 

My latest observation came about after listening to many contemporary hip hopish rhythms and bass lines.  So in the spirit of that sonic movement here is my latest offering:

CHANGE THE LAST HIT OF THE FIRST PART FROM TONE TO BASS   gn  go godo gn gn gogn

That new bass hit seems to get connected to the bass on beat one, and together with the two basses in the middle creates a whole new feeling.

To amplify this new feeling, play the tones in first haft of the rhythm softer, emphasize the bass notes, and change the second to last hit near the end from a tone to a slap.  That slap on beat 4 really makes this new variation work, and takes the mood and vibe away from traditional Fanga, so it really becomes a new groove and not just a momentary variation on the basic Fanga.

  You may want to change the hand pattern to make it easier.   I do, so the first and last basses are on the same hand.  It ends up something like this:

gn  do dogo, gn gn tagn

                                                         > 

Let me know what you think and feel about this new groove. I think its cool and helps my young students feel the connection between ancient and modern.

grooving in the face of all the challenges.

Kim

 Kim Atkinson

Kim Atkinson

Sebastopol CA 95473

www.pulsewave.com

Ecstatic Drummer, Master Group Facilitator

Inspiring Musician, Teacher, Sound Worker

YouTube: KimAtkinsonDrums

Immerse yourself in the rapture of music.  You know what you love.  Go there. Tend to each note, each chord, 

Rising up from silence and dissolving again, Vibrating strings draw us Into the spacious resonance of the heart.

The body becomes light as the sky , And you, one with the Great Musician, Who is even now singing us Into existence.  

Vijnan Bhairava Tantra #18, Lorin Roche translation 

[~Giselle Felicia Vivian BM CHT~]

Awesome, Kim! Thanks for sharing these new evolutions of the foundational rhythm.  I just recently watched the video of the dancers and Babatunde....such a joyful moment of dance and drum, community and joy!

Blessings,

Giselle Felicia Vivian aka Heartbeatmama

[Alan Tauber]

I was lucky and that I got to study with Babatunde many times. Really nice man, I enjoyed him very much. There's some kind of saying when you start something start something good or it won't last. We've moved on from ashikos (many of us) to Djembe's and other drums. But the guidance of Olatunji has stayed with us. Long live his memory, his rhythms, and long live his love.