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Submitted by:  David Luebbert Posted:  5/29/18; 6:48:13 AM Msg#:  6079 (top msg in thread) Prev/Next:  6078/6080 Reads:  156

When you press the play button, you will hear 4 repetitions of the 6/8 long bell performed. This and the 6/8 short bell pattern (presented next) are the two most commonly used bell patterns used in African rhythm ensembles when a 6/8 rhythm is played.

These both serve as a timeline, which each player in an ensemble can easily hear, which allows them to sense how their individual part should align with respect to all of the other parts in the ensemble as their own part repeats.

The long bell pattern plays four hits on the beat, followed immediately by three beats on the off beat. It's called a "long" bell because more on beat hits occur in the pattern than off beat hits.

The fourth beat is the crossover beat in the long bell, where two successive hits occur within one beat. In the fourth beat, the fourth beat of the on beat hit series occurs in the first half of the beat, followed by the first of the series of off beats in the second half of the fourth beat.

1		2		3		4		5		6
x	*	x	*	x	*	x	x	*	x	*	x

Click within notation to launch animation for this rhythm

Ta-Ke-Ti-Na translation for rhythm:

TA-tick | TA-tick | TA-tick | TA-KE | tick-KE | tick-KE

Hit syllables for rhythm:

HIT-tick | HIT-tick | HIT-tick | HIT-HIT | tick-HIT | tick-HIT

Olatunji syllables for rhythm:

GO-tick | GO-tick | GO-tick | GO-DO | tick-DO | tick-DO

The 6/8 short bell pattern plays three hits on the beat, followed immediately by four beats on the off beat. It's called a "short" bell because fewer on beat hits occur in the pattern than off beat hits.

The third beat is the crossover beat in this short bell pattern, where two successive hits occur within one beat. At the start of the the third beat, the third beat of the on beat hit series occurs, followed by the first of the series of off beats in the second half of this pattern.

1		2		3		4		5		6
x	*	x	*	x	x	*	x	*	x	*	x

Click within notation to launch animation for this rhythm

Ta-Ke-Ti-Na translation for rhythm:

TA-tick | TA-tick | TA-KE | tick-KE | tick-KE | tick-KE

Hit syllables for rhythm:

HIT-tick | HIT-tick | HIT-HIT | tick-HIT | tick-HIT | tick-HIT

Olatunji syllables for rhythm:

GO-tick | GO-tick | GO-DO | tick-DO | tick-DO | tick-DO

This 6/8 bell variant plays the third beat crossover that is characteristic of the short bell pattern followed by the fourth beat crossover that is characteristic of the long bell pattern.

This pattern plays two hits on the beat, two beats of double hits business, followed by two hits off the beat.

1		2		3		4		5		6
x	*	x	*	x	x	x	x	*	x	*	x

Click within notation to launch animation for this rhythm

Ta-Ke-Ti-Na translation for rhythm:

TA-tick | TA-tick | TA-KE | TA-KE | tick-KE | tick-KE

Hit syllables for rhythm:

HIT-tick | HIT-tick | HIT-HIT | HIT-HIT | tick-HIT | tick-HIT

Olatunji syllables for rhythm:

GO-tick | GO-tick | GO-DO | GO-DO | tick-DO | tick-DO

This 6/8 bell variant only plays on beat hits for the first three beats of the pattern followed by three off beat hits for the last three beats of the pattern. The double stroke crossover beats of the short bell and of the long bell have both been supressed.

This pattern plays only the hits that are commonly shared by both the 6/8 long bell and the 6/8 short bell pattern.

1		2		3		4		5		6
x	*	x	*	x	*	*	x	*	x	*	x

Click within notation to launch animation for this rhythm

Ta-Ke-Ti-Na translation for rhythm:

TA-tick | TA-tick | TA-tick | tick-KE | tick-KE | tick-KE

Hit syllables for rhythm:

HIT-tick | HIT-tick | HIT-tick | tick-HIT | tick-HIT | tick-HIT

Olatunji syllables for rhythm:

GO-tick | GO-tick | GO-tick | tick-DO | tick-DO | tick-DO

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