This rhythm originates from Yoruba music, religious music dedicated
to Orishas gods. Odua is the divinity of birth and
death. There are several songs that accompany this rhythm but it
is played in its instrumental part called Orun Seco during religious
ceremonies. Orun
Seco regroups 21 rhythms of which Odua is the fifteenth.
Characteristics
of the rhythm: sequence of two measures for every drum
part, Iya, Itotélé, Okonkolo, and
Okonkolo holds a metronomic role in spite of the fact
that it plays three quarter notes in triplets. Itotélé gives with
the high note the second eight note triplet. Iya has a variation
which appears at the last two beats of the second bar
of its sequence.
I wrote an original arrangement of the Oduarhythm
which will be recorded with drummer Paul
Brochu on the
first
album of guitarist Yves Nadeau, which will be released
in July, 2003 at the International Jazz Festival of Montreal.
Practice exercises:
Given the importance of every drum and all the melodies
that make the Bata rhythms, I recorded two versions playing only
two of the instruments: Iya and Okonkolo. and Iya and Itotélé.
This will allow to work Itotélé in
the first version and Okonkolo in the second
