Atsimevu Tones And Performance Techniques (Cont'd)

Tones: "De", "Te", and "Ge"

In the understanding of a master drummer, a drum stick is an extension of the hand that remains under constant control in order to release only the desired frequency ranges of vibrations (i.e., tones) from striking the membrane using the appropriate techniques.

Tones "De", "Te", and "Ge"
Basic Stick Technique

Tone: "Tsi"
An alternate stick-shot approximately half the intensity of the stroke producing the "De" tone allows only limited vibration of the membrane by touching and holding the stick firmly at its center as the stroke is played. This technique produces a higher tone known in vocalise as "Tsi" which imitates the sound produced by damping the membrane with the stick. Note that "Tsi" like all tones is often used in a more-complex rhythmic context—this explains why in the illustration below the performer's other hand is ready to produce the tone "Gi" with the other hand.

Tone: "Tsi"
Alternate Stick Technique

Tone: "To"

Delivering a stick-shot with the main stick hand (that rebounds after striking the center of the drum and then immediately damping the membrane) by pressing the fingers of the other hand firmly in the periphery produces a higher tone known as "To" in vocalise.

Tone: "To"
Variant Stick Technique

Tone "Ka"

The final stick-drumming technique described here in detail for the Atsimevu does not utilize the membrane as the source of the imparted vibration! It consists of striking the wider middle portion of the exterior of the cylindrical body known in the Ewe (Vegbe) language as Vukogo to produce an intense clap-like sound called in vocalise "Ka". In playing this tone, the aural impact of the pitch is normally reinforced by using a "dead stroke" whereby the stick is prevented from rebounding by pressing it firmly against the drum's cylindrical body or shell. Hence not only the shell of the Atsimevu but the stick iteslf produces a portion of the characteristic sound (in English called a "click"). The tone Ka is often used to articulate or punctuate the drum-speech, to initiate or set apart a section of a rhythmic phrase as well as to inspire and/or to signal the dancers to prepare for a change in the music or to perform specific dance movements suited to the musical/dance context.

Tone: "Ka"
Vukogo Stick Technique

Combined Techniques for
Tones: "Dza" and "Dzi"

The tone "Ka" is quite distinct from the rest of the other tones for which the membrane is utilized as the initial source of vibration. Its intense clap-like sound can be clearly heard in its primary role, intensifying the flavor and character of the drum music which is an orderly sequence of tones in time known in the Ewe musical tradition as Vugbe (pron. "VOOG-bay", aka drum-speech).

Another important point with respect to use of the tone "Ka" is that it is commonly used to accentuate other tones to produce denser tonal variations. In this way, the tone Ka is performed by the main hand accentuating the pitches "Ga" and "Ki" played by the other (often the non-stick) hand.

The tone "Ga" played nearly-simultaneously with the tone "Ka" produces a denser, lower-pitched tonal variant in vocalise called "Dza".

Combined Tone: "Dza"

Combined Techniques - Bare Hand and Stick

Accentuating the higher-pitched tone "Ki" with the mid-range tone "Ka" produces a denser high-pitched variant tone known in vocalise as "Dzi".

Combined Techniques of Fingers and Stick

The above basic and alternate tones used individually and in combinations produce the full range of the Atsimevu's main sounds. However, some additional tonal variants are used to indicate the relative rate of speed with which some combined tones are connected.

For example, in a musical phrase exploiting the intermediate tones between "De" and "Ge" occurring faster than the rhythmic motion of the basic pulse, the syllable "Gle" is used to describe the combined sounds. Similarly, the syllable "Vlo" is used to describe the occurrence of the intermediate tones between "Gi" and "De" occurring faster than the rhythmic motion of the basic pulse.

As a further-modifying term, the phoneme "n" is added at the end of a tone to indicate a short duration of about one beat of the basic tempo. For example, the tone "Te" modified as "Ten" is an indication that the duration of the resonance is controlled to last for about one beat in the basic tempo. While its role may be more elusive in other musical contexts, in African music the role of the drum in music is that of a surrogate for the production of human speech (in this case drum-speech or vugbe). Hence the addition of "n" is analogous to the closing of the speaker's mouth.

In terms of a performance technique, the duration of resonance of a tone is normally controlled by damping the membrane at the periphery with a light but firm touch of the fingers of the other hand. This technique is of prime importance in the articulation of the structure of a drum-speech or vugbe. It provides the means of indicating the basic motives, phrases and periods out of which the drum music is made.

All information on Atsimevu was generously provided by Prof. CK Ladzekpo, author of Foundation Course for African Dance Drumming

Additional information on (various) Ewe instruments (CK Ladzekpo's site) Home / Drums

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