learning rhythm through West African Music - Tutorial 2 (Meter and Triplet Subdivision, Yoruba song)

Welcome to Rhythms of the Village! We are a cultural center whose mission is to share the music, arts, languages, and cultures of Africa. This video is the second in a set of tutorials that teaches the fundamentals of rhythm through the ancient art of West African drumming. I am Judy Tran, a classically trained musician and teacher, and I'm bringing you these tutorials with Onoche Chukwurah, Nigerian Griot of the Igbo tribe, who came to the United States playing in the band of Fela Kuti and later created Rhythms of the Village.

West African music is centered around rhythm. Whether you are just starting off your music studies, refining your rhythmic skills, or studying the music of Africa, this is a great set of tutorials for you. Unlike other "how to" videos on African rhythms or drumming out there, these tutorials are not geared around making drumming easy, but toward breaking down and analyzing these rhythm patterns to enrich your understanding and appreciation of the deeply complex, sophisticated, and beautiful music of West Africa.

This second tutorial continues explaining the basic fundamentals of rhythm that we started in the first tutorial by focusing on the triplet subdivision, which breaks down a single beat, or quarter note, into three smaller equal parts, represented by three eighth notes strung together. We will also give you an explanation of the cultural background to the musical example we use, which is the Yoruba song, "Eyo."

As you work your way through each tutorial, the concepts will become more complex, and the West African rhythm patterns we will use as examples will become more sophisticated. The height of rhythmic understanding comes with polyrhythm, which we will be gradually building up to in these tutorials. We hope that you enjoy them and receive much enrichment from the wonderful music of Africa!