Repinique with Derek

Two fabulous lessons in a row from Derek in the past couple days. The first was a repique crash course with Chris and John J.

Finally I think I understand that beautiful pattern Lions use, which they seem to have got from Jorge:
C=center
S=rimshot
K = click on rim
L = hard left slap, accented
l = soft left finger, more like a tone

ok, here's the ride that I THINK Lions are using:
CSKL CCCl CSKL CCCL

Two things going on here that are a little different than the plain basic CSKL ride. (Or rather CSSL. Different opinions about that). First is the alternation of loud left slaps with softer tone-ier touches. Second is the alternation between CSK, pulling out to the rim, and CCC, staying in the center. I've been fascinated by this pattern ever since spotting Lions players doing it last year. I'm still not sure if I'm hearing this right but it seems like what they're doing. Anyway, put those two things together and you get a lovely alternating sound, very melodic.

The funny thing is, that pattern comes from Jorge. But when I spent my September in Oakland last year to study with Jorge, he showed me this instead:
CSSL ClCl CSSL CClC
So that's what I've been practicing, and it is also beautiful in a whole different way. It's just playing the terceiro pattern. Maybe Jorge showed me this one because he knows I'm a terceiro player??

The thing about Jorge is, he has SUCH a vast base of knowledge, that I can't always get a clear grasp on whether the thing he's showing me that particular lesson is the basic pattern, a common variation, or a rare solo fill, or even just an exercise. I remember getting completely confused about Viradouro caixa once because he'd happened to show a rare variation in a workshop and I thought that it was the basic pattern. I wish I could take all of next year just to move to Oakland and study with Jorge... or at least a summer... the month last year was not even remotely enough. (Hmm... an interesting thought, especially now that i know that my bio textbook employer has been bought by Benjamin-Cummings, which is in SF! I just had an exchange with an editor there who said she had some work coming up next year.)

ANYway. Derek also got us going on a partido-alto family of patterns that jibes with what I got from Dudu in Rio.
Dudu recommended starting with this:
lSSL SlSl SlSS LSlS

and Derek was using the exact same pattern, yay, plus a whole variety of variations. Some sparsed out to just the main rimshots, some all filled in. Layering pieces in and out of the basic ride.

We also spent a FASCINATING amount of time on the various ways to play what I've been calling the Short Riff, the little "brrr-da-BAH!" that occurs after band breaks (and-uh-FOUR) and, in longer form, near the end of repique calls (ee-and-uh-ONE). Derek recommended backing it up all the way to the previous beat and making it into a full five-count roll: four-ee-and-uh-ONE. He walked us through about 4 different ways to play this, with and without flams, filled out in rolls, or sparse and light. He had a way of doing a buzz that was barely even a buzz, just two taps really, that turned it all so liquid and clear. It suddenly became clear to me that if I could master these five-count-roll things with that same liquid light feel and that same beautiful control of the voicing, I could do almost anything on repique.... almost.... ifffffff I could master it!

Then we blasted through all the little repique pieces that occur in Lions entradas, calls, etc. Really fun.

Next day met up with him again for a candomble rhythm lesson. Usual Derek thing of "Oh, I don't really know that much about that" followed by a full hour of gigantically useful insights and beautiful patterns. First time it's ever really made sense to me, actually.

Drove back to Seattle that night tapping five-count rolls on my steering wheel. Stopped off at Lisette's to grab the dance video cd and immediately started studying the 6/8 and the Gina videos. Boy, the Gina cues make a LOT more sense once I see what the dancers are actually doing. Bizarre things like a 19-measure count make more sense when you see it's really four times through the same four-count kicky dance pattern, and then a pretty little 3-measure pose at the end.

It's weird, I don't really even want to lead but I just love the idea of improving my repique playing, and I also get a huge kick out of learning the dance cues. I always really dig knowing what the dancers are up to and trying to keep a holistic sense of the entire show in my head. But in my ideal world, I'd learn all the repique calls and be a HYPOTHETICAL back-up leader, but Brian would never have to actually use me! I'd really just be playing terceiro and enjoying the show!