In this video lesson I will be presenting the Afro-Cuban 6/8 for drum set.
It is unlike many drum beats in that it implies a polyrhythmic feel. A polyrhythm has two or more contrasting rhythms in a musical setting. In this case the feet will be playing groups of two evenly spaced, while the hands will be implying groups of 3.
The Double Paradiddle is an excellent launching point for the Afro-Cuban 6/8. The double paradiddle is a grouping of 6 notes typically felt as 3 groups of 2 notes each. Meanwhile the feet will be dividing the double paradiddle in to 2 groups of 3. this will result in a feeling over 3 over 2.
It may take some time for your ears to adjust to this feeling. This makes for a challenging but very rewarding experience for drummers who are new to it.
Once you have gained control of the Double Paradiddle, put your right hand on the ride bell and left on the snare. We want the left to play ghost notes while the right stays strong. Once you do this you will begin to hear it as a 3 beat pattern. Adding the feet in unison every three notes will create the poly rhythmic feeling.
Later we can alter the hand pattern slightly to make a more authentic Afro-Cuban 6/8 feeling. Also, we can alter the bass drum to add interesting punches. Likewise the left could accent certain notes to vary the feeling. There are many ways to alter the Afro-Cuban 6/8, a few of which will be outlined in this lesson.
This rhythm originated in West Africa and later evolved in Cuba to give us the exciting and interesting rhythm we hear today. An excellent resource for African rhythms adapted to the drumset is Billy Martin’s: “Riddim: Claves of African Origin”.
