Ewe drumming

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Ewe drumming is played in a drumming ensemble played by the Ewe people of Ghana, Togo, and Benin. The Ewe are known for their experienced drumming throughout West Africa. The sophisticated cross rhythms and polyrhythms are similar to the ones in jazz.

Contents

1 History and Variation
2 Instrument Performance
3 Mallet instruments

3.1 Gankogui
3.2 Toke

4 Rattle instrument
5 Master drums

5.1 Sogo
5.2 Atsimevu
5.3 Boba
5.4 The Kroboto and Tododzi

6 Other drums

6.1 Kidi
6.2 Kaganu

7 Tonal drumming
8 References
9 See also

History and Variation

African slaves brought these polyrhythms and cross rhythms to America during the slave trade. Ewe drumming is very diverse and can can played slightly different ways. For example, an Ewe musician from Togo may play a song or instrument slightly differently from the way an Ewe from Ghana plays it. There is an Ewe subgroup of peoples called Fon. The Fon people live in Benin and constuct their villages, towns, and cities on water. Because of this, they do not play the same upright drums the other Ewes play. They place large gourds on water as their drums.

Instrument Performance

A Ewe drumming ensemble consist of drums, a bell, and a rattle. Each ensemble usually has a master drum, a mallet intrument called a gankogui, and a group of secondary drummers.

Mallet instruments

Gankogui

The gankogui is a bell-like insrument played with a wooden stick. It is made out of iron and consist of a high pitched bell and a low pitched bell. Therefore the gankogui is two bells combined into one. The gankogui is the skeleton, backbone, and foundation of all traditional Ewe music. The gankogui player must play steady throughout the music and not mess up. If the gankogui player messes up than the music will be ruined. The gankogui player is usually a trustworthy person. In a drumming ensemble a gankogui player has no variation.

Toke

The toke is made out of iron and is shaped somewhat like a boat or a banana. It is held in the palm and is played with a small metal rod. The toke serves the same purpose as the gankogui and is sometimes used instead of or a substitute for the gankogui. The gankogui and toke come in all various sizes.

Rattle instrument

The next instrument used in traditional Ewe drumming is called axatse (pronounced ah-hah-chay). The axatse is a rattle-like instrument which is basically a hollowed-out gourd covered with a net of seeds or beads. The axatse is usually played sitting down. It is held at the handle and in the players strong hand and is shaken up hitting the hand and down hitting the thigh making two different sounds. The axatse usually plays the same thing that the bell plays but with some extra added notes in between the beats. It can be described as the eighth note version of what the gankogui plays. It has also been described as enriching or reinforcing what the gankogui plays. Overall it gives energy to the music and drives the music. The axatse produces a dry ratting but energetic sound.

Master drums

In almost all West African drumming ensembles there is a lead drum or master drum which leads the group. The master drummer tells the ensemble when to play and when to stop. In some West African drumming ensembles, the master drummer is to play the main theme of the song and improvise. In Ewe drumming, the master drummer does drum dialogue with the kidi. It enriches the kidi phrase by filling in the empty spaces on the kidi’s part. The master drum can also improvise.

In Ewe drumming, the term master drum can mean be lot of different drums. It doesn’t just refer to one type of drum. It can mean the atsimevu, sogo, kroboto, totodzi, or boba. These are the only Ewe drums that can be used master drums. Depending on what song you play determines what drum you use as the master drum. For example, a group is playing Agbadza (an old Ewe war song), the master drummer will be playing the sogo. Most of the master drum techniques and playing styles are pretty much the same regardless of which drum is used. There are sometimes some differences.

Sogo

The basic master drum is called sogo pronounced (so-go). Sogo is the drum that can always be a substitute for the master drum. It is also the actual correct master drum for some songs. The Sogo is a larger version of the kidi and is taller and fatter than the kidi. It can be played either with two wooden sticks, one hand and one stick, or both hands. This depends on the technique used in the song being played. Depending on the song being played, sometimes the sogo can play the same role as the kidi. It produces a low tone and is usually played sitting down.

Atsimevu

Another master drum is called atsimevu (pronounced ah-chee-meh-voo) The atsimevu is the tallest drum among the Ewe. It is around four and a half feet tall. In order to be played, it must be leant over on a stand called vudetsi. To play the drum the master drummer stands by either side of the drum and either plays it with two wooden sticks or one hand and one stick. The atsimevu makes a middle range sound with some bass in the sound.

Boba

A less used newer master drum is called boba (pronounced bah-boo) Boba was invented by the Ewe in the 1950s to play a newly invented song called gahu. The boba is the deepest sounding drum played by the Ewe. The boba has a fat body and is played leant over on a stand like the atsimevu. The boba produces a thundering bass sound.

The Kroboto and Tododzi

The kroboto (pronounced kro-bo-toe) or totodzi (pronounced toe-toe-jee) are two more types of master drums, esentially the same, differing only in pitch. These are the smallest drums used by the Ewe. They measure lengthwise around eighteen inches. The two drums are not only used as master drums in some songs but sometimes play the same role as the kidi. The kroboto and totodzi are always played with two wooden sticks. The player is usually seated.

Other drums

Kidi

The kidi is a middle sized drum played with two wooden sticks. Like other Ewe drums, the drumhead is made of the skin of a deer or antelope. Its body is made out of wood and is sometimes decorated by elaborate carvings. It normally plays an eighth note pattern with some variation such as a roll instead of the first note of the phrase. The kidi does what is described by the Ewe as talking or conversating with lead drum. This is often called drum dialogue. The kidi often improvises a little bit during the song at the appropriate time.

Kaganu

The kaganu is the smallest and highest pitched drum among the Ewe drums. It is around 20 inches tall. Like all Ewe drums, the kaganu has a drumhead made of antelope or deer skin. The body of the drum is made of wood and is often decorated with carvings. The kaganu is played with two long skinny wooden sticks. It is usually played sitting down. The kaganu plays the same rhythm in every Ewe song. The rhythm it plays is two notes on the syncopated beats. If the piece being played was in the time 4/4, than the kaganu would play two notes on the ands of beats 1, 2, 3, and 4. The kaganu also gives energy to the music and drives the music. The kaganu improvises at a very short period of time during the song but at the appropriate time. It produces a high pitch sound with some bass in the sound.

Tonal drumming

Like many West African drums, the master drum and sometimes the kidi has the ability to speak the language. Most African languages are tonal, so by making different sounds at different pitches on the drum, the drummer can imitate the tones of the language. Some African drums can even imitate constonants by hitting the drum with a stick or hand at different angles and with different parts of the stick or hand. The Ewe also play a pair of two drums called atumpan(pronounced ah-toom-pahn) which are used all over Ghana as talking drums. The atumpan player stands up and plays the drum with two sticks shaped like an L.

References

Kwashi Amevuvor, Ewe Master Drummer from Ghana, West Africa.
Ladzekpo, CK. http://www.cnmat.berkeley.edu/~ladzekpo/Foundation.html. Foundation Course in African-Dance Drumming. Drums and Drumming. 1995.