Damba Sochendi (Damba 1)

Damba Suite

Held in the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, Damba is an annual Afro-Islamic festival that commemorates the birth of the Prophet Mohammed. Ceremonies during the eighteen-day festival provide citizens of the Dagomba polity to give homage to their leaders and to reaffirm bonds of kinship. Damba has two items of repertory that bear its name: the slow-paced Damba Sochendi (literally, “walking Damba”) is for processionals and stately dancing while the intense Damba Mangli (literally, “real Damba”) is for lively dancing. I have written an entire book on my study of Damba with Alhaji (see Drum Damba: Talking Drum Lessons. White Cliffs Media Company, Crown Point, Indiana. 1990). Because the “Introduction” of Drum Damba contains a long account of the Damba festival, no History Story appears on this website.

Supporting Materials

 

Sochendi
Part-by-Part Sessions by Alhaji Abubakari
Time signature: 6/8
File Type leadlunga answerlunga gunggong answergunggong
Vocable – Audio
Vocable – Staff Notation Download Download Download
Drumming – Audio
Drumming – Staff Notation Download Download Download
Drum Language – Audio Play Play
Drum Language – Text Download Download Download
Ensemble Rhythm Download
Ensemble Recording Sessions
Multi-track Sessions by Alhaji Abubakari
Online Mixer
DDD Sessions by Prof. Locke and Students

 

Mangli
Part-by-Part Sessions by Alhaji Abubakari
Time signature: 2/4
File Type leadlunga answerlunga gunggong answergunggong
Vocable – Audio
Vocable – Staff Notation Download Download Download
Drumming – Audio
Drumming – Staff Notation Download Download Download
Drum Language – Audio Play Play
Drum Language – Text Download Download Download
Ensemble Rhythm Download
Ensemble Recording Sessions
Multi-track Sessions by Alhaji Abubakari
Online Mixer
DDD Sessions by Prof. Locke and Students