Day 4 - Sebene

Growing up, on Sunday afternoons, my parents would put on the radio at full-volume, listening to their favorite Congolese Rumba artistes such as Franco and Mbilia Bel, among many others. I grew up on Lingala music. However, not as an instrumentalist, but a dancer. I may have been quite soft-spoken, but when it came to taking Lingala on the dance floor.......aiyayaya! I would gather my family for a full show in my grandparents' home, complete with my brother's (as the MC) introduction and my dramatic emergence from behind the dining room curtain. I even won a dancing competition at the age of 5 years. My favorite musician was Yondo Sister. This woman could mooooove! I admired her so much, I copied her dance styles and even cut my jeans like she did, so my nickname was Yondo. Fast forward many years later..................

Now that I am an instrumentalist and have studied music, I appreciate Rumba music on a different level. Not only is it probably the most dance-able genre of music, but the instrumentation is beautifully intricate. Particularly Sebene. This is the section in Rumba music where the lead singer stops and the instruments play, as the performers engage the audience in dancing. The interesting thing about Sebene is that the instrumentalists somehow (yes, it's still magic to me) manage to turn a basic 1-5-4-5 progression into something wonderfully complicated. (please refer to the Interlude post to have an idea about progressions) This is how I visualize what happens during Sebene:

• Lead Guitar - plays and improvises on a melody based on a certain theme. He has now taken the position of the lead singer and is now the communicator of the music. 
• Rhythm Guitar - plays the 1-5-4-5 harmony, but using that, he plays an underlying supporting melody to the Lead Guitarist. His Guitar line could very easily have been a Lead part in another genre.
• Keyboard - From what I've heard, this one doesn't have much work other than entering the progression on time. He can add funky stuff, but stays far out of the foreground.
• Drums and Bass (where I come in) - Mr Drums has to have an amazing sense of time (and a strong foot) to keep the kick constant. Other than that, the rhythm is not too complicated, he'll live. Mr (or Miss, in my case) Bass has to have Multiple Personality Disorder. She plays a somewhat melodic line, responsive to the Lead's melody, while still keeping the progression, while occasionally sliding on the fretboard to assert her presence. Most importantly, she assists our Mr Constant Drum with the rhythm, like any other Bassist. However, this one is more involved. While she is conscious of her melodic line and keeping the harmony, her rhythm must also be prominent, making sure her thumb visits a lower register key at some point of her line, sometimes even playing the kick herself by muting and tapping on the lower strings. All this happens simultaneously.

<<< Where my thumb usually hangs out when I play

Where my thumb will start hanging out when I play Sebene>>>

One of my challenges for the year is to learn how to play at least some very basic (but enjoyable) Sebene. My practice technique is to break a whole line down into 3 parts, rhythm, harmony and melody, and practice each part separately then put it together. Today I did the rhythm and harmony of Yondo Sister's "Africa". After perfecting this bassline and a couple more from other Rumba songs, soon I will get the drift and will be making my own Sebene lines. Wish me and my thumb some luck.