Guide to ASCII Notation
For ASCII notation to align correctly, you MUST
use a MONOSPACED font when viewing or printing these files.
Examples of monospaced fonts: Courier, Courier New, and Monaco.
Please keep in mind that traditional West African rhythms are transmitted orally.
ASCII or other notation can be a useful tool, but it has limits.
Notation cannot accurately portray swing, "micro-timing", or feeling.
Do not confuse musical notation with music.
Also, there can be many regional and village variations of each rhythm.
The notation here is not "definitive"; rather, they are representations
of what I have learned from my teachers and from published sources.
T Tone
O Tone
S Slap
B Bass
M Slap Muff (Closed Slap)
. Rest (no note)
$ Slap Flam
@ Tone Flam
& Bass/Slap flam
% Tone/Slap flam
>> Continued
^ under a note indicates where the part start
(e.g., could start before the end of the break)
O or B open dunnun note
C or M closed dunnun note
x bell stroke
Note: In some cases, upper- and lower-case letters are used:
T means tone with the Dominant Hand; t means tone with the nondominant hand
The "Beat"
The time is indicated at the top:
4/4: 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . .
12/8: 1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . .
9/8: 1 . . 2 . . 3 . .
The "One"
The concept of "Where is the one?" is a Western one.
Hand parts can be heard in different ways.
Example: the common hand part
1 . . . 2 . . .
S . . S S . T T
.. teachers will often "say" this:
S S . T T S . . without reference to the "1"