INTERACCIONES RÍTMICAS DE COMPUESTOS GESTUALES
Entenamiento Neuropsicomotor Baterístico
Unbound Rhythm through Deep Drumming!
This dynamic regimen is meticulously designed for drummers and musicians seeking a holistic neuropsychomotor training experience. The exercises within this volume constitute a profound practice of drumming—akin to deep listening—that elucidates the conscious composition of percussive gestures through rhythmic interactions and the intricate movements of our bodies. This approach transcends the conventional notion of instrumental "technique," engaging both the extrinsic and intrinsic dimensions of percussive motion. The exercises illuminate the interplay between the positive and negative phases of percussive movements, tapping into the subconscious and shadow aspects of fundamental percussive gestures. By engaging the body’s deep connective tissue—specifically the myofascial network—these practices foster a kinestetic understanding of rhythm, rooted in the organic flow of movement rather than constraining rhythm to rigid musical terminology or repetitive patterns. Nearly four decades in the making, this book began as handwritten drafts in 1988, existing solely within my personal practice for over 30 years. The journey since the late 1980s has been long and transformative, and it is with great anticipation that I now present this work to the world.
INTERACCIONES RÍTMICAS DE COMPUESTOS GESTUALES (RHYTHMIC INTERACTIONS OF GESTURAL COMPOUNDS) offers an intensive psychophysical training experience—a percussive dojo for drummers and non-drummers alike—focused on developing advanced psychomotor skills and enhancing the awareness of percussive rhythms and movement flow.
As drummers, we embody both cinematic and kinetic qualities, enhanced by our remarkable cerebellum—often referred to as our 'tree of life.' This allows us to resonate with rhythms and intricate patterns that we internalize through refined perception, cognitive abilities, and proprioceptive learning pathways, such as percussive rhythm exercises. Drumming serves as our primal, ancestral language, expressing itself through our gestures, speech, thoughts, and writing. While this innate talent is rooted in our DNA, it is the stimulation from our environment that truly shapes our brains, enabling us to craft an imaginative and vibrant universe of movement through our drumming beats, patterns, and a diverse range of sonic emotions. This book explores the foundations of this natural gift that all humans possess, urging us to nurture and elevate our inherent abilities throughout our lives.
This book delves into the neuropsychomotor system and its intricate effects on our bodies as we play the drums. It prompts reflective questions about the historical neural foundations of human evolution, consciousness, and thought. Additionally, it offers a wealth of specialized insights into Psychomotor Theory and its essential connections to the gestural development and practice habits of drummers.
The content of this book encompasses over 1,000+ rhythmic interactions designed for comprehensive training of the central nervous system through the motor, psychomotor, and neuropsychomotor wiring of the triad mind-brain-body. The rhythmic interactions are written as single exercises in very simple traditional musical notation on tetragram system for right hand-left hand-right foot-left foot and evolves through VIII SECTIONS going from very basic grade of complexity to a quite advanced level of skill and pyshophysical capacity.
This dynamic regimen is meticulously designed for drummers and musicians seeking a holistic neuropsychomotor training experience. The exercises within this volume constitute a profound practice of drumming—akin to deep listening—that elucidates the conscious composition of percussive gestures through rhythmic interactions and the intricate movements of our bodies. This approach transcends the conventional notion of instrumental "technique," engaging both the extrinsic and intrinsic dimensions of percussive motion. The exercises illuminate the interplay between the positive and negative phases of percussive movements, tapping into the subconscious and shadow aspects of fundamental percussive gestures. By engaging the body’s deep connective tissue—specifically the myofascial network—these practices foster a kinestetic understanding of rhythm, rooted in the organic flow of movement rather than constraining rhythm to rigid musical terminology or repetitive patterns. Nearly four decades in the making, this book began as handwritten drafts in 1988, existing solely within my personal practice for over 30 years. The journey since the late 1980s has been long and transformative, and it is with great anticipation that I now present this work to the world.
INTERACCIONES RÍTMICAS DE COMPUESTOS GESTUALES (RHYTHMIC INTERACTIONS OF GESTURAL COMPOUNDS) offers an intensive psychophysical training experience—a percussive dojo for drummers and non-drummers alike—focused on developing advanced psychomotor skills and enhancing the awareness of percussive rhythms and movement flow.
As drummers, we embody both cinematic and kinetic qualities, enhanced by our remarkable cerebellum—often referred to as our 'tree of life.' This allows us to resonate with rhythms and intricate patterns that we internalize through refined perception, cognitive abilities, and proprioceptive learning pathways, such as percussive rhythm exercises. Drumming serves as our primal, ancestral language, expressing itself through our gestures, speech, thoughts, and writing. While this innate talent is rooted in our DNA, it is the stimulation from our environment that truly shapes our brains, enabling us to craft an imaginative and vibrant universe of movement through our drumming beats, patterns, and a diverse range of sonic emotions. This book explores the foundations of this natural gift that all humans possess, urging us to nurture and elevate our inherent abilities throughout our lives.
This book delves into the neuropsychomotor system and its intricate effects on our bodies as we play the drums. It prompts reflective questions about the historical neural foundations of human evolution, consciousness, and thought. Additionally, it offers a wealth of specialized insights into Psychomotor Theory and its essential connections to the gestural development and practice habits of drummers.
The content of this book encompasses over 1,000+ rhythmic interactions designed for comprehensive training of the central nervous system through the motor, psychomotor, and neuropsychomotor wiring of the triad mind-brain-body. The rhythmic interactions are written as single exercises in very simple traditional musical notation on tetragram system for right hand-left hand-right foot-left foot and evolves through VIII SECTIONS going from very basic grade of complexity to a quite advanced level of skill and pyshophysical capacity.
TAMBORERO LAB ESTUDIOS WORKSHOP
A Comprehensive Compendium of Chamber Music Compositions For Drum Set Ensemble
2004-2022
This comprehensive methodology for learning drumming takes a root-origin perspective, moving beyond traditional linear and rudimental approaches to embrace polyphonic percussion and rhythmic thinking. It consists of 10 books, each featuring two duet pieces graded from basic to advanced levels. Created in 2004, this method is based on my transcriptions and arrangements of African music, specifically orchestrated for ensemble work with my students. The entire theoretical framework and step-by-step exercise workshops have evolved over 20 years of teaching, developing new materials for various ensemble configurations, and conducting in-depth research on African rhythms.
This work truly represents an ethnomusicological study work on the art and history of drumming. I created TAMBORERO LAB as an avant-garde drum-set chamber music laboratory and drumming atelier, drawing inspiration from some of the most groundbreaking and genre-defying 20th-century modern drum-set music ensemble projects. TAMBORERO's repertoire encompassed a diverse array of original compositions, seamlessly interwoven with curated arrangements from esteemed drummer-composers such as Pierre Favre, Max Roach, Andrew Cyrille, Milford Graves, Warren Smith; among others.
The TAMBORERO LAB ESTUDIOS WORKSHOP "A Comprehensive Compendium of Chamber Music Compositions For Drum Set Ensemble" presents a deep insight for exploration of the art of drumming compiled in 10 books subtitled "WORK SONGS: PRELIMINARY STUDY PIECES SERIES". This book series offers a graded progression with 20 drum-set duet pieces, ranging from basic level on BOOK 1 to the advanced level on BOOK 10, providing a deep root-origin structured pathway of study for aspiring drummers and practitioners. Complementing the musical repertoire consisting of 2 compositions included in each book, the series delves into a comprehensive historical and musicological study of African root-origin drumming music, in conversation with western music theory and Jazz concepts such as improvisation and accompaniment.
Firmly rooted in the richness of African drumming traditions and their poly-rhythmic/polyphonic concepts, this work draws conceptual and theoretical inspiring research from seminal works such as David Locke's "Simultaneous Multidimensionality in African Music" and Simha Arom´s "African Polyphony and Polyrhythm"; A. M. Jones "Studies in African Music", among many other vital sources of study (included in the books bibliography), exploring the diverse intricacies within traditional concepts of musical communication such call and response, and others more technical such as the concept of linear polymeter, diasporic rhythm, and much more. Afro-Cuban Bàtá drumming, universal rhythm structures such as the bell timeline voice and clave rhythm, the melo-rhythm concept and some forms linked to a more ethnopoetic improvisation as in Anlo-Ewe drum language, are also reviewed and studied along the book series.
This comprehensive compendium bridges the gap between Western musical traditions, African-American jazz drumming, and the ancestral African root-origin drumming of West African traditions, including the Yoruban-rooted bàtá drumming in its contemporary context and deconstructed on the traditional drum-set.
Each book in the series offers a multifaceted exploration, comprising theoretical and conceptual materials, reading musical notation, concepts on improvisation and development orchestration. There are two complete pieces for repertoire study per book and each includes an in-depth exercise section designed to facilitate practice and mastery of the methodology presented.
The TAMBORERO LAB ESTUDIOS WORKSHOP "A Comprehensive Compendium of Chamber Music Compositions For Drum Set Ensemble" presents a deep insight for exploration of the art of drumming compiled in 10 books subtitled "WORK SONGS: PRELIMINARY STUDY PIECES SERIES". This book series offers a graded progression with 20 drum-set duet pieces, ranging from basic level on BOOK 1 to the advanced level on BOOK 10, providing a deep root-origin structured pathway of study for aspiring drummers and practitioners. Complementing the musical repertoire consisting of 2 compositions included in each book, the series delves into a comprehensive historical and musicological study of African root-origin drumming music, in conversation with western music theory and Jazz concepts such as improvisation and accompaniment.
Firmly rooted in the richness of African drumming traditions and their poly-rhythmic/polyphonic concepts, this work draws conceptual and theoretical inspiring research from seminal works such as David Locke's "Simultaneous Multidimensionality in African Music" and Simha Arom´s "African Polyphony and Polyrhythm"; A. M. Jones "Studies in African Music", among many other vital sources of study (included in the books bibliography), exploring the diverse intricacies within traditional concepts of musical communication such call and response, and others more technical such as the concept of linear polymeter, diasporic rhythm, and much more. Afro-Cuban Bàtá drumming, universal rhythm structures such as the bell timeline voice and clave rhythm, the melo-rhythm concept and some forms linked to a more ethnopoetic improvisation as in Anlo-Ewe drum language, are also reviewed and studied along the book series.
This comprehensive compendium bridges the gap between Western musical traditions, African-American jazz drumming, and the ancestral African root-origin drumming of West African traditions, including the Yoruban-rooted bàtá drumming in its contemporary context and deconstructed on the traditional drum-set.
Each book in the series offers a multifaceted exploration, comprising theoretical and conceptual materials, reading musical notation, concepts on improvisation and development orchestration. There are two complete pieces for repertoire study per book and each includes an in-depth exercise section designed to facilitate practice and mastery of the methodology presented.
Batería Melódica
Hacia un Fraseo Poli-Métrico
(written in 1996/published in 2022)
For those immersed in the jazz progressive drumming languages of the '60s, '70s, and '80s, this book is a comprehensive exploration. It delves into melodic cymbal techniques and phrasing inspired by Roy Haynes, alongside intricate snare, kick, and hi-hat lines reminiscent of Ben Riley. Discover the complexity of open straight eight patterns influenced by Tony Williams, combined with Elvin Jones’s rhythmic punctuations, and venture into the free-form hi-hat interactions and polimetric phrases inspired by Jack DeJohnette. The poly-metric concept builds on polyrhythmic foundations, particularly reflecting Jack DeJohnette’s innovations during the '70s ACM era. While acknowledging various influences, this book is not confined to any specific style or rhythmic direction. It represents a synthesis of these influences, showcasing an integrated vocabulary that captures the essence of melodic jazz drumming rooted in the rich history of African-American Jazz.
The book is written in 4 parts:
1. introduction and historical/theoretical perspective
2. snare, kick, hi-hat 16 beat melodic phrases
3. 24 melodic ride cymbal time
4. advanced practice routines for developing the concept of poly-breathing/poly-metric phrasing.
This can be suited for an intermediate drum student to a very advance drumming practitioner.
The book is written in 4 parts:
1. introduction and historical/theoretical perspective
2. snare, kick, hi-hat 16 beat melodic phrases
3. 24 melodic ride cymbal time
4. advanced practice routines for developing the concept of poly-breathing/poly-metric phrasing.
This can be suited for an intermediate drum student to a very advance drumming practitioner.
Stickings Oráculo
Tupletismos-Libro de las Permutaciones Rítmicas
(written in 2003/published in 2024)
The materials in this book were originally written in the early 2000's, but the reason the book just got printed 20 years later is due to the fact that to me, deep value comes over time through experience and maturity. Nobody needs nor seeks for another straight forward snare drum method, right? so I took the time to nurture and mature the content concepts within the materials ensuring this is not just another snare drum book. What you will find in Stickings Oráculo-Tupletismos: Libro de las Permutaciones Rítmicas, is a true powerful oracle of percussive pattern language wisdom, that for sure will stay developing on your hands for the next 20 years of practice!
Within these pages, you'll uncover a wealth of information on mastering various sticking patterns, along with practical strategies for integrating them into flowing rhythmic compositions. Prepare to immerse yourself in the art of multiple stickings as this book unveils their secrets, empowering you to weave them into captivating rhythmic tapestries.
The book delves into a comprehensive exploration of GRUPOS RÍTMICOS, spanning from quadruplets to the intricate irregularity of thirteenth tuplets, and also extended phrases of odd grouppings like 1´4s, 15´s, 16´s, 18´s, 20´s, 22´s, 24´s, 25´s, 27´s 32´s, offering a vast array of sticking combinations accompanied by intricate accentuation patterns, each adorned with subtle tacit accentuations and emphases rhythmic punctuations.This profound journey unveils the art of crafting linear rhythmic illusions through the interplay of meter against meter concepts, cross-rhythms, and intricate linear polyrhythmic structures and phrasing, a journey that will elevate your technical prowess to an entirely new dimension.
In addition to the comprehensive materials, the book unveils a Rudimental Appendix, featuring 50 Cadences that transcend the traditional march-style composition, offering a fresh and fluid approach to rudimentary drumming. Despite the advanced design of the book's contents, its essence remains delightfully simple, inviting you to explore the boundless possibilities of combining and improvising with the fundamentals of sticking patterns we all drummers know: RL RR LR RL RL RRR LR LLL ad lib.
Within these pages, you'll uncover a wealth of information on mastering various sticking patterns, along with practical strategies for integrating them into flowing rhythmic compositions. Prepare to immerse yourself in the art of multiple stickings as this book unveils their secrets, empowering you to weave them into captivating rhythmic tapestries.
The book delves into a comprehensive exploration of GRUPOS RÍTMICOS, spanning from quadruplets to the intricate irregularity of thirteenth tuplets, and also extended phrases of odd grouppings like 1´4s, 15´s, 16´s, 18´s, 20´s, 22´s, 24´s, 25´s, 27´s 32´s, offering a vast array of sticking combinations accompanied by intricate accentuation patterns, each adorned with subtle tacit accentuations and emphases rhythmic punctuations.This profound journey unveils the art of crafting linear rhythmic illusions through the interplay of meter against meter concepts, cross-rhythms, and intricate linear polyrhythmic structures and phrasing, a journey that will elevate your technical prowess to an entirely new dimension.
In addition to the comprehensive materials, the book unveils a Rudimental Appendix, featuring 50 Cadences that transcend the traditional march-style composition, offering a fresh and fluid approach to rudimentary drumming. Despite the advanced design of the book's contents, its essence remains delightfully simple, inviting you to explore the boundless possibilities of combining and improvising with the fundamentals of sticking patterns we all drummers know: RL RR LR RL RL RRR LR LLL ad lib.