amadinda

drum baakisimba!

If you travel to Uganda and are lucky enough to see a traditional dance troupe perform in and around Kampala, you'll never forget the stunning, hip-shaking baakisimba dance! Baakisimba is the traditional rhythm and royal dance of Buganda. These drum rhythms are also used to accompany singing and a typical group today will include endingidi(fiddle) and a small 9 key xylophone.

A basic baakisimba drum set consists of 4 drums and shakers. From left to right in this picture, we see the large baakisimba the empuunyi bass drum, the small nankasa drum played with sticks, and a tall drum called engalabi. The first three are so-called "Uganda drums", covered completely with cow skin. engalabi is the only drum open at the bottom, and it is covered with monitor lizard skin, giving it a high open tone, and a distinctive cracking slap sound!

Also seen are a pair of gourd shakers called ensaasi.

Up until 1966, amadinda xylophone playing was accompanied by royal drums when performed in the Palace. The group was known as entamiivu, and the accompanying rhythms were closely related to baakisimba. Today, the few groups in Kampala that still perform amadinda music will most likely accompany the xylophone with singing and baaksimba drumming.

Basic Patterns

Try accompanying your amadinda xylophone songs with the basic rhythms below!

b=bass tone, o=open tone, /=slap
Each box is a unit of time (TUBS notation).

In Uganda, rhythms are taught using words, such as those given in the transcription. The baakisimba drummer plays "patapata" by lightly slapping fingertips on the centre of the drum skin. The nankasa drummer normally plays "em pute" using a stick in the right hand, and keeping time with the left hand ("pu") by lightly touching the skin.

If you don't have these drums, try substituting other tuned hand drums. Empuunyi is the bass drum, and baakisimba is usually pitched around a fourth higher. Nankasa and engalabi are tuned high.

Starting and Stopping

Of course there are many ways a group will begin and end. If there are melodic instruments played in the group such as endingidi, endere or amadinda, these will normally enter first. Then the solo singer enters, with chorus responding. The soloist will then verbally invite first hand clapping, and then drumming. The baakisimba drummer is usually first to enter, with a phrase similar to:

Starting phrase for baakisimba drum.

When the solo singer is ready to finish his song, the nankasa player will give the signal to stop:

Stop signal played by nankasa.

During the performance, all the drums except empuunyi can vary their patterns. In the absence of a teacher, the best way of learning some of this drum language is to listen closely to recordings.