Of all the musical instruments that exist, drums have the highest chance of casting a strong impact on us instantaneously – either by the moving of our feet or the nodding of our heads in agreement with the pulse of the beat. Obviously, the world revolves around rhythm – the essence of drumming. That goes from our steady heart beats, our footsteps when we walk, the constant ticking of the clock, to the consistency of day and night.
The drum monologue is an expression of polyrhythmic, groovy, lyrical and melodic phrases on the drumset. Unlike a regular drum solo that is played within a band context, the drum monologue is meant to be performed without accompaniment, just like a classical pianist performs unaccompanied to his/her audience.
The elements that go into creating the monologue include the lyrical and groovy patterns that are specific to the Nigerian percussion instrument called gangan, the “talking drum”, which is mainly used by the Yoruba tribe. Also, the fusion of jazz techniques creates a hybrid musical texture; and the melodic features of the bass guitar - which is displayed on the toms - fortify the entire orchestration on the drumset. Other components that add up to the whole arrangement are the different ostinato patterns of the hi-hat, cowbell and the ride cymbal.
Culturally, the “talking drum” is given such name because it is possible to imitate the Yoruba (spoken word) language syllabically with it. In a sense, such idea helps the talking drum player to communicate with his listeners without words. So stylistically when the “talking drum” mode is incorporated into the drumset the indigenous people can easily identify with it. On the other hand, when there is a switch to the jazz side of things - with the use of press rolls, flams, triplets, some cross-rhythms, syncopations and superimposed notes/time - the folks whose ears are familiar with such genre can also relate to such musical idea.
Contrary to all that is described about the unaccompanied drum monologue, some external elements add some ornamentation to the monologue - making it more exciting. This addition includes hand claps, a percussion ensemble, some background keyboard chords and a voice ensemble, purely drums and vocals. For instance, in a traditional African music setting where there are no foreign or western musical influences, drums and percussions are the only instruments that are used in the performance of live music along with folk singers. The same concept translates into the coupling of the drum monologue and voice ensemble - an amalgam of cross-cultural influences that adds color and beauty to the entire performance.
Alafia!