THE NOTATION

A tablature notation system has been used to make the interlocking of the different drum parts visually understandable. This is important because, even though each piece is written under a time signature, e.g. 6/8, the actual playing of the piece will t end to fluctuate somewhere between 6/8 and 4/4. This is due to an entrainment effect that occurs between the drummers. Entrainment may be considered vital to liturgical drumming. The Dutch scientist, Christian Huygens, published his research on the subject in 1665: "If 2 rhythms are nearly the same and their sources are in close proximity, they will always lock up, fall into synchrony, entrain." As an example of the tablature, here is a portion of the first piece dedicated to Eleggua in the oru del eya aranla:

|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|: Represents both the pulses within a measure and the time signature. All measures in 6's have the beat land on the "1" and the "4". All measures in 4's have the beat land on the "1" and the "3". Other signatures used are: |1 2 3 4 5 6| |1 2 3 4| |1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &| Each bata drum is assigned two lines: |1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &| OKONKOLO |S S |S S |l okon. | O O | O O |r ITOTELE | S S | S S |l itot. | M O O | O O |r IYA | S S | S S |l iya |O M M |O M M|r
S=slap, O=open tone, M=muffled tone.
The left hand plays the chacha, the small head of the drum. Its line is designated "l". The right hand plays the enu, the large head. Its line is designated "r".
ELEGGUA 1
y barago /o moyu /ba /(rest)/
y barago /o moyu /ba o/mo de ko ni/
y barago /o mo yu /ba le leg ba /cho lo ni/

Honor and prayers to the stick.
To he who teaches honor.
Honor the owner of life.
Eleggua owns the way.

Llame

|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &| S S |l iya |O O O O |r
repeat as desired
|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &| |S S |S S |l okon. | O O | O O |r | S S | S S |l itot. | M O O | O O |r | S S | S S |l iya |O M M |O M M|r
Alternate (iya)

|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &| | S S S | S S S |l |O |O |r

This example can be broken down as follows:
ELEGGUA 1:
The piece is dedicated to Eleggua. The number 1 indicates that it is the first of a number of pieces to be dedicated to this Orisha during the oru del eya aranla.
y barago /o moyu /ba /(rest)/, etc:
A phonetic transcription of the chant as sung during performances. This is accompanied by a rough translation. A more accurate idea of the chants can be gained by listening to the recordings of Mr. Lazaro Ros (see discography). Orin Orisa by Joh n Mason is another excellent source (see bibliography).
Llame: (included in the oru del igbodu. not really used in the oru del eya aranla.)
The measure that open the piece. In the oru del eya aranla, the akpua, the lead singer, begins by giving a chanted cue that tells the drummers to start a particular rhythm. The iya takes it up by playing the second measure of the p art or by waiting for the first measure to come around again.. In the case of the oru del igbodu, unaccompanied bata, the iya tells the other drummers what piece is next by playing the Orisha's llame, the brief identifying drumming p hrase.
repeat as desired:
Repeat the measures as desired (along with the lead singer).
In the oru del igbodu, each section may be repeated more than once. The choice is up to the drummer playing the iya. The parts form the signature of the piece, the rhythmic pattern that makes it "belong" to a specific Orisha. Wh ile there are differences among bata ensembles and the iya may initiate conversations with the other drums, playing the sections will provide a common ground for the musicians most of the time.
viro (not shown):
A one measure phrase or "turn" played by the iya that changes the rhythm from one part to another or from a part to a conversation. It is, in effect the second measure of the next part to be played while the okonkolo and the i totele continue playing the second measure of the current part. The iya will then continue to play the next part while the other two drummers "catch up". If the ensemble is very tight, the "viro" only takes one measure to perform. If not, two or more measures may be necessary. If the okonkolo and itotele still do not catch up, the iya may yell at them by playing:

|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &| | |l |O O O O O |r
to get their attention.
Alternate:
Alternative ways of playing a part. They are usually more "generic" and can be played in the Bembe style.
SPEED AND TEMPO
The speed of these pieces on a metronome averages to:
1/4 note = mid 60's in 6/8
1/4 note = mid 50's in 2/4
The fastest is Chango, in the mid 70's. The speed of the performances in the oru del eya aranla, bata accompanied by singing, is set by the chief vocalist and may vary quite a bit. However, the averages given are a good place to start.
FORMAL TUNING
The tuning of the bata is as follows:
The large head of the itotele has the same tone as the small head of the iya. The large head of the okonkolo has the same tone as the small head of the itotele.
The iya should have a ring of clay, the ida, molded onto its large head to lower the resonance. This is really not needed with modern bata drums such as those manufactured by Latin Percussion. However, these tunable drums are not consider ed suitable for religious ceremonies.
FORMAL TUNING (base clef)

------ O --O-- --O--- |--------------------------------------|-- | | |-O--------O---------------------------|---- | | |--------------------------------------|-- | | |--------------------------------------|-- | | |--------------------------------------|-- O Iya Itotele Okonkolo