This music is to be played by bata. Various instruments may be used to explore the rhythmic patterns, but the density of the pieces and their impact will be considerably lessened.
Here are some possibilities using the above musical excerpt as an example. The imaginative reader will be able to come up with many of his or her own.
Three players with a tumbadora three congas and a quinto:
Properly tuned, each pair of drums would represent the two heads of the bata drums, e.g.: Tumbadora and conga = iya, two congas = itotele, conga and quinto = okonkolo. Although awkward, this would provide the maximum sound density without the expense of a set of bata.
Three players with a tumbadora, a conga and a quinto:
Doubled strokes are eliminated and played as slaps "S" (mostly for the itotele and okonkolo) or open tones "O" (mostly for the iya), depending on the feel of the piece. The okonkolo is played on the quinto; the itotele on the conga and the iya on the tumbadora. The transcription would change to this:
|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|
|S S |S S |l quinto
| O O | O O |r
| S S | S S |l conga
| M O | O |r
| S S | S S |l tumba.
|O M M |O M M|r
Two players with a tumbadora, a conga and a quinto:
Doubled strokes are again eliminated. One player plays the conga and the quinto bembe style, combining the okonkolo and itotele parts:
|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|
|S O S O |S O S O |l quinto
| S M O S | S O S |r conga
| S S | S S |l tumba.
|O M M |O M M|r
One player with a quinto and a conga:
Doubled strokes are eliminated. The itotele part is eliminated The left hand plays the okonkolo part on the quinto. The right hand plays the iya part or the iya variation on the conga:
|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|
|S O S O |S O S O |l quinto
|O S S S |O S S S |r conga
Three players, claves:
If the sticks are chosen for their high, medium and low tones, this is the cheapest way to investigate the rhythms.
|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|
|X X X X |X X X X |clave 1
| X X X X | X X X |clave 2
|X X X X |X X X X X|clave 3
Ideally, at least two musicians should play these pieces to approximate the feeling of bata. A single musician may
learn each individual rhythm and then find that s/he is incapable of coordinating with another player.
