Cyclic patterns

The QCA schemes of work identify Cyclic Patterns in the year 5/6 Unit - No. 16, focusing on exploring rhythm and pulse. Unit 4 for Year 7, entitled Musical Cycles focuses on exploring cyclic patterns.

African drumming is an ideal vehicle for exploring cyclic patterns and the example given in Music Works 3.

For those with access to a Gamelan, this wonderful Indonesian instrument provides an ideal opportunity for students to explore cyclic patterns on a number of instruments. The individual rhythms and melodies interlock and it requires teamwork from all the ensemble members to keep together and perform as one.

Angklung Gamelan from Bali

With all cyclic music, the interest is initially in the repetition and then as the listeners and performers become familiar with the musical cycles, the interests shifts to how the performers are able to provide interest within the cycles. For example, in Samba music there are breaks between cycles and changes in cycles. In some West African and South Asian music, rhythmic improvisation plays an important part in shifting perceptions and changing the focus of the musical cycles. In Balinese gamelan music the tempo (speed) increases and decreases to provide interest and also to indicate the music coming to an end or finishing a section.

For many of us, stepping outside the cycle of our teaching or indeed our lives, can provide a stimulating and challenging new direction.

Drumming Stories

African Folk Stories and Drumming Fables

Many folk stories have been told about drums and percussion instruments, passed on by generations. Here are three that we have been told by African friends and children. Do contact us if you have any more stories you’d like to contribute to this selection.



The Forest Animals Make a Drum

Long ago, in the wild jungle forest, lived Lion and his friends, Leopard, Giraffe, Elephant, Cheetah, and Monkey.

“Welcome, friends”, said Lion, “can you help me to make a drum?”

The animals thought and thought.

Leopard said, “I can dig out the inside of an old log.”

Lion found a stick and beat the hollow log. The animals listened and heard THUD, THUD!

Lion said, “How can we make the drum sing?”

The animals thought and thought.

Cheetah said, “Do we have something to stretch over the top of the log to make it sing?”

The animals thought and thought.

Giraffe said, “Elephant has big ears – they could cover the hollow log.”

Elephant said, “I will give one of my ears, but you must give one too.”

No one knew how to play the drum. Lion said, “Monkey is a clever fellow, he can show us how to drum.”

So monkey’s long fingers made the drum sing and the animals all took it in turns to play their drum.



The Drum and the Chimpanzees

A long time ago, the drum was the secret of the chimpanzees and unknown to man. In a camp near to the home of the chimpanzees was a hunter who was a great trapper. One day while he was out hunting he spotted the chimpanzees up in the trees eating fruit and beating a drum.

“That object they are beating is very beautiful – I shall set a trap.”

So he dug a deep hole and carefully set a trap. The next day he heard cries from all the chimpanzees and rushed into the forest to see what he had caught. As he drew nearer to the trap all the chimpanzees fled, leaving the drummer and his drum caught in the trap.

The hunter removed the drum and took it to the village. He gave the drum to the chief who was very pleased and said, “For a long time we have heard the voice of this object, but we have not seen it until now. You have done well and may have my first daughter to be your wife.”

Today, the reason that chimpanzees beat their chests is to make the sound of their lost drum.

Spider the Drummer – A story from Sierra Leone

Once, in a time when animals could talk, they lived together with people. In a far away village, a wedding was planned and the guests and musicians needed to be invited. Spider was by far the best musician as he had eight legs and he used them all to play instruments at the same time.

The problem was that Spider and his family were very greedy, and if they invited Spider to the wedding they knew he would bring his family and they would eat everything. So, they decided not to tell Spider about the wedding party. The news travelled round the village and people were told not to tell Spider…….but he found out. Spider was very angry as he was the best musician in the village, so he decided to take revenge and he found a very cunning way of doing it.

Spider called his family together and told them that they had not been invited to the party and that they were going to take revenge. The villagers had to fetch their water from a stream that was surrounded by tall trees, large bushes and thick grasses with very little light. That night, Spider and his family took all their drums and went down to the stream and hid behind a clump of thick grasses. They waited all through the night until the next day when the party was due to start.

All the guests crept to the party so they didn’t disturb Spider and arrived in good time to get things ready. The villagers needed water to start their cooking and sent the youngest girl to the stream to collect some water. As she dipped her calabash into the stream, amazing drumming and singing started coming from all around her. It was so entrancing that she started to dance and once she had started dancing, she found she couldn’t stop. She danced and danced until she finally collapsed on the ground exhausted.

At the party, they were still waiting for the water so they sent a boy to fetch the water as well as the girl. When he arrived at the stream the music had stopped and the girl was lying on the ground, exhausted. He asked what had happened and she explained that when she dipped her calabash in the water, the music started and she couldn’t stop dancing. The boy didn’t believe her, but as soon as he dipped his calabash in the water the drumming and singing started again. He danced and danced and couldn’t stop.

At the party, they were STILL waiting for water and the hostess was getting cross. She sent another person to fetch water…and another….and another. Each time they arrived at the stream and tried to fetch the water, the music started and they couldn’t stop dancing. Finally, everyone who had been at the party was down at the stream dancing and dancing, even the hostess.

Eventually, someone gasped, “Who could be playing such amazing and entrancing music?”

“It must be Spider, but no one invited him – if Spider wasn’t invited, them he’d do something like this, trust me.”

So everyone called for Spider and he appeared from behind the thick grasses.

“Why are you doing this?” everyone asked.

“As you forgot to invite me to your party, I decided to bring you all here and catch you with my hypnotic music. I’ll start to play again unless you take me back to the party and feed me, my wife and all our children.”

“If we take you to the party, you’ll eat everything, so if we do invite, you have to promise to leave some for everyone else.”

But Spider, being Spider wouldn’t agree. Eventually they had to give in, as he would have kept them trapped down by the stream with his hypnotic music. So they all went back to party and actually…..everyone had a great time!