The music: Prior to this trip royal hartigan (insists that the spelling of his name be in lower case) started teaching me Gahu Rhythms of the Ewe people of Ghana. A quote from royal’s book on West African Rhythms for Drumset, chapter 3, “Gahu is recreational dance music of the Ewe people of West Africa. It is played at social occasions as a way for people to get acquainted with each other. Drum, bells, and rattle s make up the Gahu ensemble, each with its own voice, like different people.” He started teaching me the rhythm for metal double bell called GANKOGUI. It is made up of a large bell attached to a small bell. Like a mother and child. All the dancers and drummers rely on this steady beat. It is the main rhythm of the ensemble much like a time signature and metronome would be for an instrumentalist reading a score or a clave rhythm in a Latin band. However, Ewe music is traditionally taught by listening and imitating. The master drummer plays it and might demonstrate how the drum rhythm fits into the bell rhythm. It is only written down on staff paper, we call this transcribing, by musicians and ethnomusicologists trained at universities and conservatories.

The Bell rhythm (for all the good music theory students at GLCPS) is called Large bell “TIN” and the small sound “GO” You can think of this in 4/4 time. (Play the syllables only on the notes NOT the rests.
"Tin" "Go"
dotted eighthnote sixteenthnote
(Beat One)


"GO"
eighth rest eightnote
(Beat Two)
"Go"
eighthrest eighthnote
(Beat three)


"Go"
eighth rest eighth note.
(BEAT FOUR)


this one measure repeats a lot.

Try writing the rhythm on manuscript paper. The paper is located in a box under my phone in the music room. Mr. Steele can help you get started. It is only one measure of music in 4/4 time. Use a bottom space #1 for the lower pitch bell “tin” and the top space #4 for the higher pitch “go”.

Practice the rhythm.