Kassa Soro Djembe Rhythm for Beginners: 4 Patterns & Play-Along - How to Play this Groove

Learn four patterns of Kassa Soro, see how they sit in the rhythm, and play along the full groove at slow, medium, or fast pace. Open the description for quick links to each part.

00:00:00 Intro
00:00:35 Pattern - 1st Djembe
00:02:14 Pattern - 2nd Djembe
00:03:52 Pattern - 3rd Djembe
00:05:30 Pattern - Dundun & Bell
00:07:08 Drum-Along - How each line sits in the groove
00:08:33 Drum-Along - Slow
00:12:13 Drum-Along - Transition Slow to Fast
00:15:29 Drum-Along - Fast
00:19:57 Drum-Along - Transition Fast to Faster
00:23:35 Drum-Along - Faster (15 min.)

INFO:
Kassa (Cassa) is a harvest-dance of the Malinke-people in East Guinea. The word means granary. During harvest the farmers go to the fields, sometimes far away from the village, and a camp is made. During the day the drummers play Kassa to support the workers in the field. When the harvest is completed there is a big party in the village, called Kassalodon.
Kassa is played all over West Africa and there are many variations of it. Kassa Soro is one of this variations.

PATTERNS & DRUM-ALONG:
At the beginning of the video there is an introduction and short practise of four separated drum lines that appear in the Kassa Soro rhythm. The drum-along track follows, starting by showing how the lines sit in the groove, and then continuing with the rhythm first at slow speed, then medium, and then fast.

SPEEDING UP:
If you feel comfortable with a certain speed and would like to practise faster, you can let the rhythm help you with that. The transitions, "Slow to Medium" and "Medium to Fast", accelerate over 3-4 minutes, to slowly arrive and settle at a new, faster tempo. Just go to the end of the chapter at the tempo you're comfortable with, drum along the transition and see how you hold.

Click like if you like it, subscribe for more weekly rhythms, but most of all have fun!

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This is a simplified version of the rhythm. Solo phrases are not included, echauffements are not presented, and the Sangban and Kenkeni, if present in the rhythm, are transposed to a single Djembe pattern.
Please consult some real authority's info (like Famoudou Konaté and Mamady Keïta), contrasted websites (like Paul Nas' WAP pages) or genuine teachers for accurate interpretation of this rhythm and further study.
Mamady Keita's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0yjEh3E8KytBFbKEKcT3Ig
Paul Nas' WAP: https://www.paulnas.nl/en/wap-pages/
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