Originally Kuku (Koukou, Cucu, Coucou) is a circle-dance for the woman, celebrating the return from fishing. To the Beyla-and Nzerekore-area, (situated partly in Guinea partly in the Ivory Coast) there was once a Malinke-migration. The Malinke mixed with the local people here and formed the Konianka (,Konya, Konyagui or Manian, as the Malinke say) who now speak a Malinke-dialect. This was where the rhythm originally comes from. The rhythm was only played by one low-tuned djembe (see djembé-pattern 1) and one very large solo-djembé. Only later, out of this djembé-pattern, the patterns for the bass-drums evolved.
Nowadays Kuku is very popular all over West Africa and played on many occasions. Because of this popularity the rhythm is known with lots of varietys in the different areas that it's played. Two songs:

Lauginabee, ee ewontang,
jaga langina bee, o ma la guinee borima

peace for us, peace for the people from Guinea

O ya, itee Kuku foniee

Yes, play the Kuku for me!

WAP-pages / Paul Nas / Last changed at 12-04-2004

Bass drum Patterns from Famoudou Konaté

Kenkeni

.

.

O

.

.

.

O

.

.

.

O

.

.

.

O

.

x

.

x

.

x

.

.x

.

x

.

x

.

x

.

x

.

Sangban

C

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

C

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

x

.

x

.

x

.

x

.

x

.

x

.

x

.

x

.

Dun Dun

.

.

.

O

.

.

C

.

.

.

.

O

.

.

C

.

x

.

x

x

.

x

x

.

x

.

x

x

.

x

x

.

Bass drum patterns from Mamady Keïta

Kenkeni

O

O

.

.

O

O

.

.

O

O

.

.

O

O

.

.

x

x

.

.

x

x

.

.

x

x

.

.

x

x

.

.

Sangban

O

.

.

c

.

.

O

.

O

.

c

.

.

.

O

.

x

.

x

x

.

x

x

.

x

.

x

x

.

x

x

.

Dun Dun

.

.

.

O

.

.

.

.

.

.

c

.

.

.

.

.

x

.

x

x

.

x

x

.

x

.

x

.

x

.

x

.

Dun Dun variation

O

.

.

O

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

O

.

O

.

x

.

x

x

.

x

x

.

x

.

x

.

x

.

x

.

O

.

.

O

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

x

.

x

x

.

x

x

.

x

.

x

x

.

x

x

.

Combination for duns

Djembé 1

S

.

T

T

.

.

S

.

S

.

T

T

.

.

S

.

r

.

r

l

.

.

r

.

r

.

r

l

.

.

r

.

Djembé 2

B

.

T

T

.

.

S

.

B

.

T

T

.

.

S

.

r

.

r

l

.

.

r

.

r

.

r

l

.

.

r

.

Djembé 3

S

.

B

.

T

T

.

.

S

.

B

.

T

T

.

.

r

.

r

.

r

l

.

.

r

.

r

.

r

l

.

.

Djembé 4

T

T

.

S

T

T

S

.

T

T

.

S

T

T

S

.

r

l

.

l

r

l

r

.

r

l

.

l

r

l

r

.

Djembé 5

T

T

.

B

T

T

B

.

T

T

.

B

T

T

B

.

r

l

.

l

r

l

r

.

r

l

.

l

r

l

r

.

Djembé 6

S

.

S

.

T

T

.

B

S

.

S

.

T

T

.

B

r

.

r

.

r

l

.

l

r

.

r

.

r

l

.

l

Djembé 7

T

.

T

T

B

S

S

.

T

.

T

T

B

S

S

.

r

.

r

l

r

l

r

.

r

.

r

l

r

l

r

.

Djembé Solo 1
frase1

T

T

T

T

T

T

T

T

S

.

.

.

S

.

.

.

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

.

.

.

r

.

.

.

frase 2

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

T

.

.

.

T

.

.

.

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

.

.

.

r

.

.

.

frase 3

		S	S	.	.	B	.	.	B	S	S	S	S	S	.	.	.
		r	l	.	.	r	.	.	l	2	r	l	r	l	.	.	.

S

S

.

.

B

.

.

B

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

r

l

.

.

r

.

.

l

2

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

		S	S	.	.	B	.	.	B	S	S	S	S	S	.	.	T
		l	r	.	.	r	.	.	l	2	r	l	r	l	.	.	l

S

.

T

S

.

T

S

.

T

T

S

.

S

.

.

.

r

.

r

l

.

l

r

.

r

l

r

.

f

.

.

.

frase 4

S

.

T

S

.

T

S

.

T

S

.

T

S

.

S

.

r

.

r

l

.

l

r

.

r

l

.

l

r

.

r

.

S

.

.

S

S

.

.

S

S

.

S

.

S

.

.

.

r

.

.

l

r

.

.

l

r

.

r

.

r

.

.

.

frase 5

B

T

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

.

.

.

B

T

S

S

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

.

.

.

r

l

r

l

S

.

.

.

B

T

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

.

.

.

r

.

.

.

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

.

.

.

frase 6

S

T

T

S

T

T

S

.

B

.

S

S

S

.

.

.

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

.

r

.

r

l

r

.

.

.

frase 7

B

B

.

.

B

B

.

.

B

B

.

.

B

.

.

.

r

l

.

.

r

l

.

.

r

l

.

.

r

.

.

.

frase 8

S

S

T

S

T

T

S

.

B

.

S

S

S

.

.

.

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

.

r

.

r

l

r

.

.

.

Djembé Solo 2
frase1

S

S

S

T

T

T

S

S

S

T

T

T

S

S

S

S

2

r

l

2

r

l

2

r

l

2

r

l

2

r

l

r

S

S

S

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

r

l

r

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

frase 2

B

T

T

B

S

S

S

S

T

T

S

S

S

.

.

.

r

2

r

l

2

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

.

.

.

frase 3

B

T

T

B

S

S

S

S

B

T

T

B

S

S

S

S

r

2

r

l

2

r

l

r

l

2

r

l

2

r

l

r

		B	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
		l	2	r	l	r	l	r	l	r	.	.	.	.	.	.	.

frase 4

T

.

T

S

.

.

.

S

.

.

S

.

T

.

T

S

r

.

r

l

.

.

.

l

.

.

r

.

r

.

r

l

.

.

.

S

.

.

S

.

T

.

T

S

.

S

.

.

.

.

.

l

.

.

r

.

r

.

r

l

.

l

.

.

frase 5

T

.

S

T

.

S

T

.

S

T

.

S

T

.

S

T

r

.

r

l

.

l

r

.

r

l

.

l

r

.

r

l

		T	.	S	T	.	S	T	.	S	S	S	S	T	.	.	.
		r	.	r	l	.	l	r	.	2	r	l	r	l	.	.	.

Djembé Solo 3
frase1

S

.

S

.

S

.

S

.

S

.

S

.

S

.

S

.

r

.

r

.

r

.

r

.

r

.

r

.

r

.

r

.

B

.

.

.

.

.

S

.

B

.

.

.

.

.

S

.

r

.

.

.

.

.

r

.

r

.

.

.

.

.

r

.

B

.

T

.

T

.

S

.

B

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

r

.

r

.

r

.

r

.

r

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

frase 2

B

B

T

T

B

B

S

.

B

B

T

T

B

B

S

.

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

.

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

.

frase 3

B

T

.

B

S

.

S

.

B

T

.

B

S

.

S

.

.

l

r

.

r

l

.

l

.

l

r

.

r

l

.

l

.

.

frase 4

T

S

T

S

S

T

S

S

T

S

T

S

S

T

S

.

.

.

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

.

.

.

frase 5

S

T

T

S

T

T

S

T

T

S

T

T

S

T

T

S

.

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

l

r

.

index | legenda (nl) | legend (en) | inleiding (nl) | introduction (en)

Thanks for taking notice of this interpretation of this rhythm but please consult some real authority's (like Famoudou Konaté and Mamady Keïta) or genuine TEACHERS for further study. Check also the other SITES WITH RHYTHM-NOTATIONS on West African Percussion on the Internet. And share your knowledge and ideas to these WAP-pages and to others.