Principios Generativos del Toque de Repique del Candombe

Abstract

The rhythmic configuration of candombe results from the interaction between the patterns of the three drums of the Afro-Uruguayan tradition–chico, repique and piano–, and can be difficult to decipher for a listener unfamiliar with this musical manifestation. Each of the drums occupies a different register, and plays a specific role within the rhythmic pattern: the chico drum plays a virtually invariable pattern in the high register, establishing the constant pulsation on which the metrical structure is built, while the piano drum, the one in the lower register, delineates the highest metrical level of the phrase. The repique, on the other hand, is located in the middle register, and is the drum with the greatest degree of freedom, with a very wide repertoire of variations in its rhythmic figures. The existing literature emphasizes its improvisational character, as well as the complexity of its playing. However, this drum also has its own primary pattern with a specific function in the rhythmic structure. The analysis of numerous recordings of recognized repiques shows that most of the rhythmic variations found can be derived from the basic repique pattern by means of a limited set of transformation rules. This paper presents the interpretation of the basic pattern of the repique drum as an axiom, together with a set of generative rules that account for a substantial part of the playing of a repique drum in a real drum call situation.