Solo drum set arrangement of African bell, support drums, and master drum phrases. All Agbekor patterns incorporate a drum language that allows one to render the entire composition using the voice. Support instruments—totodzi, kagan—are, in fact, named for their basic rhythmic pattern. Slow Agbekor examples shown on below and on the next page provide important insight into the depth of the Ewe drum language. Vocables ease the memorization of long phrases, and provide an effective means of practicing away from the instrument. A performance could, in fact, include the player reciting the phrases as they are rendered, or reciting then playing to create more variety.
