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Afro Haitian Yan Valu

Web note one:

Yan Valu is an Afro Haitian Rhythm and Dance which has become famous the world over through the work of such artists as Katherine Dunham and Jean Leon Destine'. Its elegant movements are a prayer to the Rainbow Serpent deity known in Haiti as Damballa. Its ancient origin is the region of Benin in West Africa. Some of the movements have been stylized and incorporated into Jazz dance in the US, particularly in New York City.

As with many of these rhythms, there are many styles, arrangements and ways that master musician perform the music. Another style of Yan Valu has been disseminated by the well - known New York drummer John Amira. In that style, the drums are played with sticks, and the bell, shaker and high drum parts are the same as what I show you here.

The style that I'm presenting to you comes to me from the renown Caribbean artist Marcus Gordon who taught extensively in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s and 1980's.


A unique feature of this arrangement is the use of hands rather than sticks, and the palm tip stoke ("WAKA") found in the middle drum part. These characteristics suggest that it is a Cuban way to play the rhythm.

Cuban and Haitian music have mixed since slavery. During the Haitian Revolution (1794 to 1804) some rich French/Haitian slave owners moved their entire estates to Cuba with all their slaves, implanting Haitian culture on Cuban soil. Several Haitian dances are known in Cuba, including GaGa, Tumba Francesa, and Vodun. They are particularly prominent in Oriente province, the side of the island nearest Haiti. Cuban musicologists tell us that elements of Haitian music gave birth to the famous Cuban Son, which also originated in Oriente province.

In later years, people from all the Caribbean islands mix and share culture particularly in the port cities, while other traditions are kept relatively unmixed in the inaccessible interior parts of the islands. All of these factors help us understand how various styles of the same dance rhythm originate.

Web note two:

In Clave Consciousness I break down the root of this bell pattern: the clave pattern that I ask to you clap in this lesson. If you learn this 12 clave pattern, the Haitian bell pattern will be easy. You can practice and play this Haitian bell pattern starting with or without the pickup note, the stroke right before beat One. I do it both ways in this lesson.

Web note three:

Playing these two parts together, one on each hand is a great exercise and is not difficult if you understand the bell pattern together with the four pulse. Try it sitting and play the rattle part with your "other" hand and play the bell with your strong hand, while tapping your foot on the four pulse.