click to see full size — Drum Charts of Mambo and Rumba

Hi, I wrote out a Mambo and a Rumba rhythm I found on youtube. I often look up new drum patterns there. What I found interesting about these two, beyond being moderately challenging, they have the exact same rhthymic figure played on the bell of the ride cymbal or cowbell. I’ve noted the rhythm that binds these two on the top on the image.

I perfer to count in 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & method, and thus prefer the Rumba’s notation. It’s easier to count eighth notes than it is to count 16th notes.

When learning rhythms like these it’s important to start very slowly. You must learn when your hands and feet strike together; some teachers focus on learning a right hand pattern which you combine later with left hand pattern or a foot pattern. I find that approach very hard.

Art Blakey’s mambo as a snare lick

Instead I start very slow and focus on each note in the phrase, getting my limbs lined up. After I play like this for a while I gain comfort playing all these parts in synch and the whole thing opens up for me — independence is achieved.

For example for me to do the Rumba, I’d think “left foot and right hand on one; left hand and right hand on beat two; right foot on the & of 2.” This is a very slow and rewarding process.