JARABI

FOR
ACOUSTIC
GUITAR

A S T E P-B Y-S T E P
INTRODUCTION
TO PL AYING
ONE OF WEST
AFRICA’S MOST
New Cape

POPULAR
COMPOSITIONS
 The g string is tuned down to f #.
It will sound the same as the fourth fret on the D string.

e
b
f#
4

Tuning for Jarabi: Treble Strings

 The final version of Jarabi requires a ‘dropped D’ tuning as below.
For the lessons in this book you will not be playing the lowest string so you can leave
it in the standard tuning (E).

D
A
D

Tuning for Jarabi: Bass Strings

 I play all kora music using a Capo on the third fret. This makes the tuning of the
guitar the same as the kora, and makes the pieces far easier to play. When you use a
Capo on the third fret, your fourth fret becomes the first fret and so on.

Capo
 i m a

The Right Hand

 The first parts of Jarabi to learn are the accompanying cycles of the piece.
A cycle is a short piece of music which is played over and over again.
The word for a cycle in Malian kora music is Kumbengo.

In Jarabi most of the cycles are played with the thumb (p) playing the A string
and fingers (i,m and a) playing the treble strings.

a
m
i

Position of the Right Hand Fingers for Kumbengos

 The names of the Kumbengos are taken from the full score of Jarabi.
The basic Kumbengo is K. There are numerous variations which will be presented here from easiest to hardest:
K8, K5, K2, K4, K7, K3, K6
The basic idea behind all of these variations is K which can be substituted for any of the variations when playing the
full version of Jarabi.
 Each K is made up of a three part rhythmic cycle. The parts of K are as follows
(played on open strings)
Play each one separately:

m m
i i i
p p p

then put them together as one continuous cycle:

m m
i i i
p p p
 Now add the left hand to play the first part of K:

k
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 0 2 2 0 4 4 0

and the second part:

™
™
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 0 4 4 0 4 4 0
 Repeat signs are usually used to show that the music in between the sings is played twice.
In Jarabi they are used to show that the music between the signs is a cycle and can be played as many
times as you like.

™ ™
™ ™
E
B
F#
D
A
D
 The full K cycle is divided into four bars, the first two the same and the second two the same.
This results in a bassline on the A string which will remain continuous throughout Jarabi.

™ ™
k
™ ™
E
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
F# 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D
A 2 2 0 2 2 0 4 4 0 4 4 0
D
 Change the harmony of the second cycle to create the final version of K.

™ ™
k
™ ™
E
B 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
F# 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D
A 2 2 0 2 2 0 4 4 0 4 4 0
D
Learn the following variations of K by playing the three different Right Hand Patterns
separately, putting them together, and then adding the Left Hand.
 m m m
i i
p p p

™ ™
k8
™ ™
E
B 0 3 3 0 3 3 2 3 3 2 3 3
F# 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D
A 2 2 0 2 2 0 4 4 0 4 4 0
D
 m
i m m
i
p p p

™ ™
k5
™ ™
E
B 0 0 2 2
F# 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 0 3
D 0 0 0 0
A 2 2 0 2 2 0 4 4 0 4 4 0
D
When the right hand ring finger (a) is brought into the cycle, the second part of each cycle
will require a small bar chord.
This means that the first finger of the left hand is used to fret two strings at once (e and b).
 a a a
m
i i
p p p

k2
™ ™
™ 2 ™
E 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 2
B 0 0 2 2
F# 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D
A 2 0 2 2 0 4 4 0 4 4 0
D
 a a a
m m
i i i
p p p

™ ™
k4
™ ™
E 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 0
B 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
F# 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D
A 2 2 0 2 2 0 4 4 0 4 4 0
D
 a a a
m m
i
p p p

™ ™
k7
™ ™
E 2 2 5 2 2 5 2 2 5 2 2 5
B 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
F# 0 0 0 0
D
A 2 2 0 2 2 0 4 4 0 4 4 0
D
 a a a
m m
i i i
p p p

™ ™
k3
™ ™
E 5 5 4 5 5 4 5 5 4 5 5 4
B 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
F# 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D
A 4 4 0 4 4 0 2 2 0 2 2 0
D
 a a m a
m m
i
p p p

™ ™
k6
™ ™
E 2 2 4 5 2 2 4 5 2 2 4 5 2 2 4 5
B 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
F# 0 0 0 0
D
A 2 2 0 2 2 0 4 4 0 4 4 0
D
 Visit www.derekgripper.com for the full or abridged score of Jarabi or download The
Montessori Guitar for a step-by-step introduction to the playing techniques of the classical guitar.