[Thanks to Joaoclima for the photo, rollover for credits.]

I was frustrated with my pandeiro practice a few months ago, because I felt like I had enough practice to keep up with and play along with some slower sambas / pagoda tunes - but my playing didn't sound right, it didn't "fit" the music.

My pandeiro teacher had always stressed the active use of the left hand - in particular to bring the pandeiro to meet the right hand when playing. To be clear - this is true, and is not the problem.

Every time I sit down to practice drumming - which is not nearly often enough, I admit - I discover something new. I'm not trying to be a pollyana; I'm a little overwhlemed that there is so much to discover. But it's also great that these insights and lessons are accessible to me without needing an expert to point them out - its all right there, just beneath the surface. To be fair, since I tend to play alone alot (snif) I focus more on what I'm playing and how, much more so than if I was jamming with others.

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p>[Update:  I'm fixing up this post that rambled off in too many directions - a victim of late night posting.  This post deals with the "Swing Pairs" - similar rhythms that shift between 12/8 and 4/4.  See here for the exercise and chart of the comparison of rumba clavé and 6/8 clavé....]

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p>I've been eating up science podcasts about music lately.  My favorite so far is a particular WNYC Radio Lab's musical language podcast, which right from the outset links speech to song.  They have a couple of more episodes on music (Pop Music and Earworms, the latter only availalbe to podcast subscribers).  A