A traditional cakewalk competition performed annually in Chorley, Lancashire, in which the winner receives a prize of a Chorley Cake which is a pastry filled with currants.
Actually it is just a piece of wishful thinking. Chorley Cake exists and a cakewalk is a real dance, but nobody has linked them together ... yet.
A piece of cake (alright, enough of the puns). The verse and chorus are fairly straightforward pieces of fun based on cakewalk and reggae rhythms. The ending uses a polyrhythm, or cross-rhythm, two different rhythms played at the same time.
The simplest polyrhythm has two rhythms and is excitingly labelled "3 over 2". One rhythm has three beats to a bar and the second has two.
Chorley Cake polyrhythm is 3 over 2. The congas play 6/8 at the prevailing tempo of 132bpm and the low tom plays 4/4 at 88bpm. A ride bell provides added interest, it has a 6/8 rhythm with a ONE-and-TWO-and-three-AND pattern followed by one-AND-two-AND-three-and pattern.
Such a simple idea lets you quickly build up incredibly dense and interesting sounds.
The ending uses an Afro-Cuban polyrhythm called Abakua. In addition to the toms, cowbell, ride bell, and crash cymbal found in a standard drumset, the percussion includes bongo, cabasa, conga, cuica and maracas. The guitar plays an accompanying sequence of 6/8 riffs before switching over to end in 4/4.
If you like Abakua why not try Bintin, or Fanga, even the names are intriguing. You can get them from the Rhythms page of the hugely informative SongTrellis website.
Title: Chorley Cakewalk
Key: G
Tempo: 132bpm
Length: 3' 24"
Track 1: French Horn melody
Track 2: accordion harmony
Track 3: grand piano
Track 4: nylon guitar
Track 5: pick bass
Track 6: percussion
Track 7: drumset
Genre: Pop, Rock
