AFRICAN MUSIC

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AFRICAN MUSIC
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KEYWORDS

• Polyrhythm (cross-rhythm)
• Polyphony
• Call and response
• Master drummer
• Ostinato (repetition)
• Improvisation
• Variation
• A capella
• Brimintingo/ Kumbengo
• Kushaura/ Kutsinhira

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Tribal Africa

• This includes the sub-Saharan countries of Africa
  such as Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Ghana, Ivory
  Coast, Mali, Central African Republic and Congo.

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African music

• Music is central to every aspect of traditional
  life, from rituals to entertainment. Virtually
  all drum music is to accompany dancing or
  singing. YouTube - Djembe Drumming and Dancing
  1
• Music is passed on through oral tradition rather
  than notation, and in West Africa particularly
  there are hereditary musicians called griot or
  jali who can trace their family heritage back
  to the 12th century. YouTube - Little Djembefola
  Isaiah Drums and Dances 2
• The griot pass their musical skills on to their
  sons from a very young age and are highly
  respected (and paid) within their communities.
  YouTube - Isaiah 4 Years Old Plays "Ngri"
• Master drummers are soloists and conductors. They
  set the rhythm, pulse and decide upon solos and
  dynamics. They give visual and drum signals
  throughout. 3
• YouTube - Fadouba Oulare and his sons
  from Les Petits Sorciers - Kawa

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Musical styles African

• In African music repetition is often used to
  organise the music. In the mbira music of the
  Shona people of Zimbabwe, the interaction of
  players hands establishes a repeating pattern
  (ostinato) which players use as a basis for
  improvisation.
• Polyphony and Polyrhythm are also important.
• Polyphony has many musical parts or rhythms
  interweaving with each other.
• Polyrhythm is the simultaneous sounding of two or
  more individual rhythms (3 against 4). In West
  Africa, drum ensembles have 3-5 players, each
  with a distinctive method of striking their drum
  and playing interlocking patterns. Sometimes
  other percussion instruments join in, creating a
  thick musical texture.
• Call-and-response is very popular. The chorus
  repeats a fixed refrain in alternation with a
  lead singer, who then has more freedom to
  improvise. This makes the music conversational.
  (cassette)

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POLYRHYTHM 32 Try it!
x x x
x x
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Drums- Djembe

• African drums come in a variety of shapes and
  sizes. The bodies are usually made from wood,
  gourds, and clay drum heads are made from animal
  skins.
• The djembe drum has been called "the healing
  drum". It dates back to the 12th century Mali
  Empire of West Africa. It has a very wide tonal
  range setting it apart from other drums.

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Drums- dunun

• These set of drums are collectively known as
  dunun. Individually they are called
• Dununba- bass drum
• Sangban- mid drum
• Kenkeni- high drum
• Drum ensembles may consist
• of dunun, djembes and
• percussion.

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Polyrhythms

• The three dunun players each perform a different
  cyclic rhythm pattern on their drum and bells.
  These cyclic patterns combine to create a
  polyrhythm which is unique to a particular piece
  of music. The polyrhythm created by the set of
  dunun drums and bells is essential in supporting
  the whole piece- the solo drummers and supporting
  djembes rely on the dunun drums to hold the piece
  together.
• drumYouTube - Akaran Iko Iko rhythm
  sample - Soli (rapide) fast

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Talking Drums

• Talking drums belong to the family of hourglass
  shaped pressure drums. The gan gan is the
  smallest, the dun dun is the largest. They have a
  drum head at both ends.
• Pitch in African music is largely determined by
  the tuning of the drums. Drum rhythms can imitate
  well-known phrases. It's said that when Napoleon
  was defeated at the battle of Waterloo, the
  native people in West Africa knew about it before
  their English or French governors, because the
  news was drummed down the coast from North
  Africa. Talking drums are used to send messages,
  using a combination of pitch and rhythm to
  imitate speech. http//images.google.co.uk/imgres?
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Percussion-shakers

• The yenca rattle is a gourd containing seeds that
  make the sound. It has a sponge plug which can be
  removed to change the seeds for different sizes,
  to give a different sound. (hosho- maracas)
• The axatse or shekere also has seeds loosely
  covering a hollowed gourd. It is played by
  striking it on their hand, then on their leg, in
  various patterns. The top of the ball can be hit
  to create a deeper tone.

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Percussion- bells

• The gonkogui (gankogui) is a traditional double
  bell which is held in the hand whilst being
  struck with a stick. It has one high and one low
  tone. (agogo bells)
• The toke or banana bell is played by striking it
  with a metal rod whilst it lies across the palm
  of the hand. It can also be hung on the side of
  drums. A pair of these bells, tuned a fourth
  apart, usually play together

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Tuned percussion

• The balaphon is a predecessor to the xylophone
  and marimba. It uses hollow gourds as resonators.

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                         The MBIRA is
considered to create the essential link between
the world of the living and the world of the
spirits. It's believed to have the power of
projecting its sound into the heavens and
attracting the attention of the ancestors. It is
played by the thumbs and forefingers in cyclic
patterns. It is sometimes called the thumb
piano, but this is seen as a colonial term in
Africa. YouTube Mbira
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Mbira patterns

• Mbira players improvise over core ostinato
  patterns which creates complex polyphonic
  textures.
• The lead part is called the KUSHAURA.
• The intertwining part is called the KUTSINHIRA.
• Although cyclic, the performers do not consider
  any one point of the cycle the beginning or the
  end.
• Mbira are accompanied traditionally by hosho (an
  African forerunner of the maracas) YouTube -
  Hunters Mbira Crew 2

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Stringed instruments

• The kora is a 21- string harp-lute, which
  includes both plucked and sympathetic strings. It
  is used by professional musicians (jali) among
  the Mandika people of Gambia. YouTube - Jali
  Music Party in Brikama, The Gambia
• YouTube - Jali Sherrifo Konteh at Whitby
  Musicport 2005

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Kora patterns

• The kora sounds like a harp and can be played
  solo or to accompany songs
• The melody, counter- melodies and bass line are
  all played by one musician (Griot or jali).
• The melody (and improvisations around it are
  called BRIMINTINGO.
• The ostinato patterns below the melody are called
  KUMBENGO.

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Ngoni/ Xalam

• The xalam/ ngoni is the most common stringed
  instrument in Senegal in West Africa. A plucked
  lute which is a close relative of the African
  American banjo. YouTube - Xhalam playing by
  Abdulai Saine,Gambia 2002

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Southern Africa

• Music in the southern countries of Africa, which
  include South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zaire, have
  been influenced by Western church music,
  introduced by missionaries in the 19th century.
  Choral singing is very important in this part of
  Africa. The traditional vocal music of the Zulus
  of South Africa is called ISICATHAMIYA. It has
  been popularized by a group called Ladysmith
  Black Mambazo. (Heinz beans ad!!)
• In this clip, notice the A CAPELLA men's voices
  using CALL AND RESPONSE.
• YouTube - Mambazo

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African instruments

• Listen to these clips and identify the
  instrument(s)-
• 1. 4.
• 2. 5.
• 3. 6.

DJEMBE
DUNUN
KORA
TALKING DRUM
BALAFON
MBIRA (THUMB PIANO)
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Africa- its influence (Fusions)

• Elements of African music can be found in almost
  every other culture in the world.
• Africa has had a direct influence on the music of
  South America, the Caribbean, USA, Western Europe
  and many other nations.
• Africa is a huge and diverse continent with a
  wide variety of people, customs, music and
  instruments.

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Fusion

• List some of the genres or styles of music that
  you think may have been influenced by African
  music.
• BLUES DISCO BLUEGRASS
• FUNK DANCE
• SOUL JAZZ
• GOSPEL MINIMALISM
• REGGAE RAP SALSA/ CUBAN

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FUSIONS

• African musicians have always embraced new
  technology, applying the playing techniques of
  their own instruments to that of the western
  instruments brought in by the colonial powers.
• Often bands would play waltzes, marches and
  popular songs from the country that ruled.
• With independence came the freedom to explore
  traditional music, often moved on to the new
  instruments.

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Guitar styles

• Guitar styles copy the fast moving rippling
  rhythms of the kora and other string instruments-
• Mose Fan Fan- Sikulu
• Listen for the interlocking guitar lines, call
  and response vocals and shave haircut shampoo
  clave rhythm that is the basis of all cuban
  music-
• Loketo- Trouble.

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Electric Africa

• This all electric mix has many names in Africa
  depending where it originates from-
• West Africa- Highlife Afrobeat
• Mbalax Makossa
• Central and East Africa- Soukous (Soca)
• South Africa- Mbquanqa

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Chimurenga

• Listen to this MBIRA tune played traditionally
  and then arranged for electric instruments.
• Traditional Mbira- Taireva
• Thomas Mapfumo- Pfumvu
• Thomas Mapfumo- Chigwaya

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Youssou NDour

• Youssou Ndour is from Senegal, West Africa and
  is from a family of traditional musicians.
• He has created his own style of electric music
  called mbalax, which comes from local Wolof
  drumming patterns. His band uses the cyclic
  patterns on electric guitars, bass, keyboards,
  brass, drum kit and traditional drums including
  tama (talking drum). Ndobine.
• He makes different recordings of the same
  material for his African and Western markets
  putting a steady bass drum beat in his European
  recordings.
• Del teew
• http//images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurlhttp//ww
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Styles (CD2)

• Name these styles/ genre that have their roots in
  African music.
• 1. 2.
• 3. 4.
• 5. 6.

Reggae

• Salsa

Blues
Soul/ Funk
Bluegrass

• Minimalism

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Extension

• Listen to these clips of African music and try to
  spot what style of music it has influenced.
• Ali Farka Toure
• Manu Dibango
• King Sunny Ade
• Extra tracks- Muezzin call / Field hollers
• Mannish Boy / Bridging the Gap

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Homework

• Find 4 different examples of fusion music and
  identify the influences.
• If you can ,bring in a copy of one to play to the
  class.

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Traditional African instruments

• Other instruments
• African wind instruments include flutes,
  whistles, oboes and trumpets. The flutes were
  made from bamboo, reed , wood, clay, bones and
  other materials found in the sub-Saharan region.
• Trumpets, often associated with royalty, were
  made from animal horns or wood. Clarinets, from
  the Savannah region of West Africa are made from
  guinea-corn or sorghum stems, with a reed cut
  from the surface of the stem at one end.
  Double-reed instruments, such as the hasua
  algaita, are derived from North Africa.