African Music

By Bethanie Chong and Ciara Pickering

Characteristics of African Music

Polyrhythms, which are individual rhythms layered
on top of each other, are a prominent part of African
music. Whilst in Western Music, in 4/4 time the 1st
and 3rd beats are emphasized, in African music the
so-called off-beats, the 2nd and 4th, are stressed.

There are no fixed scales or pitches in African

music, though they seem to commonly use a
pentatonic scale, in which there are no semitones.

North Africa - (countries north of the Sahara

Desert)
The music here has been widely

influenced by Islamic and Arabic

culture.
Tribal Africa - (sub-Saharan countries i.e. Senegal,
Ghana, Congo...etc.)
The music is primarily composed of
call-and-response drumming and
singing, and often has ostinato patterns
(a continually repeated musical phrase
or rhythm) in the rhythm, instrumental
or vocal parts. It is not written down,
but passed on by oral tradition.

Drumming:
Drummers from drum ensembles, led by someone
called a 'master drummer', who gives musical cues
(call) in the form of rhythmic patterns, and also plays
elaborate solos. The master drummer is also
responsible for signalling dancers when to change
tempo or dance steps. Drum ensembles feature both
polyrhythms and cross-rhythms (when two conflicting
rhythms are heard together).
A timeline (a short repeated rhythm) is also used in
West-African drumming. It is often played by a single or
double bell, e.g. Gongkogui, to hold the piece together.

Drumming Technique
Most drummers play using their hands.
There are three main different types of
strokes:
Slap - This is when you hit the side of
the drum with your fingers spread out
Tone - This is when you hit the side of
the drum with your fingers together
Bass - This is when you hit the centre
of the drum with a flat palm
Drummers can dampen the sound by
placing one hand on the drum skin.
They may also hit the wooden part of
the drum to produce a contrasting
sound.

Influence and Instruments

African Music
The influence for black African music is widespread,
not just within communities with African heritage but
across the world, having been brought to America
and the Caribbean through the slave trade.
African drums
African drums come in a different shapes and sizes.
The bodies are usually made of wood, gourds, and
clay; drum heads are made from animal skins.
Examples: Djembe drum, Talking drum, Sakara drum
and the Doumbek drum.

Drums
Djembe drum is also called The healing

drum.
It comes from the Mali Empire of west africa it
dates back to the 12th century.
It has a wide tonal range setting it apart from
other drums.
Sakara drum is a hand-held drum made in

Nigeria, West africa.

It is from a family of four different sizes, from
tiny (Atele) to large (Lya-Alu).
Goatskin is stretched over a rim of red clay
and is played with a light stick.
The Sakara drums are played all over the
world in a variety of ways.

Talking drum belongs to the family

of hourglass shaped pressure

drums.
Gan gan is the smallest, and the
Dun dun is the largest talking
drum.
They have a drum head on either
side.
Doumbek drum comes from the

middle east, it was originally

played in Egypt, Turkey and
Armenia.
It is played with the fingers. Dum is
the bass tone played with right
hand in the middle of the drum.
Tek is the high ringing sound
played with right right hand. Ka is
the same sound as Tek, but played
with left hand.

Percussion
Gonkogui is a traditional double

bell that is held in the hand

while being hit by a stick. It has
one high and one low tone.
Shekere also has seeds loosely

covering a hollow gourd. It is

played by striking it on their
hand, then on the leg, in
different patterns. To create a
deeper tone the top of the ball
is hit.

Toke or banana bell is played by

striking it with a metal rod while

it is laid across the palm of the
hand. It may also be hung on the
side of drums. A pair of these
bells, tuned a fourth note apart,
usually are played together.
Strings:
Kora is a 21 string harp-lute,
which includes both plucked and
sympathetic strings. This is used
by professional musicians
among the Madika people of
Gambia.

Music in African Culture

Music plays a prominent role in the family life of African

people, especially those in rural communities. After their

evening meal families usually sit and talk, play instruments
and sing. Parents will often teach their young children how
to play instruments, and the children practice on drums
made from old cans or other discarded items.

Music also brings the

community together, and

is plentiful during
occasions such as a
religious festival, marriage
or at harvest time, where
everyone celebrates by
singing and dancing. Each
town usually has its own
distinctive version of a
piece of music. There are
specific songs to
celebrate different
occasions, e.g. birth or
death.

Most African languages are

tonal - the pitch of the word is
just as important as the word
itself, and could instil different
meanings. Very skilled
drummers can make the
drums talk, whereby they
make the drums change pitch
to imitate the changing levels
of pitch in ordinary speech.
Drum beats can be heard over
long distances, so they are
used to send messages.

Physical work is also usually accompanied by

songs, with rhythms that match the rhythm of
work. This makes boring work more pleasant.
These were carried to America by the slaves,
who sang while working in the field because
they were forbidden to talk.

Modern African Music

In West Africa, a musical style called Highlife has evolved,

which blends traditional African music with Western pop

and rock. It features both traditional African and Western
instruments, and sometimes even talking drum messages.

Example: Duke - by Kantata

Led by Ghanian guitarist George

Darko
The style is called Asiko
- a fusion of highlife with international pop
The song is about a young man working abroad who
doesnt want to return to his home-town empty-handed