African drumming

Question 1

What does Agawu mean when he states “the complexity of African rhythm is rational complexity?”

Answer 1

African rhythm is a rational complexity because it is more complicated than Western musical rhythms.

Question 2

What are the five categories of different types of song?

Answer 2

Free rhythm unaccompanied (unaccompanied singing in free or unmeasured rhythms)
Free rhythm accompanied (accompanied singing in free rhythm)
Strict rhythm unaccomp. (unaccompanied singing in strict/measured rhythms)
Strict rhythm accomp. (accompanied by singing in strict/measured rhythm
Free-followed-by strict rhythm (signing that progresses from free to strict)

Question 3

What are the three different modes of drumming? Describe

Answer 3

• Speech mode: beating out of relative durations and relational pitch elements of spoken speech on drum.
  Varying, flowing rhythms placed on single drums

Signal mode: symbolic and context-specific, played for communication
Shorts, repetitive rhythms played on single drums

Dance mode: rhythmic groove to which dancers can move their bodies
Regularity of phrasing or recurrent pulse felt
Gives number of recurring rhythms and tone patterns on drums
Diff pitches and rhythms in ensemble setting

Question 4

What is a timeline?

Answer 4

Also known as bell pattern,or topos; short rhythm pattern, playing us unvarying ostinato throughout dance drumming, includes long and short notes.

Question 5

How does a timeline differ from a metronome?

Answer 5

Times lines are patterns rather than mere pulses; they are integral to the music

Question 6

What is a polyrhythm?

Answer 6

The simultaneous use of two or more contrasting rhythms in a musical texture, assembled on layer at a time; subject to extensive repetition; shared beat

Question 7

What claims have been made about the synchronization in polyrhythm music? What does the author say regarding these claims?

Answer 7

They are a reflection of the freedom of vocal/instrument musical expression in African societies, freedom through indifferent attitude to notions of time and space.

Plurality of African ensemble music is not free plurality, but is disciplined and coordinated.

Question 8

What is the significance to polyrhythmic dance

Answer 8

helps make the metric underpinning apparent

Question 9

Describe the lead drummer. What rhythmic narrative does the lead drummer tell, duties?

Answer 9

The lead drummer (or master drummer) performs the most involved and complex rhythms; takes charge of ensemble; tells stories through use of pattern variation

Question 10

What is the significance of orality in lead drumming?

Answer 10

Tells stories using a variety of patterns; used to communicate

Question 11

What are the sources of the patterns played by a performer on a given occasion?

Answer 11

Diff dances call for diff patterns; has a set of learned procedures with which he make narration

Question 12

What is the most widely known genre of Balinese gamelan?

Answer 12

Gong Kebyar: “keybar” means to flare up or burst open; refers to explosive changes in tempo/dynamic characteristics of style

Question 13

What does the term taksy mean? How does it impact surrounding musicians?

Answer 13

Term in Bali that refers to combination of: Sekala (mastery of technique, specific to dance, theater, music) and Niskala (spirit of persona gifted from Gods)

Most sought after achievement in performance and can elevate musicians to greater level of performance

Question 14

What is the role of a drummer in gamelan performance?

Answer 14

Leads with cutes, tempo, dynamics, establish eye contact, monitor group, dictates procedure, communicates essent of music, posture, and gesture acts as intermediary to dancer

Question 15

What are the three categories of Balinese gamelan? What are the differences/characteristics between each?

Answer 15

• Ancient gamelan (gamelan kuno)
  Mostly sacred and stored in special location inside temple
  Smaller in size and do not have a lendang (drum)

-Middle age gamelan
Feature drums and gongs
Drums have significant role in leading ensemble
Primarily leadership role of man

-New or more recent gamelan (gamelan baru)
Drums have significant role in leading ensemble
Drummers are required to perform with gaya
High levels of competence in improv.
Primarily leadership of woman

Question 16

What two types of drumming are in the gong kebyar ensemble?

Answer 16

Solo drumming and paired drumming (kendang tunggal and kendang mepasangan respectively)

Question 17

Describe the terms bebas, what is implies, and how it is actually used

Answer 17

Means free; describes act of improvisation in solo drumming; not used as invitation to create spontaneous patterns; refers to recycling of rhythmic vocab

Question 18

What are three aspects of drumming improvisation?

Answer 18

-Meguru (teacher) gending (piece)
Applicable to solo drumming
Method for choosing and creating drum patterns that fit with specific melody and meter markings

-Kutang (throw) duduk (pick up)
Collective improvisation for paired drumming
Drummers creatively change basic pried drumming patterns by transforming sounds

-Meguru (teacher) igel (dance)
Method for drummers to react and anticipate movements in dances that don’t have fix choreo ‘

Question 19

On what basis is javanese gamelan music structured?

Answer 19

Repeating cycles; repeating sections; gradual development and variation; allows for improvisational elements

Question 20

Where does Darbuka originate?

Answer 20

Used in central Asia, north africa and used in thatric, classical, and popular music of middle eastern countries; simple folk instrument; appears in western classical pieces

Question 21

How does Misirli Ahmet learn and teach his music?

Answer 21

Existing musical discourse has been transferred from teacher to student through ages orally, learns by committing music to memory and teaches the same way

Question 22

What are the two basic strokes used on the darbuka?

Answer 22

First striking sound: “Dum” bass sound , Second sound: “Tek” sharp sound

Question 23

What should listeners keep in mind while being concentrated on analyzing rhythmic structures?

Answer 23

interpretation and style difference as musical richness

Helped define cultural richness through music, express thoughts/emotions

Analyze consistent patterns of one performer to figure what is being portrayed; rather than making overgeneralizations about how all people play

Question 24

How is the darbuka repertoire primarily carried?

Answer 24

Merely on memory; darbuka playing has always been verbal with no written documents

Question 25

What is the purpose of written notation within this study?

Answer 25

To help determine the boundaries of performance besides the area of freedom brought by musical practice; what can be displayed through notation and what simply can not be?

Question 26

Explain the significance of “gesture” as an element of rhythm and give an example from at least one of the musical traditions we explored in this unit.

Answer 26

It shows the importance of music making that is not strictly notated. Dancing in conjunction to the performance of African drumming, giving visual and aural cues for other performers to follow. An example of this would be lead drummers in gamelan use specific cues and patterns to communicate with the surrounding musicians.

Question 27

Improvisation in non-notated music traditions is often misunderstood as spontaneous creation. Discuss how misconceptions about improvisation differ from their actual practices in at least one of the musical traditions we explored in this unit.

Answer 27

In gamelan, babas describes the recycling of rhythmic patterns based on drummers’ rhythmic vocab, rather than creating spontaneous patterns. Improvisation is based on certain heuristics and isn’t entirely as “free” as it might appear to be.

Question 28

Describe the primary method of music transmission in one of the musical traditions we studied in this unit, contrasting it with the Western approach to music transmission.

Answer 28

An example of this would be rote learning. The act of executing the call and response method as a way to learn/memorize certain rhythmic patterns. A lot of traditions are orally/aurally transmitted from memory rather than notation. In western style, we learn music mostly by reading pieces of music and practicing how they appear on written music.

Question 29

Discuss how analyzing specific case studies of non-notated traditions can broaden our understanding of the parameter of rhythm.

Answer 29

Other cultures have complex musical concepts (rational complexity of African rhythm) or methods of performance unfamiliar to us (lead drummer taking the role of conductor). As future educators, we will need to use methods of teaching to the extend beyond the limitations that written music/notation offer.