African Music

Question 1

Djembe drum

Answer 1

Single headed drum
Goblet shaped
Played with hands

Question 2

Agogô (bell)

Answer 2

Creates low or high pitch

The agogo player often leads the ensemble

Question 3

Dunun (or dundun)

Answer 3

Larger double headed drum, played with stick
Worn on shoulder (using a strap)
Often a bell like instrument is mounted on the drum

Question 4

Dunun sounds

Answer 4

O = open sound 
M = muted sound 
X = the bell on the dunun

Question 5

Balafon

Answer 5

Tuned percussion instrument

Question 6

Mbira

Answer 6

Tuned percussion - thumb piano

Question 7

Tonality

Answer 7

If tuned, the tonality is pentatonic, hexatonic, heptatonic

Question 8

Polyrhythm

Answer 8

The combining of several different rhythms

Question 9

Cross-rhythms

Answer 9

A complex type of polyrhythm (uses conflicting rhythms)

Question 10

Call+response

Answer 10

A caller might start a rhythm and pass it to another drummer
A caller controls the tempo of the piece
Controlled by a master drummer (virtuosic musician) who plays the core rhythm or improvised rhythms based on the core rhythm

Question 11

Talking drums

Answer 11

Played with a hooked stick

Contains strings that can be tightened/loosened to change pitch of drum