AOS3: African & Caribbean fusions, Latin music Flashcards
What is a fusion?
A mixture of different musical styles.
Give 3 features of reggae music.
1) Emphasis on rhythm in most of the accompanying instruments, e.g. backbeats and shuffle beats
2) Harmonies predominantly made using primary chords
3) Basslines very important, and often melodic.
Give 5 typical rhythmic styles of reggae music.
- backbeats
- shuffle beats
- skank
- bubble rhythms
- one drop rhythms.
What is a backbeat?
A strong accent on one of the normally unaccented beats of the bar.
What is a one drop rhythm?
A reggae style drum beat.
What is skank?
An offbeat and staccato guitar strumming rhythm which sounds similar to the one drop rhythm. So beats 1 + 3 are muted, and 2 + 4 are strummed.
What is a bubble rhythm?
An offbeat organ rhythm which plays on the weak quaver after every strong beat (like the “and”s in “1-and-2-and-3-and-4and”).
Give 3 typical features of African-Carribean fusions.
- syncopation
- imitation, call + response
- a capella singing
Mbaquanga music is a form of South African dance music which draws on other styles: kwele, marabi and jazz.
Name 7 features of instrumentation included in Mbaqanga music.
- chanting
- syncopated drumming
- vocals
- guitars
- penny whistles
- brass instruments
- sometimes organs
What is Isicathamiya?
A traditional type of a cappella choral singing, developed in South Africa by migrant Zulu communities.
The group sings in four-part harmony, typically led by a tenor soloist, with a call and response texture.
What is Zydeco?
The dance music of Louisiana’s black Creoles.
It is a mixture of various styles (“La La” music, blues and jure) and originated in the early 20th century, typically featuring accordion, guitar and fiddle.
Name 6 typical features of contemporary Latin music.
1) Son (a cuban dance/song style which is characterised by the use of the “son clave” rhythm).
2) Intricate use of a variety of percussion instruments, reflecting the African element of this fusion.
3) Call + response texture between lead + backing singers.
4) Primary chords often used in harmony
5) Simple chord progressions
6) Rhythmic styles e.g. syncopation, hemiola, polyrhythms, cross-rhythms, bi-rhythms
Name 10 instruments typically used in contemporary Latin music.
- Laouds
- Claves
- Dumbek
- Congas
- Timbales
- Cowbells
- Cabassa
- Bongos
- Udu drum
- Güiro
What is the “son clave” rhythm?
A syncopated rhythm (there are lots of different types) played by the claves.
What are claves?
2 wooden sticks which are struck together to make a percussive tap.
What is a laoud?
A 12-string lute.
What is a dumbek?
Also known as the darabouka or goblet drum, it has 2 distinctive different pitches.
What is an udu drum?
Hand percussion instrument, originally a clay jar, where the player strikes a small hole to create a bass sound, and hits anywhere else on the instrument to make a treble sound.
What is a Güiro?
A hollow gourd with a ridged surface that makes a scratching sounds.
Name 8 styles common in contemporary Latin music.
- Danzon
- Cha-cha-cha
- Merengue
- Rumba
- Salsa
- Tango
- Samba
- Bossa Nova
What is the Danzon?
A slow Latin dance, in 2/4, with a dotted rhythm.
What is the cha cha cha?
A slow to medium dance style in 4/4.
What is the bossa nova?
A relaxing and jazzy (e.g. 7th chords) style of Brazilian music.
What is the Samba?
A Brazilian dance style which is percussion-heavy and fast.
What is the Merengue?
A very fast dance in 2/4.
What is the Rumba?
Similar to Son and Salsa, it is a genre of ballroom music and dance which combines American big band music with Afro-Cuban rhythms.
What is the habanera?
A Cuban rhythmic style which is syncopated.
