Koko: 'Yiri'

Question 1

repetition

Answer 1

The restatement of a section of music. This might be just a few notes or a whole section of music.

Question 2

improvisation

Answer 2

the process in which music is made up spontaneously, without the use of written musical notation

Question 3

polyphony

Answer 3

a texture featuring two or more parts, each having a melody or rhythm line and sounding together - this creates a multi layered texture

Question 4

call and response

Answer 4

simple form involving a solo (call) followed by a group answering phrase (response)

Question 5

djembe

Answer 5

goblet-shaped drum from West Africa

Question 6

donno

Answer 6

hourglass-shaped ‘talking drum’ held under the arm and played with the hand

Question 7

dundun

Answer 7

double-headed drum (in several different sizes) played with sticks

Question 8

timeline

Answer 8

steady continuous beat is played by the master drummer

Question 9

cross-rhythms

Answer 9

rhythms that literally cross the usual pattern of accented and unaccented beats creating irregular accents and syncopated effects

Question 10

oral tradition

Answer 10

music that is learnt by listening and repeating, and passed on orally from generation to generation (without being written down in traditional notation)

Question 11

polyrhythmic texture

Answer 11

a texture made up of many different rhythms

Question 12

tone languages

Answer 12

In African music, languages made up only a few pitches, called tone languages. The pitch level determines the meaning of the words.

Question 13

membraphones

Answer 13

category of instruments that have a drum skin (membrane)

Question 14

vocables

Answer 14

effects made by the voice, using vowel sounds such as ‘eh’, ‘ah’, ‘oh’

Question 15

heterophonic

Answer 15

a musical texture in which several parts play the same melodic part but with slight differences in pitch

Question 16

monophonic

Answer 16

a musical texture of a single melodic line with no accompaniment

Question 17

Typical features of West African Music

Answer 17

• Repetition: Rhythm often repeated continually to form ostinato
• Improvisation: Melodies made up of improvised phrases
• Call and Response: Usually between a soloist (call) and larger group that responds with an answering phrase (response)

Question 18

Texture

Answer 18

• Most of the piece has a layered texture as balafon, drums and vocals mix together
• The intro has a monophonic texture with just one balafon (playing tremolo)
• A heterophonic texture is then created when a second balafon enters playing a variation of the first tune at the same time.

Question 19

Dynamics

Answer 19

Very little variation in dynamics

Question 20

Rhythm

Answer 20

• 4/4 - Syncopation is frequently used (especially between balafon and vocals)
• Triplets are often used by the vocal soloists
• Some cross rhythms (balafon plays semi quavers in group of three during one of the vocal solos)
• Drum plays a rhythmic ostinato which lasts throughout the piece (consists of a quaver followed by two semiquavers
• Djembe plays fills over the drum ostinato

Question 21

Tempo

Answer 21

• Opening is Free Time

- Rest has a steady speed

Question 22

Harmony

Answer 22

• Based on the Hexatonic scale

- Diatonic

Question 23

Tonality

Answer 23

In Gb major

Question 24

Structure

Answer 24

Intro: Short Balafon only (played using a tremolo)
Main Section: Drum ostinato/ clear pulse/ alternates between balafon solos and choruses/ in the middle, there is a vocal solo where lots of call and response patterns are used between the soloist and choir
The Coda: Short phrases for balafon played 5 times (slightly different each time)/ drum ostinato interspersed with rests/ single cow bell at the end

Question 25

Melody

Answer 25

• Balafon + vocals often plays + single short falling patterns that emphasizes notes Gb and Db (tonic + dominant of Gb)
• During the chorus, the group sings in unison
• The solos on the Balafons in the choruses are more virtuosic than the rest of the piece

Question 26

Timbre

Answer 26

Djembe - Drum played with hands
Balafon - Made of wooden bars tuned to different pitches (gourds hand beneath bars to make a more resonant sound)
Talking drum - Played with a hooked stick, used to imitate speech by creating different pitches
Vocals - Split into soloist and chorus (use call and response.