Rhythms of the World

Question 1

Music of Africa

Rhythms are passed between people through ___.

Answer 1

aural tradition

Question 2

Music of Africa
The master drummer has ___, leading the drum ensemble and playing solos. The leader directs the drummers with ___ in the form of ___.

Answer 2

the most elaborate part, musical cues, rhythm patterns

Question 3

Music of Africa

Name some of the purposes of African music.

Answer 3

storytelling, welcoming heroes, religious ceremonies

Question 4

djembe

Answer 4

a West African drum shaped like a large goblet and played with bare hands

Question 5

talking drum

Answer 5

a West African instrument which has drum skins on both the top and the bottom of the body
played with a beater and pitched using its tension chords, imitating a human voice

Question 6

dundun

Answer 6

Music of Africa

a double-headed bass drum pitched using the drum’s strings

Question 7

timeline

Answer 7

a repeating ostinato acting as a pulse to hold African music together

Question 8

balafon

Answer 8

African type of idiophone - an instrument that vibrates to create a sound - like a xylophone

Question 9

Music of Africa

features of melody

Answer 9

A melody is not always heard in traditional African music.
Sometimes a melody with a narrow range is added on a balafon or kalimba.
Simple vocal melodies can be included.

Question 10

Music of Africa

features of rhythm and metre

Answer 10

complex rhythms
strong sense of pulse supported by the timeline or dundun
repetitive rhythms
polyrhythms are frequently played
displaced rhythms create cross-rhythms

Question 11

Music of Africa

features of structure

Answer 11

no set structure because the leader signals changes of sections
frequent, short improvised solo sections

Question 12

Music of Africa

features of instrumentation and timbre

Answer 12

a variety of drums including djembe, talking drum and dundun

beads and rattles produce an alternative timbre

Question 13

Music of Africa

features of texture and dynamics

Answer 13

polyrhythms are created by layering different rhythms together
dynamics are not written down - the leader signals them during the performance

Question 14

Music of Africa

features of tonality and harmony

Answer 14

tuned instruments can be added to add melodic or harmonic elements to the music
drums can create their own harmony as they can change pitch by squeezing
simple diatonic or pentatonic harmonies can be heard when vocal melodies or balafons are added