West African Music Flashcards
What is it central to?
traditional life e.g. rituals, entertainment, social events, or the performance of a rite or ceremony
What is music used for?
- to communicate
- to celebrate
- to mourn
When is music performed and played?
in times of war, harvesting, birth and death
Are drums held in a lot of regard?
yes
different drum beats
There are different drum beats for different events, so people in neighbouring villages can tell what’s going on, just by listening from a distance. The type of event also determines who will be playing or singing - some music is spontaneous, whilst some is performed by specialist musicians e.g. master drummers.
African drumming:
- oral tradition
- integration with other art forms, especially dance
- instrumentalist are often expected to sing as well as play
- interactive, shouting and cheering from the audience are often an integral part of the performance - performances can often last several hours
melodic talking
- talking drum imitates sounds fo speech
- call and response
- drums are often used to communicate with other villages
‘ordinary’ speech
In the language of kale people, the word ‘bonsongo’ can have 3 meanings. When said on the same pitch it means ‘copper’, If the first two syllables and the third high it refers to a ‘rivers current’. If the first syllable is low and the other two high it means a ‘wooden pestle’.
Is singing in Africa often unaccompanied (acapela)?
yes
Do the songs feature a lot of call and response?
yes
What is the lead singer who makes the call called?
cantor
The Djembe
- originally from Mali/Guinea
- 400-800 years old
- generally high-pitched, loud
- ‘Dje; means ‘gather’ and ‘Be’ mean ‘everyone’
- traditionally the djembe has a very important role in village rituals and ceremonies, such as weddings, and is one of the most popular and well-known instruments
- a single-head goblet-shaped drum played with the hands
- the tonal range varies depending on the size of each drum
The Djembe:
skin
Traditionally, the skin is made out of goat skin, the skin of the Djembe is stretched tightly over the top of the drum.
The Djembe:
rope
Rope is used to secure the skin to the drum. The tighter the skin and rope the higher the pitch of the drum.
The Djembe:
body
Made of strong local wood, the body of the instruments is hollow and often engraved with patterns and images
The Sabar drum
- from Senegal
- played at many celebrations and events
- used to celebrate the happy moments in a community e.g. wedding, baptism, a full moon, if a visitor comes they get welcomed by instruments dancing and showing positive energy
- different rhythms are played for different occasions, for example, if you want to let people know there is someone getting married in the early morning, then you can let them know by playing a phrase on that instrument.
- the sabra drum is used to transmit a message from one village to another
- a single headed drum of different sizes and shapes, played with one hand and one stick
DunDun Drums:
- family of 3 drums-
- from the biggest to smallest they are called the dununba, sangban, and the kenkeni
- the sangban is the main drum for the rhythm
- if the drums are stood up they can be played by one person instead of three
- traditionally played with a belt and the sangban turned on its side
- the larger the drum the lower the pitch
Senegales Bongo:
- made of light wood, calabash and metal
- the sound of wood and metal keys
- played whilst someone tells a story
The Tama (talking) drum:
- made from lizard skin, fishing line and a rope which represents being united
- from Senegal
- you van change the pitch by squeezing it under your arm
- it is called the talking drum because it is tuned to sound like human speech
Musical elements:
The building blocks that can be used to describe all music. Elements include: structure, melody, harmony, texture, rhythm, dynamics and sonority.
tempo:
how fast or slow the music is
pitch:
how high or low a not is
dynamics:
how loud or quiet the music is
rhythm:
a pattern of sounds of different lengths
Donno (Ghana)
Hourglass ‘talking’ drum capable of producing a range of pitches played under the arm.
slap:
a piercing tone created by ‘slapping’ the edge of the drum with fingertips
tone:
a high pitched spun created by striking the drum with fingers
bass:
a lower pitched sound made boy striking the drum with a flat palm in the middle
flam:
two slap or tone sounds in very quick accession, accent on the second note
Rhythms from ‘kuku’:
‘kuku’ is a song that originates from the Manian group of Guinea and the Ivory Coast.
It is a celebration that is traditionally performed by the women of the community after a successful night fishing.
One of the most popular Djembe pieces in West Africa.
‘kuku’ can be played with accompanying singing and dancing with the lyrics roughly translated to ‘Lets play drums in the moonlight with our friends to celebrate catching fish’.
master drummer:
the leader of the drum circle, similar to a conductor or lead violinist in an orchestra
start signal:
It is a rhythm played by the master drummer that tells other drummers when to join in.
stop signal:
It is a rhythm played by the master drummer that tells other musicians when to stop
ostinato:
a repeated pattern or phrase
oral tradition:
music, art and stories which are passed down by ear through generations
accent
when you emphasise a note or beat
‘kuku’ structure
start signal - ‘Play the djembe and here we go1’
ostinato - a repeated pattern or phrase
call - master drummer - ‘Whats for dinner Jo?’
stop signal - ‘Play the djembe and shout Africa!’
end in unison:
Where does the word unison come from?
It comes from the Latin root words ‘uni’, meaning ‘one’ and ‘soneous’ meaning ‘sound;.
Melodic unison:
playing the same notes and pitch
Rhythmic unison:
playing the same rhythm
Does ‘kuku’ end in rhythmic unison or melodic unison?
Because it is rhythmically based and uses untuned percussion, it is played in rhythmic unison.
call and response:
a succession of two distinct phrases usually written in different parts of the music, whereas the second phrase is heard as direct commentary on or in response to the first
texture:
an element that describes how the different layers of music interact
monophonic:
a texture consisting of a solo musical line
homophonic:
a texture based on chords that accompany a distinct melody line
polyphonic:
two or more melodies or parts that play at the same time, weaving in and out of each other
Polyrhythms:
when two or more rhythms with different pulses are heard together
West African Music:
polyrhythms
These simultaneous, contrasting rhythms are used frequently in West African Music
