World Music Flashcards
Main African instruments
- Kora (Big dried vegetable, Harp-like)
- Xylophone / Balafon
- Talking Drum
Main Arab instruments
- Rabab (Bow stringed instrument)
- Ūd (Like a Loot)
- Nãy
- Qanun
Main Indian Instruments
- Sitar
- Sarangi
- Tabla
- Tambura
Main Indonesian Instruments
- Kendang
- Bonang
- Gong
- Saron
Main Chinese Instruments
- Qin / Gu Zheng
- Dizi (Bamboo Flutes)
- Er Hu
Main Japanese Instruments
- Shakuhachi (Single Bamboo Flute)
- Koto (Gu-Zheng Like)
- Shō (Bamboo Flutes)
Main Latin American Instruments
- Charangi
African: Rhythm and texture
- Cross Rhythm
- polyrhythm
- Syncopated
- atonal
African music features
- syncopation
- polythrythm
- ostinato
- call and response
- homo and mono vocal textures
most important feature
of african music
rhythm
Key features of Arab Music
- heterophonic
- call and response
- improvisation
- drone
- no major or minor or predictable chord sequence
Layers in indian Music
- Melody
- Rhythm
- Drone
Drone in indian music
provided by a stringed instrument called the Tambura, it sums the ‘tonic and ‘dominant’ note of the chosen scale throughout the piece
Melody in Indian Music
- Sitar
- Sarangi
- Harmonium
- Bamboo Flute
Raga (Indian)
Indian musicians base their melodies on scales called ‘raga’.
There are lots of different scales, with different number of notes, and sometimes they are different
in their ascending and descending forms
Each raga has a specific mood, event or time of day attached.
Structure of a Raga
Alap, Jhor, Jhalla
Rhythm in Indian
Tabla (2 drums, metal circle in middle)
Plays Tala - repeating rhythm cycle, first note of
Tala is Sam (emphasized). Khali (unemphasized
notes)
No tabla =
Alap
What is common in Indian music
Glissando between notes, common
kora
balafon
Alap
- Invocation
- Slow, Free tempo
- Improvisatory
- Instruments heard: melodic instrument and drone
- No drums
Jhor
- Strict tempo
- Gat melody
Jhalla
- Speeds Up
- tabla plays
- Fast improvisation on the Gat
- Busy
- Polar opposite of Alap
Main Features of Gamelan
- Music made up of layers and layers of different instrument
- heterophonic
- slendro: pentatonic scale
- pelog: heptatonic
- frequent change in tempo and dynamics
Features of Chinese
❖ Pentatonic scale
❖ Monophonic / Heterophonic
❖ Tonality in the words means that the melody and directional passages are given more importance
❖ Heavy ornamentation
❖ Significant use of percussion instruments
- Pitch Bending
Features of Japanese
- Often has a vocal part, nature of instrument is usually reflected in the title
- More emotional
- No Chordal Harmony
- Both Chinese and Japanese are Pentatonic, Programmatic
- Melodic parts seem to start at different times, only coming together at cadences
- “Through-Composed”, no repeated ideas, keep adding on new ideas
Features of Mariachi Music
- Syncopation
- Melodies played in thirds, by trumpet or violin
- Verses sung solo, chorus sung by everyone
- Lively, quick tempo
- Simple, mainly primary chords
- Repeated melodic phrases
Instruments in Mariachi
- Guitar
- Violin
- Trumpet
- Small percussion instruments
- Vihuela, string instrument that plays off beat
Features of Tango (Argentina
● Variations of habanera
● Melody line often contains chromatic twists
● Syncopated dotted rhythm
Variations of habanera
● Frequent use of accented notes
● Use of glissando
● intense, dramatic, melancholic
● 2/4 or 4/4
● Texture often featuring a solo melodic instrument with chordal accompaniment (homophonic
Tango Instruments
● Piano
● String bass
● Violin
● Bandoneon
● Cello
● Guitar
Samba Features
➔ Rhythmic repetition (ostinato)
➔ Fast tempo
➔ Syncopation
➔ Polyrhythm
➔ Call and Response
Samba Instruments
- surdo
- apito
- tamborim
- snare drums
- agogo
- Pandeiro
- reco reco
Choro Instruments
Cavaquinho
Bandolim
Pandeiro
Choro Features
Harmony: triads, relative minor, modulation
Structure: ABA, ABACA
Tempo: ¾, 2/2, 4/4
Improvisation
Countermelody and counterpoint
Panpipes features
● 6/8 alternating with ¾ time signatures - hemiola effect.
● Conventional chords - mostly primary
● Syncopated rhythms
● Regular phrase lengths
● Major/minor tonalities
● Melodies sometimes shared between two instruments (each takes alternating notes, or groups of notes) - this technique is known as hocketing.
Panpipes Instruments
Charango
