Africa
What? Africa is a very large & diverse continent with many musical styles & cultures across its different countries and regions. Where? The music you study for your GCSE is most likely to be from sub-Saharan Africa where music is an important part of traditional life. When? It's hard to pin down a time because of how vast the area is. Who? Some popular performers of African music are: Mustapha Tettey Addy, Soungalo Coulibaly, Drissa Kone & many more. Structure - West African drumming often uses a timeline.A timeline is a short repeated rhythm which is often played by a single or double bell, eg the gonkogui, a double bell with a high note and a low note. The function of the timeline is to hold the piece together. Instruments - African drums are made of Wood, Metal, Earthenware or Large Gourds which are hard rinded fruit.
String instruments include various types of lute, harp and zither. One of the most well-known instruments is the kora - a long-necked African harp with many strings. The kora is often used to accompany songs of worship. Many kora players play complicated melodies at great speed.
Melodies are usually organised within a scale of four, five, six, or seven notes. They tend to use small melodic intervals (lots of 2nds and 3rds) and often use recurring patterns and descending phrases. |