West African Music
West Africa is diverse.
West Africa o What do you know? o Unique Indigenous traditions & External traditions o Highly diverse indigenous musical traditions from region to region - Uniquely complex rhythmic traditions - The Kora & praise song traditions > Kora player/singer. Notice the rich sounds of the kora. Also, notice that he has amplified his instrument. The fast running patterns are typical of kora music. The form is also typical, whereby the beginning of the song is in “free meter” (i.e., with no clear beat or organization), followed by a strictly metered section which alternates between two chords. Also notice that the player uses his thumb and index finger on each hand to play. > Contemporary Kora singer/band. Notice the 2-chord basis of the song. Also, notice the running notes on the Kora (these are typical of traditional kora music) - Ewe (Ghana) / Ashanti (Aka)/Yoruba West African Drum traditions > Ewe drumming. Note the agogo controlling the cycle (agogo = double bell). > Ewe drum ensemble Tutorial. Notice that the player begins with an agogo cycle. He then begins to vary his pattern in order to change the relationship with other players. It also changes the sense of meter that listeners are hearing. We call this “polymeter” and “polyrhythm” or multiple rhythms and meters at work simultaneously. > Ashanti (Akan) drumming draws on the multi-pitch possibilities of drums and the interplay between drumming and language. Various sub-genres exist within Ashanti musical tradition, but the “talking” Akan drums are especially interesting. They can “talk” by taking advantage of the high and low aspects of the language. A rich tradition of traditional poems can be played on such drums. > Yoruba (West African) Bata Ensemble. The “Bata” ensemble is one of the Yoruba drum ensembles. The Bata drum is central to this ensemble. - The “Talking Drum” tradition (both via pressure drum and via struck drums). These drums have different names in different languages, but the idea is similar. The drum has loose strings connecting the two heads. Squeezing the strings tightens the heads, thus raising or lowering the pitch of the drum. > Donno (Ndondo) (“talking drum”). Notice how this Nigerian player, Ayan Bisi Adeleke, changes the pitch of his “pressure drum” by squeezing the strings. - West African balafons. The “balafon” is a type of “Idiophone” which is made from pieces of wood of different sizes. The size determines the pitches of the wooden “keys” which are then arranged from low to high. > Balafon player. Like a West African Kora piece, this example begins with a free metered introduction followed by a strickly metered section. > Making a Balafon. This video is in French, but shows nicely how a Balafon is made. - Islamic influence is especially evident in the Sahel > Islamic-influenced from West Africa o 20^th century influences from the West - Mostly found in popular music (Nigeria/Ghana/Benin). - Highlife is an older popular style which laid the foundation for other more recent styles. > Classic Highlife example (Ghana). Note the electric guitar, electronic organ, the Yoruba-influenced drumming, the unique vocal style, and the horn duets. - Juju reached its peak in the late 20^th century. The musical style is said to come from the Yoruba percussion tradition of Nigeria. > Juju example (Begins with an ndondo solo) > King Sunny Ade. King Sunny Ade was recognized as one of the most influential Juju artists. Note the presence of the ndono, conga drums, a full drum set, a traditional cabassa, electric guitar, bass guitar, electronic keyboard. The style incorporates both traditional and contemporary elements. The vocal style is clearly based on traditional musical practices.