© boardworks ltd 20081 of 13 5f african music – unit 5: world music icons key: for more detailed...

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5F African Music – Unit 5: World Music

Icons key: For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation

Flash activity. These activities are not editable. Teacher’s notes included in the Notes Page

Accompanying worksheet

Listening activity

SoundComposing activity

Performing activity

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♫ 5F African Music ♫Unit 5: World Music

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Learning objectives

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To consider the traditional social context of African music, including the use of dance, drums, vocals and costume.

To understand the main instruments and playing techniques employed in African drumming music.


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African music

Africa is made up of 53 different countries. Their landscapes, climates, languages and societies are hugely varied.

The music across Africa is also diverse, yet there are some common features that can be studied.

These features include repetition, call and response, polyrhythm and improvisation.


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Music and dance

Using music and dance to celebrate different occasions is a significant part of traditional African life. Music and dance are used together to express the emotion of various events.

Music is used alongside dance to mark certain occasions. Music and dance are so closely linked that often, the same word is used to describe both.


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African music

War HarvestComing of age

Listen to these examples of African music which is used for certain occasions.


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Drums

Drums are a prominent feature of African music. The drum has always been seen as the most important instrument in Africa, and there are many different types of drum.

Drums are traditionally made from natural resources, such as trees, goat skins and twine.


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Djembe


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Doundouns

The djembe is the most commonly played drum. However, djembes are sometimes accompanied by the kenkeni, sangban and doundounba.

Collectively, these drums are known as doundouns.

KenkeniThe smallest,

highest-pitched doundoun.

SangbanThe mid-size and mid-

pitched doundoun.

DoundounbaThe largest and lowest-pitched

doundoun.


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Talking drum


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Learning to play

African music is part of an oral tradition, meaning that music is learnt through listening and imitating, rather than by reading a transcription.

The feeling a rhythm creates is very important, so written music can only show the basic idea. To fully understand the rhythm, a drummer must listen in order to learn.

Drumming pieces are made up of sections of different rhythms. These sections can be played over and over help new drummers learn. This also gives people the chance to improvise over a set rhythm to vary the piece.


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Notation

African drumming rhythms are very rarely notated, and when they are, different methods of notation are used in different areas. Here is one method of notation:

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .BO. OBOS .

Key

B = bassO = toneS = slap

beats in the bar

tone and rhythm to play

This is how the rhythm could look in Western notation:


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Call and response

Call and response is a typical feature of African drumming. The master drummer plays a call, usually on the djembe, to which the rest of the group responds. The response may be:

An exact copy of the call

A refrain which is completely different from the call

A response that sounds quite similar to the call

Call CallResponse Response

A A

A A

B B

A1 A1


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Structure

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