"all drumming" Those who are a bit more musical, like our friend with the
quote above will say that African music is a bunch of weird rhythms bunched
together." And if you ask a music teacher, they may say that African music
is about "polyrhythms and polymeters"
The African continent displays a great variety of music and dances - music
and dances because these two are very closely linked and in most cases,
people do not imagine one without the other. Before it was colonized by the
European nations in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was divided into different
empires and kingdoms with their distinctive and often multiples musical
traditions.
A distinguishing feature of African music is its rhythmic complexity common
to no other continent. Polyrhythmic counterpoint, wherein two or more locally
independent attack patterns are superimposed, is realized by handclaps,
xylophones, rattles, and a variety of tuned and non-tuned instruments.
The remarkable aspect of African polyrhythm is the discernible coherence of
the resultant rhythmic pattern. Pitch polyphony exists in the form of parallel
intervals (generally thirds, fourths, and fifths), overlapping choral antiphony
and responsorial chant, and occasional simultaneous independent melodies.
In addition to voice, many wind and string instruments perform melodic
functions. Common are bamboo or metal flutes, ivory trumpets, and the
one-string ground bow, which uses a hole in the ground as a resonator.
During colonial times, European instruments such as saxophones, trumpets,
and guitars were adopted by many African musicians; their sounds were
integrated into the traditional patterns. As a consequence, scale systems in
modern Musical Expressions of Africa still vary between regions but are
generally diatonic.
Traditional Musical Expressions are highly functional, accompanying birth,
marriage, hunting, and even political activities. Much music exists solely for
entertainment, ranging from narrative songs to highly stylized musical
theater. As you will realize through this website, there is great variety of
musical expressions.
These include:
Kakilambe, Liberte, Dimbadun, Soko, Soca, Koukou, African Rhumba, Tiriba,
Babobo, Yankadi, Kpanlogo, Yole, Cassa, Sorsonet, Mandiani, Doundounba,
Fanga, Diagbe, Fankani, Marakadon, Soli, Abondon. - and many more to
learn!
Welcome to the Musical Expressions of Africa website.
I hope you enjoy your visit
Adolphe Yace
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CK Ladzekpo - African Music and Dance
Grove Music Online
Musical Expressions of Africa
08 BP 49 Abidjan 08
Cote d'Ivoire
Administrative Offices: 225 22 08 66 33
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