Transcript File
What is this music? • What instruments does it have? • What part of the world do you think it is from? African Music Learning Outcomes • • • • Where African Music comes from History of African Music Types of instruments Features of African Music Where is Africa? AFRICA!! Why do you think drums are used a lot in African music? • Very traditional, used a very long time ago, no communication through telephones or email • Think about the materials they have in Africa – not a very wealthy continent, like America or Europe African Drums! • The most commonly used instrument in Africa, apart from the voice • Traditionally used as an accompaniment to singing, dancing, working and communicating between villages • Children are taught to play the drums by ear at a very early age • Repetition is used a lot in African music • Used as a basis for improvisation • Polyrhythms (lots of rhythms at the same time) were very important • Drum ensembles have 3-5 players, who each have their own striking method and their own rhythms that weave in together. Other Percussion Instruments • Other percussion instruments also join in, creating a thick musical texture • Call-and-response is used a lot – one person might sing/drum a part, which is then responded to with a different pattern or part of the song • This is different to echo – where one person sings/drums a rhythm which is repeated by the rest of the group. Instruments • Djembe drum – skin-covered hand drum • Made out of a single tree trunk and is said to contain the soul of the tree, which is shaped and hollowed out • Drumhead usually made out of goatskin and rope is used to tighten the skin to tune the drum to the right pitch • Djembe can make 3 different tones – bass, slap, and open tone. Talking Drums • Usually played with sticks • Changes in pitch by tightening or loosening the strings which run along the length of the drum • Used for communication A Form of Communication • Drum rhythms can imitate well-known phrases • Drums were used to send messages and communicate through villages, using a combination of rhythms and pitches to imitate speech Master Drummer • Usually a senior member of the drumming ensemble • Directs the group, issues drumming cues to indicate new sections of the music, and improvising complicated rhythms over a repeated pattern • A master djembe player is called the djembefola Most important features of African Music: • Use of dynamics – louds and softs • Polyphony – lots of melodies (tunes) all happening at the same time and interweaving together. • Polyrhythms – each drummer has their own rhythm they must remember • Each rhythm fits in together so that when all the drummers play together, it becomes a polyrhythm • Pitch- high and low according to tuning of drums • • • • • • How can you explain what you hear? Rhythm or beats? Texture – thick/thin? Pitch – high/low? Instruments Tempo – speed Timbre – what does it ‘sound’ like? Think of one word to explain what it sounds like. • Dynamics – loud/soft? Polyrhythm task • Split class into 3 groups • Each group will have their own rhythm • Then clap all rhythms at the same time • This makes a polyrhythm! Polyrhythms: Rhythm 1: Rhythm 2: Rhythm 3: Rhythm 4: Learning Outcomes for today: • Learn how to work as part of a group to perform an African song • Make up your own polyrhythms • Decide who you want to sing, and who is drumming • Perform as a group, and assess others