MUSIC OF

AFRICA
 BACKGROUND
a.Second largest continent
b.Also known as the
“Dark Continent”
c.Sahara
d.Nile River
 Music has always
been important part in
the daily life of the
African, whether for
work, religion,
ceremonies, or even
communication.
•Wide influences
on Global music
•Birth of JAZZ
forms.
• African music
results from the
cultural and music
diversity of the
more than 50
countries of the
continent
• African music
results from the
cultural and music
diversity of the
more than 50
countries of the
continent
TRADITIONAL
MUSIC OF
AFRICA
• African music is
largely functional in
nature
• Used primarily in
ceremonial rites (birth,
death, marriage,
succession, worship,
and spirit invocations.
Some of
African
Music
 AFROBEAT
is a term used to
describe the fusion
of West African with
black American
music.
APALA (AKPALA)
a musical genre form
Nigeria in the Yoruba
tribal style to wake up
worshippers after
fasting during the
Muslim holy feast of
Ramadan.
 AXE
a popular
musical genre
from Salvador,
Bahia, and
Brazil.
 JIT
• is a hard and fast
percussive Zimbabwean
dance music played on
drums with guitar
accompaniment,
influenced by mbira-
based guitar styles.
 JIVE
a popular form of
South African Music
featuring a lively and
uninhibited variation
of jitterbug, a form of
swing dance.
 JUJU
• a popular music style from
Nigeria that relies on the
traditional Yoruba rhythms,
where the instruments in Juju
are more Western in origin. A
drum kit, keyboard, pedal
steel guitar, and accordion are
used along with the traditional
dun-dun (talking drum or
squeeze drum).
 KWASSA KWASSA
• is a dance style begun in
Zaire in the late 1980’s,
popularized by Kanda
Bongo Man. In this
dance style, the hips
move back and forth
while the arms move
following the hips.
 MARABI
• South African three-
chord township music
of the 1930s-1960s
which evolved into
African Jazz.
 MARABI
• Possessing a keyboard style
combining American jazz, ragtime
and blues with African roots, it is
characterized by simple chords in
varying vamping patterns and
repetitive harmony over an
extended period of time to allow
the dancers more time on the
dance floor.
 LATIN AMERICAN
MUSIC INFLUENCED
BY AFRICAN MUSIC
 A E O C A
R EG G S
ZOUK
WERE
SA M B A
SA L S A
 REGGAE
a Jamaican sound
dominated by bass guitar
and drums. It refers to a
particular music style that
was strongly influenced by
traditional mento and
calypso music, as well as
American jazz, and rhythm
and blues.
 REGGAE
The most
recognizable
musical elements of
reggae are its
offbeat rhythm and
staccato chords.
Bob Marley is the best
proponent of reggae
music.
His songs are One
Love, Three little birds,
No woman, no Cry, and
Redemption Song, and
Stir it Up.
 G A E
REG
 SALSA
music is Cuban, Puerto
Rican, and Colombian
dance music. It comprises
various musical genres
including the Cuban son
montuno, guaracha,
chachacha, mambo and
bolero.
SALSA
 SAMBA
Is the underlying rhythm
that typifies most Brazilian
music. It is lively and
rhythmical dance and
music with three steps to
every bar, making Samba
feel like a timed dance.
 SOCA
A modern Trinidadian
and Tobago pop
music combining
“soul” and calypso”
music.
 WERE
This is Muslim music
performed often as a
wake-up call for early
breakfast and prayers
during Ramadan
celebrations.
 ZOUK
is fast, carnival-like
hythmic music, from the
Creole slang word for
‘party,’ originating in the
Carribean Islands of
Guadaloupe and Martinique
and popularized in the
1980’s.
 ZOUK
It has a pulsating beat
supplied by the gwo ka and
tambour bele drums, a
tibwa rhythmic pattern
played on the rim of the
snare drum and its hi-hat,
rhythm guitar, a horn
section, and keyboard
synthesizers.
VOCAL FORMS
OF AFRICAN
MUSIC
1. MARACATU
Maracatu first surfaced in
the African state of
Pernambuco, combining
the strong rhythms of
African percussion
instruments with
Portuguese melodies.
1.MARACATU
The maracatu groups were
called “nacoes” (nations)
who paraded with a
drumming ensemble
numbering up to 100,
accompanied by a singer,
chorus, and a coterie of
dancers.
 2. BLUES
The blues is a musical form of
the late 19th century that has had
deep roots in African- American
communities. These communities
are located in the so-called “Deep
South” of the United States. The
slaves and their descendants
used to sing as they worked in the
cotton and vegetable fields.
 2. BLUES
The notes of the blues create
an expressive and soulful sound.
The feelings that are evoked are
normally associated with slight
degrees of misfortune, lost love,
frustration, or loneliness. From
ecstatic joy to deep sadness, the
blues can communicate various
emotions more effectively than
other musical forms.
 3. SOUL
Soul music was a popular
music genre of the 1950’s and
1960’s. It originated in the United
States. It combines elements of
African-American gospel music,
rhythm and blues, and often jazz.
The catchy rhythms are
accompanied by handclaps and
extemporaneous body moves
which are among its important
features.
Other characteristics
include “call and response”
between the soloist and
the chorus, and an
especially tense and
powerful vocal sound.
Some important innovators whose
recordings in the 1950s contributed to the
emergence of soul music included Clyde
McPhatter, Hank Ballard, and Etta James.
Ray Charles and Little Richard (who
inspired Otis Redding) and James
Brown were equally influential. Brown
was known as the “Godfather of Soul,”
while Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson are
also often acknowledged as “soul
forefathers.” Examples of soul music
are the following: Ain’t No Mountain
High Enough, Ben, All I Could Do is
Cry, Soul to Soul, and Becha by Golly,
Wow.
4. SPIRITUAL
The term spiritual, normally
associated with a deeply religious
person, refers here to a Negro
spiritual, a song form by African
migrants to America who became
enslaved by its white communities.
This musical form became their outlet
to vent their loneliness and anger, and
is a result of the interaction of music
and religion from Africa with that of
America.
4. SPIRITUAL
The texts are mainly religious,
sometimes taken from psalms of
Biblical passages, while the music
utilizes deep bass voices. The vocal
inflections, Negro accents, and
dramatic dynamic changes add to the
musical interest and effectiveness of
the performance. Examples of spiritual
music are the following: We are
Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, Rock My
Soul, When the Saints Go Marching In,
and Peace Be Still.
 5. CALL AND
RESPONSE
The call and response method is a
succession of two distinct musical
phrases usually rendered by different
musicians, where the second phrase acts
as a direct commentary on
or response to the first. Much like the
question and answer sequence in human
communication, it also forms a strong
resemblance to the verse-chorus form in
many vocal compositions.
 5. CALL AND
RESPONSE
Examples of call and response
songs are the following: Mannish
Boy, one of the signature songs by
Muddy Waters; and School Day -
Ring, Ring Goes the Bell by Chuck
Berry.
 All things are
perish under the
sky.
Music alone
shall live (3x)
***never too die
 MUSICAL
INSTRUMENT
OF AFRICA
 CLASSIFICATION OF
TRADITIONAL
AFRICAN MUSIC
A.IDIOPHONES
B.MEMBRANOPHONES
C.LAMELLAPHONE
D.CHORDOPHONES
E.AEROPHONE
1. IDIOPHONES
These are percussion
instruments that are
either struck with a
mallet or against one
another.
 1. BALAFON
a West African
xylophone. It is
a pitched
percussion
instrument
with bars made
from logs or
bamboo.
 2. RATTLES
are made of
seashells, tin,
basketry, animal
hoofs, horn,
wood, metal
bells, cocoons,
palm kernels, or
tortoise shells.
 3. AGOGO
a single bell or multiple
bells that had its origins in
traditional Yoruba music
and also in the samba
baterias (percussion)
ensembles. The agogo
may be called “the oldest
samba instrument based
on West African Yoruba
single or double bells.”
Ithas the highest pitch of
any of the bateria
instruments.
4. ATINGTING KON
These are slit gongs used
to communicate between
villages. They were
carved out of wood to
resemble ancestors and
had a “slit opening” at the
bottom. In certain cases,
their sound could carry for
miles through the forest
and even across water to
neighboring islands.
 5. SLIT DRUM
a hollow percussion
instrument. Although
known as a drum, it is not
a true drum but is an
idiophone. It is usually
carved or constructed
from bamboo or wood into
a box with one or more
slits in the top. Most slit
drums have one slit,
though two and three slits
(cut into the shape of an
“H”) occur.
 6. DJEMBE
The West Africandjembe
(pronounced zhem-bay)
is one of the best-
known African drums
is. It is shaped like a
large goblet and
played with bare
hands. The body is
carved from a hollowed
trunk and is covered in
goat skin.
 7. SHEKERE
a type of gourd and shell
megaphonefrom West
Africa, consisting of a
dried gourd with beads
woven into a net covering
the gourd. Theagbe is
another gourd drum with
cowrie shells usually
strung with white cotton
thread. The axatse is a
small gourd, held by the
neck and placed between
hand and leg.
 8. RASP
A rasp, or scraper, is a hand
percussion instrument whose
sound is produced by scraping
the notches on a piece of
wood (sometimes elaborately
carved) with a stick, creating a
series of rattling effects. Log
drums come in different
shapes and sizes as well:
tubular drums, bowl-shaped
drums, and friction drums.
Some have one head, others
have two heads.
2. MEMBRANOPHONES
instruments which have
vibrating animal membranes
used in drums. Their shapes
may be conical, cylindrical,
barrel, hour-glass, globular, or
kettle, and are played with
sticks, hands, or a combination
of both.
MEMBRANOPHONES
African drums are usually carved
from a single wooden log, and may
also be made from ceramics, gourds,
tin cans, and oil drums. Examples of
these are found in the different
localities – entenga (Ganda), dundun
(Yoruba), atumpan (Akan), and ngoma
(Shona), while some are constructed
with wooden staves and hoops.
 1. BODY PERCUSSION
• Africans frequently use
their bodies as musical
instruments. Aside from
their voices, where many
of them are superb singers,
the body also serves as a
drum as people clap their
hands, slap their thighs,
pound their upper arms or
chests, or shuffle their
feet.
 BODY PERCUSSION
• This body percussion
creates exciting
rhythms which also stir
them to action.
Moreover, the wearing
of rattles or bells on
their wrists, ankles,
arms, and waists
enhances their
emotional response.
 2. TALKING DRUM
The talking drum is used to
send messages to
announce births, deaths,
marriages, sporting
events, dances, initiation,
or war. Sometimes it may
also contain gossip or
jokes. It is believed that
the drums can carry direct
messages to the spirits
after the death of a loved
one.
 TALKING DRUM
However, learning to
play messages on
drums is extremely
difficult, resulting in
its waning
popularity. An
example of the
talking drum is the
luna.
3. LAMELLAPHONE
One of the most popular
African percussion instruments is
the lamellaphone, which is a set of
plucked tongues or keys mounted
on a sound board. It is known by
different names according to the
regions such as mbira, karimba,
kisaanj, and likembe.
 MBIRA
(hand piano or
thumb piano) The
thumb piano or
finger xylophone is
of African origin
and is used
throughout the
continent.
 MBIRA
It consists of a wooden board
with attached staggered
metal tines (a series of
wooden, metal, or rattan
tongues), plus an additional
resonator to increase its
volume. It is played by holding
the instrument in the hands
and plucking the
tines with the thumbs,
producing a soft plucked
sound.
4. CHORDOPHONES
are instruments which
produce sounds from the
vibration of strings.
These include bows,
harps, lutes, zithers, and
lyres of various sizes.
 1. MUSICAL BOW
is the ancestor of
all string
instruments. It
is the oldest and
one of the most
widely-used string
instruments of
Africa.
 MUSICAL BOW
It consists of a single
string attached to each end
of a curved stick, similar to
a bow and arrow. The
string is either plucked or
struck with another stick,
producing a per-cussive yet
delicate sound. The earth
bow, the mouth bow, and
the resonator-bow are the
principal types of musical
bows.
 2. LUTE
The lute, originating from
the Arabic states, is shaped
like the modern guitar and
played in similar fashion. It
has a resonating body, a
neck, and one or more
strings which stretch across
the length of its body and
neck. The player tunes the
strings by tightening or
loosening the pegs at the
top of the lute’s neck.
 LUTE
West African
plucked lutes
include the
konting,
khalam, and
the nkoni.
Nkoni
 3. KORA
The kora is Africa's most
sophisticated harp, while
also having features
similar to a lute. Its body
is made from a gourd or
calabash. A support for
the bridge is set across
the opening and covered
with a skin that is held in
place with studs.
 3. KORA
The kora is Africa's most
sophisticated harp, while
also having features
similar to a lute. Its body
is made from a gourd or
calabash. A support for
the bridge is set across
the opening and covered
with a skin that is held in
place with studs.
 4. ZITHER
is a stringed instrument
with varying sizes and
shapes whose strings are
stretched along its body.
Among the types of African
zither are the raft or Inanga
zither from Burundi, the
tubular or Valiha zither
from Malagasy, and the
harp or Mvet zither from
Cameroon. Raft zither
 5. ZEZE
The zeze is an African fiddle played with
a bow, a small wooden stick, or plucked with
the fingers. It has one or two strings, made
of steel or bicycle brake wire. It is from Sub-
Saharan Africa. It is also known by the
names tzetze and dzendze, izeze and
endingidi; and on Madagascar is called
lokanga (or lokango) voatavo.
5. AEROPHONES
are instruments which are produced
initially by trapped vibrating air
columns or which enclose a body of
vibrating air. Flutes in various sizes
and shapes, horns, panpipes, whistle
types, gourd and shell megaphones,
oboe, clarinet, animal horn and
wooden trumpets fall under this
category.
 1. FLUTES
Flutes are widely
used throughout
Africa and either
vertical or side-blown.
They are usually
fashioned from a
single tube closed at
one end and blown
like a bottle.
 PANPIPES
consist of cane pipes of
different lengths tied
in a row or in a bundle
held together by wax or
cord, and generally
closed at the bottom.
They are blown
across the top, each
providing a different
note.
 2. HORNS
Horns and trumpets, found almost
everywhere in Africa, are commonly made
from elephant tusks and animal horns.
With their varied attractive shapes, these
instruments are end-blown or side-blown
and range in size from the small signal
whistle of the southern cattle herders to
the large ivory horns of the tribal chiefs of
the interior. One trumpet variety, the
wooden trumpet, may be simple or
artistically carved, sometimes resembling
a crocodile’s head.
 KUDU HORN
This is one type of horn made
from the horn of the kudu
antelope. It releases a mellow
and warm sound that adds a
unique African accent to the
music. This instrument, which
comes in a set of six horns,
reflects the cross of musical
traditions in Africa. Today, the
kudu horn can also be seen in
football matches, where fans
blow it to cheer for their
favourite teams.
 3. REED PIPES
There are single-reed
pipes made from hollow
guinea corn or sorghum
stems, where the reed is a
flap partially cut from the
stem near one end. It is the
vibration of this reed that
causes the air within the
hollow instrument to
vibrate, thus creating the
sound.
 REED PIPES
There are also cone-shaped
double-reed instruments similar to the
oboe or shawm. The most well-known
is the rhaita or ghaita, an oboe-like
double reed instrument from northwest
Africa. It is one of the primary
instruments used by traditional music
ensembles from Morocco. The rhaita
was even featured in the Lord of the
Rings soundtrack, specifically in the
Mordor theme.
 4. WHISTLE
Whistle found throughout the
continent may be made of wood
or other materials. Short pieces
of horn serve as whistles, often
with a short tube inserted into
the mouthpiece. Clay can be
molded into whistles of many
shapes and forms and then
baked. Pottery whistles are
sometimes shaped in the form
of a head, similar to the Aztec
whistles of Central America and
Mexico.
 5. TRUMPETS
African trumpets are
made of wood, metal,
animal horns, elephant
tusks, and gourds with
skins from snakes,
zebras, leopards,
crocodiles and animal
hide as ornaments to the
instrument.
 African Musical
Instrument from
the Environment
Many instruments of Africa are
made from natural elements like
wood, metal, animal, skin and
horns, as well as improvised ones
like tin cans and bottles.
music.
-Africans make musical
instruments from the materials in
the environment, like forest areas
from where they make large
wooden drums.
-Modern Africans make use of recycled
waste materials such as strips of roofing
metal, empty oil drums, and tin cans.
-At present, new materials that are more
easily accessible, such as soda cans and
bottles, are becoming increasingly
important for the construction of
percussion instruments. Some rhythmic
instruments like scrapers, bells, and
rattles also provide the pitch and timbre
when played in an ensemble to provide
contrasts in tone
quality and character.