© boardworks ltd 20061 of 16 5g african music continued – unit 5: world music icons key: for more...

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5G African Music continued – 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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♫ 5G African music continued ♫Unit 5: World Music

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Learning objectives

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

To understand the way singing is used in traditional African music.

To make connections between the improvised nature and call and response patterns of drumming and singing.


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Using rhythm

Master drummer plays a rhythm

Other drummers enter playing a second rhythm

More drummers enter playing a third rhythm

Another rhythm played on other percussion

African drumming groups will usually put layers of different rhythms together at the same time. This creates a polyrhythmic texture, which could look something like this:


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Cycles

African drumming is made up of layers of rhythmic cycles.Often, one drummer will have a rhythmic cycle that is a different length to another drummer.

This creates an interesting effect, as the rhythms come in and out of sync in phases. It is similar to when car indicators or windscreen wipers appear to move in and out of time with each other.


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Rhythmic displacement


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Improvising

♫ Listen to this rhythm and imitate what you hear. Then play it in a

group and take turns to improvise over the top. What effects can

you create? ♫

African notation:

Western notation:

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .B .OO . SS.

♫ Can you work out how this rhythm might be

notated in African and Western notation? ♫


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Polyrhythmic composition

♫ In a group of four or more, compose a piece of drumming ♫ music which incorporates each of the elements listed below:

call and response

improvised solo

rhythmic displacement

repeating cycles

polyrhythm

cross rhythm.

You will need to indicate what instruments are being used, the main rhythms played and the overall structure of your composition.


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Other instruments


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African song

Singing is a vital part of all aspects of African life. Songs and chants are used for amusement during everyday tasks, but they are also a significant part of special occasions.

Songs may be passed down from one generation to the next or improvised on the spot by an individual with others joining in on the response, or improvising harmonies.

♫ Listen to this song and try to identify call and response and

close harmony. ♫


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Vocal improvisation

Melodies in many African countries are generally based around the pentatonic scale, with singers improvising freely around the pitches and rhythms.

Pitch bending is often used to alter the notes slightly, and this technique eventually led to the blues scale.


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Harmonization


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Call and response

The advantage of using call and response is that the song can go on indefinitely, which means that the musicians are in control of the length of the song and can adapt it to the event taking place.

There is a strong social aspect to all forms of music in Africa. Every member of the community will be involved, no matter their level of musical ability. Just as in drumming, there will be a leader who sings a call. The group will then respond.

Call and response is a prominent feature of African song, just as it is in African drumming music.


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Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a male choral group from South Africa. Many of their songs make use of the typical call and response structure:

Homophonic response in close harmony

Monophonic call

Monophonic call

Homophonic response in close harmony

♫ Listen to the track ‘Halala’ by Ladysmith Black Mambazo to hear the call and response format. ♫


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Chant


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The African influence

African music has influenced many other musical genres. Listen to any spiritual, gospel or jazz song and identify how each of the African music techniques has been used.

Call and response

Repetition

Cross rhythm

Parallel harmony

Pentatonic scale

Pitch bend

Improvisation

Solos


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Summary: African music

© boardworks ltd 20061 of 16 5g african music continued – unit 5: world music icons key: for more...

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