African-Latin American Music
* African music |
The many music cultures of Africa may be broadly classified as North African and sub-Saharan. This article discusses only traditional music of the dominant population south of the Sahara, as North African culture is essentially Islamic or Arabic. The diversity of this population is reflected both in the number of languages spoken--about 800 to 1,000--and in the wide variety of music traditions cultivated. Fortunately, these traditions have many traits in common, permitting a discussion of them in general terms.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Africa probably has the largest variety of drums to be found in any continent, but virtually every other type of musical instrument is also represented throughout Africa.
Some distinctively African instruments, however, are unique to the continent. Of the drums, the most characteristically African are those known as "talking drums" because they can reproduce the tonal inflections and rhythms of African languages. Their musical potential is also fully realized. The western African hourglass drum is the most versatile talking drum. Squeezing the lacing between the two heads produces PITCH that can vary more than an octave. Another is the slit drum, made from a hollowed log on which two tones are produced by striking on either side of a longitudinal slot.
Of the myriad types of rattle, the western African net rattle, made of a handle gourd encased in a beaded net, is unique. The Yoruba shekere of Nigeria has a tight net, and the loose net on the Mende shegbule of Sierra Leone is held taut by the player. Because of the external beads, precise rhythms can be played on both these versions of the net rattle.
XYLOPHONEs, widespread in Africa, are of two basic types. The frame xylophone, such as those played by the MANDE and Lobi of West Africa, the FANG of Cameroon, and the Chopi of Mozambique, has gourd resonators hung beneath each key. The loose-key xylophone, such as the Ganda amadinda of Uganda, is left
The many music cultures of Africa may be broadly classified as North African and sub-Saharan. This article discusses only traditional music of the dominant population south of the Sahara, as North African culture is essentially Islamic or Arabic. The diversity of this population is reflected both in the number of languages spoken--about 800 to 1,000--and in the wide variety of music traditions cultivated. Fortunately, these traditions have many traits in common, permitting a discussion of them in general terms.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Africa probably has the largest variety of drums to be found in any continent, but virtually every other type of musical instrument is also represented throughout Africa.
Some distinctively African instruments, however, are unique to the continent. Of the drums, the most characteristically African are those known as "talking drums" because they can reproduce the tonal inflections and rhythms of African languages. Their musical potential is also fully realized. The western African hourglass drum is the most versatile talking drum. Squeezing the lacing between the two heads produces PITCH that can vary more than an octave. Another is the slit drum, made from a hollowed log on which two tones are produced by striking on either side of a longitudinal slot.
Of the myriad types of rattle, the western African net rattle, made of a handle gourd encased in a beaded net, is unique. The Yoruba shekere of Nigeria has a tight net, and the loose net on the Mende shegbule of Sierra Leone is held taut by the player. Because of the external beads, precise rhythms can be played on both these versions of the net rattle.
XYLOPHONEs, widespread in Africa, are of two basic types. The frame xylophone, such as those played by the MANDE and Lobi of West Africa, the FANG of Cameroon, and the Chopi of Mozambique, has gourd resonators hung beneath each key. The loose-key xylophone, such as the Ganda amadinda of Uganda, is left