AFRICAN MUSIC GENRE

BACKGROUND OF TOPICS MUSIC CHARACTERISTICS

-Africa covers six percent of the world's A) Melody: Ostinato
total surface area, roughly 30,244,000 -short melody and simple, repeated over and over
km² (11,700,000 mi²). A) Rhythm: Polyrhythms
-48 countries share the area of mainland -different meters or metrical starting points going on at once
Africa, plus six island nations are
A) Form: Responsorial form
considered to be part of the continent. All
in all, there are 54 sovereign African
countries and two disputed areas, namely
MUSIC INSTRUMENT
Somaliland and Western Sahara. 4 types of music instrument:
-African music has undergone frequent
and decisive changes throughout the A) Idiophones
centuries.
B)
B)Membranophones
Membranophones

C) Chordophones
TUNING SYSTEM
A) Equi-tonal system D) Aerophones
- Have 2 types: equi-pentatonic & equi-heptatonic
Djembe
- These tone systems, with either five or seven notes
per octave, differ radically from the two Western
equal-interval scales, namely the chromatic scale of
12 semitones to the octave and the whole-tone scale
- Each step in the whole-tone scale involves an interval
of 200 cents (a cent is a measure of frequency) Talking drum
Mbira
- In equi-pentatonic systems, on the other hand, the
recurrent interval is theoretically 240 cents (i.e., 2.4
semitones of the Western scale), and in equi-
heptatonic systems it is 171 cents (or 1.71 semitones) EXTRA INFO
Yoruba Tribe Costume
B) Monophonic system
- Based on octaves, fifths, and fourths (i.e., on the
simple ratios 1:2, 2:3, and 3:4), are found in the
western Sudanic belt. There are also many pentatonic
systems of this kind in the Sahel zone and on the
Guinea Coast (such as those of the Fon and
Oyo-Yoruba peoples), where no simultaneous sounds
occur except octaves.

C) System based on instrumental harmonics

- Based on the selective use of harmonics from a single
fundamental (for example, the system of the Gogo of
central Tanzania)
- Based on the selective use of harmonics from two or
African tribal music
more fundamental costume