MUSIC OF OTHER CULTURESTime to learn a little about music from around the world... AFRICA So here goes . . .
Well, start by thinking wooden instruments – lots of percussion . . that will give you an idea of the sound of traditional African music. The important word here is POLYRHYTHM – many layers of rhythm all played at the same time.
Most African instruments are portable – music is something that moves with people and drums are often played by hand or with big wooden beaters. African shakers are either gourds (made out of dried fruit) or shakers with beads or shells attached to the outside – like in the picture.
Instruments can contain metal elements like the thumb piano above – but the metal is used for its sound, not as a means of construction.
African music is closely associated with everyday life and often has a particular meaning. It is played at festivals, special occasions, rituals and for dance. In Africa music repetition is often used to organise the music. In the mbira music of the Shona people of Zimbabwe, the interaction of players hands establishes a repeating pattern which players use as a basis for improvisation. Polyphony is also important, with many musical parts or rhythms interweaving with each other. In West Africa, drum ensembles have 3-5 players, each with a distinctive method of striking their drum and playing interlocking patterns. Sometimes other percussion instruments join in, creating a thick musical texture. Singing plays an important part in African music. Voices either sing a capella or accompanied by instruments – two important types of singing are CHANTING (when everyone sings rhythmically together) and CALL & RESPONSE (where one person sings a line and others reply with a different line).
INDONESIA IS NOT THE SAME AS INDIA – DON’T GET CONFUSED!!!
BALI AND JAVA Traditional music in this part of the world is played on the GAMELAN. This is the name given to a collection of gongs and chime bars which are played together by over twenty people – like we might play in an orchestra, Balinese people might play the gamelan. Gamelan instruments are all metallic. They are played either with little hammers or with big fluffy beaters. Notes are not given alphabetical names like they are in Western culture, instead, they have numbers – here’s an example of a gamelan piece written down –
Each instrument plays a pattern of notes which interlocks with all the others to create a very complicated texture.
Music played on a gamelan is very important to Indonesian culture – it was often used for royal occasions or religious festivals, so gamelan instruments are very ornate with carvings and often painted with gold. RAGA
Indian music has a distinctive ‘twangy’ sound. It uses special Indian scales called RAGAS. (Pieces of Indian music are also called ragas – just to confuse you!!) Of all cultures, it is perhaps the easiest to identify. The main instruments you will hear are shown below.
Sitar Tanpura Tabla The Sitar usually plays the melody. It is an incredibly difficult instrument to play as it has two sets of strings, a main playing set, and a set of ‘sympathetic’ strings behind which vibrate ‘in sympathy’. It plays notes of the RAGA but none of its parts are written down and everything must be IMPROVISED by the player. The Tanpura is the most boring instrument in the world. Its job is to play a drone continuously underneath the sitar melody. The Tabla are two drums – each is tuned at a different pitch using the ropes at the sides to tighten the skin. They each have three different playing areas on the skin which make different sounds. The tabla player must play complicated rhythm patterns to accompany the sitar and tanpura.
Now this is REAL dance music. Most of it is based on a syncopated rhythm called the CLAVE. (pronounced clar-vay)
SYNCOPATION is at the heart of Latin American music.
Instruments need to be portable, as music plays a major part in carnivals and festivals. Musicians need to make music on the move! There are many styles of Latin American music, here’s a few . . SAMBA SALSA MERENGUE TANGO Notice that ALL of them have their own specific dances. Brazilian music Brazil is a distinct Portuguese-speaking region of Latin America. It has developed a number of traditional percussion instruments:
Repinique: A small high-pitched double-headed drum used to play solo cues such as call and response. Chocolo: A shaker that plays notes throughout the piece/performance. Apito: A whistle used by the leader to signal an instruction to the group. For example: Start the piece, tamborim and agogo start a new rhythm, silent bar, solo improvisation etc. Surdo: A large bass drum that is hit with soft beaters. They keep a steady pulse and alternate between higher and lower pitches to keep everyone in time. They are divided into 2 groups: high and low. Reco-reco: A scraper, which plays the same time values as the chocolo. Tamborim: A small-headed drum with a single drumhead. The player can press and tighten the skin or dampen the sound while playing. Played with a drumstick and plays more complicated rhythms than the surdo or chocolo. Ago-go: A cowbell with 2 pitches, high and low. Held by the left hand and is hit with a drumstick. Notes can be dampened by the left hand to stop them ringing. Plays quite complicated rhythms. Caixa de guerro: A snare drum that is played with one hand facing upwards and the other in a loose closed hold facing downwards. The Samba The samba is a type of popular dance music with infectious rhythms and a number of features: Very syncopated rhythm which gives the music an African sound Andean music Andean music is usually in a minor key, highly syncopated and accompanied by a steady simple drum beat. Instruments used include:
Most Caribbean music is a mixture of African and Western music. African musical influences include: syncopated rhythms, call-and-response and extensive repetition of melodic or rhythmic phrases. Western influences include the tonal system of harmony (major and minor scales).
Genres of Caribbean music: Reggae: Calypso: Mento: Ska:
Different folk instruments have developed in different parts of the British Isles.
Musical forms
Morris dancing is in compound or 6/8 time - also known as a jig. Other common dances include the reel, the strathspey and the rant, all in 4/4, or common, time; the waltz in 3/4 time; and the slip jig in 9/8 time.
As folk songs pass from singer to singer and generation to generation they change, as the performance is remembered differently or reinterpreted. Other key musical features common in folk music include: Most folk music is monophonic, that is, they have a single melody either without accompaniment, or accompanied by simple chords, or often a drone.
The ancient Chinese believed that music could influence people’s souls – it was a deeply spiritual thing. This belief has meant that music has always been an important part of Chinese culture, ceremony and ritual. But it sounds odd. Chinese music tends to be based around the PENTATONIC scale which is made up of 5 whole tones (no semitones like our scales). There are many types of Chinese instrument – and they are very different to those we are used to. A few names to remember . . . The HSIAO – a type of flute
The Yun-lo – an upright glockenspiel with ten gongs The SHENG – a type of mouth organ
The YUEH-CH’IN – like a guitar, but more twangy
The ERH-HU – a two string fiddle
As you can imagine, instruments such as these gave a very distinctive characteristic to Chinese music. I reckon it has the twangyness of Indian music without its rhythmic drive. Huge instruments like those below were used in temples and for royal occasions.
Japanese music sounds fairly similar to Chinese (to the untrained ear) but tends to use voices much more often. It is VERY UNLIKELY that the exam paper will ask you to discriminate between the two – it will list either China or Japan. However, . . . Japanese music HAS NO CHORDAL HARMONY. (ie. It will sound dissonant) The melodic parts will come in at different times and only seem to work together at cadences. Instruments are as confusing as the Chinese ones . . The SHAMISEN – is a plucked stringed instrument
The KOTO – is another plucked stringed instrument but much bigger!!
The RYUTEKI – is a kind of bamboo flute
TAIKO drums can be massive!!
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