Rhythms of the World

Percussive Instruments

Used in ceremonies from birth celebrations to honoring the deceased.

Music and Dance

Used historically for fieldwork coordination and inter-village messaging.

Rhythms

Patterns created by notes of various lengths.

orally

Rhythms transmitted _____ rather than written down.

Aural Tradition

Music that is taught by aurally communicating the techniques rather than written formally in a score.

Texture

The 'feel' of a surface - its qualities of fineness, coarseness, smoothness, softness, hardness, shininess etc.

Master drummer

In Aural Traditions, ________ plays a central role, leading the ensemble and performing solos.

Vocal Traditions of Africa

Includes singing, shouts, yodeling, and various vocalizations.

Yodeling

Singing that involves rapid change between falsetto and normal voice.

African Drums

Made from wood, metal, or clay; varying in size for different pitches.

pitch

Drum head tension affects _____

higher

tighter = _______ pitch

lower

larger body = ______ pitch

Beads or rattles

__________ can alter drum timbre.

Talking drum

West African instrument with drum skins on top and bottom and played with a beater.

human voice

Players can manipulate talking drum's tension cords to change pitch, mimicking ______.

cow skin

Dundun is made of _______, played on the floor with a beater stick.

Dundun

Double-headed hourglass-shaped pressure drum often used as the bass drum in ensembles.

strings

Dundun’s pitch is altered by manipulating the drum's _______.

Timelines

Played on a single bell.

Ostinato

Short repeating rhythm

Djembe, Talking drum, and Dundun.

Three core percussion instruments of Africa

Dynamics

___________ change with drum strike force.

Leader

_______ signals dynamic changes during performance.

balafons

Simple diatonic or pentatonic harmonies with vocal melodies or _______.

Polyrhythms

Each player performs a short rhythm and layers it on top of others.

rhythmic signals

Choose a leader who uses ____________ to direct dynamics and articulation.

4/4

In using percussion instruments, compose two-bar rhythms in ____ time signature and distribute parts to players.

clapping

Practice difficult rhythms by __________ with a metronome before trying on instruments.

two instruments

In composing with African Rhythmic Ideas, create a piece for ___________, starting simple and adding complexity. Incorporate African music elements like cross-rhythms, interlocking rhythms, and polyrhythms.

African

Samba is linked to ______ drumming traditions brought by enslaved Africans to Brazil.

Samba

Highly syncopated, lively Brazilian dance.

Syncopated

Offbeat rhythms.

1950s

Sambas developed in the _____ in the favelas.

Favelas

A very poor quality house in Brazil (also called a slum).

Rio de Janeiro

Samba is strongly associated with ___________'s Carnival, held annually since 1723.

six days

Carnival lasts up to ____ with over two million spectators.

apito

Signals often played on a whistle called _____

Punjab, India

Bhangra is originally a folk dance music from _________

British

Modern Bhangra is a fusion of Indian and ______ cultures.

Bhangra Music

Uses traditional Indian instruments like the dhol drum and tumbi (single-stringed instrument).

Dhol drum

double-headed barrel drum

chaal rhythm

Dhol drum plays the traditional __________.

melismatic passages

Bhangra Melodies move largely by step with ______ (many notes to one syllable).

Chaal rhythm, three-note rift, and sampling

Three suggested ideas in performing bhangra music

Maqam Modes

• Found in folk music of Israel and Palestine.

• Strong vocal melodies passed down through oral tradition.

• Based on a system of modes or scales.

• Utilizes microtones, different from Western music intervals.

irregular

Maqam modes often features ________ time signatures.

Doumbek

Similar to the African djembe and has three different tones; played with fingertips.

Wazn

Arabic rhythmic pattern; hundreds exist in different time signatures.

Maqsum

Basic Arabic rhythm.