Rhythms of the world

Calypso music, African music, Samba music, Greek music, Palestinian music and Israeli music flashcards

Where did samba music originate from?

Brazil - it is the music of Brazilian carnivals

What cultures is Samba music influenced by?

It is a mixture of African and Portuguese

What is the bateria?

A large percussion ensemble used in samba music

What is the tempo / time signature like in samba music?

It is always fast, energetic and in 4/4. It also uses polyrhythms

What is the groove in samba music?

It is the main section when all of the rhythms are played together

What kind of structure does samba music typically follow?

It is normally call and response but there is no set structure

How is it signalled for the group to change in samba music?

The leader will signal using a pito (a whistle)

Where is Calypso music from?

Trinidad and Tobago - The Carribean

What kind of instruments are used in calypso music?

Acoustic, electric and bass guitars; trumpets; trombones; bongos; conga drums; clarinets; saxophones and steel pans

What is a repinique drum?

A small high pitched drum played with a stick or a hand - often played by a leader in samba music

What is an agogo?

A metallic bell with two pitches played on a stick usually in samba music

What is a caixa?

A drum with springs underneath - like a snare drum - that makes a metallic sound. Often played in Samba music

What is a ganza?

A hand held shaker often used in samba music

What is a surdo drum?

A large drum available in three sizes that is played by a soft beater. In samba music, it plays the bass and leads the pulse of the piece

What structure is used in calypso music?

Strophic (verse-chorus) structure

What is the usual rhythm of calypso music?

4/4

What is the progression like in calypso music?

There is simple harmonic progression and chords (1, 4 and 5)

What mood is created in calypso music?

A relaxed mood

Are there clashing notes in calypso music?

No - it is entirely diatonic (normally)

What are djembes?

Goblet shaped drums, made using goat skin. They are played using hands and fingertips in African music

What are the names of the three types of djembes?

Slap (highest), tone and bass (lowest)

What are dunduns?

Cylindrical drums played using a stick which hits either end of the drum that is tuned using ropes

What type of rhythms are used in African music?

Polyrhythms

What are polyrhythms?

Rhythms made of two or more rhythms being played simultaneously

What are talking drums?

Hour glass shaped drums on which the pitch can be changed using the ropes on the outside to sound like human voices

Is African music call and response or call and echo?

Call and response

What instruments are used in African music?

Djembe drums, dunduns, talking drums (Donnos), koras (harp like instruments), mbira (a type of xylophone) and balaphones (like a xylophone but wooden)

What is a polymetre?

When two time signatures are played at the same time

What is the main melody like in Greek music?

It usually moves by step, has a small range and parallel harmonies (3rds), clear phrases, melisma, short repeated passages, verse-chorus structure and is usually lively

What are typical instruments used in Greek music?

Vocals, defti (tambourine), violin, bouzouki (lute style instrument), Doumbek (drum) and wind instruments are common

What is the accompaniment like in Greek music?

It is usually clear with off beat chords

What are the rhythms / time signatures like in Greek music?

It has irregular time signatures (e.g 7/8) with fast and steady tempos designed for dancing. The rhythms is normally lively with emphasis on beats 1 and 2

What is melisma?

Multiple notes per syllable whilst singing

What is an irregular rhythm?

A rhythm with no steady pulse

What scale does Israeli music use?

The Arabic scale (C, D flat, E, F, G, A flat, B, C)

What influenced Israeli music?

Both traditional Hewbrew folk songs and folk music from other areas such as Russia, Europe, Egypt and Arabia

What are some key features of Israeli music?

Irregular metres and rhythms; syncopation and strong off beats; clear phrasing and structure; stepwise (conjunct) melodies; guttural / throaty singing and modal and microtonal ideas

What is the instrumentation like in Israeli music?

Ouds, guitars, accordions, tambourines, darkubas, bowed string instruments, harps / lyres and flute style instruments are all common

What is a Darkuba?

A goblet shaped drum used in Israeli music

What are Israeli celebratory songs influenced by?

Mostly eastern European folk music as it takes on a similar lively dance style

What are melodies like in Israeli celebratory music?

They have many grace notes and pitch bends as well as melodic decoration and ornamentation

What is the accompaniment like in Israeli celebratory music?

It is typically made of a bass part that plays the root and fifth of the relevant chord on every crotchet and a chord instrument which plays on the off beats

What is the rhythm like in Israeli celebratory music?

It has a fast tempo which i gradually accelerando and a 4/4 or 2/4 time signature as it is designed as lively dance music

Where does Palestinian music take its influences from?

Arabic music, Jewish music, Christian music, Middle eastern music, Eastern Mediterranean music and Norht African music

What is an oud?

An instrument with 11 strings played using a pick. It is frequently used for both the melody and accompaniment

What is a doumbek?

A goblet shaped drum

What is the melody like in Palestinian music?

It normally has no chords underneath, based on a magma (system of mods), often accompanied by an oud. It is normally improvised free of tempo and is microtonal

What is the rhythm like in Palestinian music?

It uses irregular metres (e.g. 5/8), irregular emphasis on beats meaning that leading to the irregular splitting up of regular metres. It is a free rhythm

What is a free rhythm?

A rhythm which lacks clear pulse

What is the rhythm pattern in Palestinian music called?

It is called Wazn (hundreds of different patterns)

What is the texture in Palestinian music?

Heterophonic

What does heterophonic mean?

A simultaneous variation of a single melody line