Rhythms of the World
Part 1: Music of Africa
1.1: Origins of African Music
Percussive Instruments:
Integral to African societies for various purposes.
Used in ceremonies from birth celebrations to honoring the deceased.
Played in war to signal and motivate.
Essential in religious rites and rituals.
Used for long-distance communication.
Role of Music and Dance:
Essential elements of African culture, serving as communication tools.
Used historically for fieldwork coordination and inter-village messaging.
Varied across Africa but unified in purposes like storytelling and celebrating heroes.
Supports community cohesion and human life's importance.
Drum Ensembles:
Characterized by complex rhythms and textures.
Rhythms: Patterns created by notes of various lengths.
Rhythms transmitted orally rather than written down.
The rhythms are not normally written down and are instead passed between people through Aural Tradition.
Texture: The 'feel' of a surface - its qualities of fineness, coarseness, smoothness, softness, hardness, shininess etc.
Aural Tradition: Music that is taught by aurally communicating the techniques rather than written formally in a score.
Master drummer plays a central role, leading the ensemble and performing solos.
Uses rhythmic patterns as cues for dancers and ensemble direction.
Vocal Traditions:
Complements percussion-based music traditions.
Includes singing, shouts, yodeling, and various vocalizations.
Yodeling: Singing that involves rapid change between falsetto and normal voice.
1.2: Instruments of Africa
African Drums:
Made from wood, metal, or clay; varying in size for different pitches.
Drum head tension affects pitch (tighter = higher pitch, larger body = lower pitch).
Played with hands, sticks, or both.
Often decorated with carvings or beadwork.
Beads or rattles can alter drum timbre.
Talking Drum:
West African instrument with drum skins on top and bottom.
Played with a beater.
Players can manipulate drum's tension cords to change pitch, mimicking human voice.
Dundun:
Made of cow skin, played on the floor with a beater stick.
Often used as the bass drum in ensembles.
Double-headed hourglass-shaped pressure drum.
Pitch altered by manipulating the drum's strings.
Timelines:
Played on a single bell.
Short repeating rhythm (ostinato) serving as pulse.
Holds piece together.
Talking drum plays another rhythm.
Rhythmic placement conflicts to create cross-rhythms in the music extract.
1.3: The elements of music in African drumming
Melody:
Not always present, but may include:
Melodies with narrow range played on balafon or kalimba.
Simple vocal melodies.
Rhythm and Metre:
Strong sense of pulse supported by timelines or dundun.
Repetitive rhythms.
Polyrhythms are common, where multiple rhythms are played simultaneously.
Cross-rhythms created by displacing rhythms.
Structure:
Not strictly written down; signaled by master drummer.
Includes frequent, short improvised solo sections.
Instrumentation and Timbre:
Core percussion instruments:
Djembe
Talking drum
Dundun.
Drums may change pitch.
Beads and rattles alter drum timbre.
Texture and Dynamics:
Polyphonic texture created by layering rhythms.
Dynamics change with drum strike force.
Leader signals dynamic changes during performance.
Tonality and Harmony:
Tuned instruments may add melodic or harmonic elements.
Drums can produce harmonies by altering pitch.
Simple diatonic or pentatonic harmonies with vocal melodies or balafons.
1.4: Suggested Ideas
In Performance:
Polyrhythms:
Each player performs a short rhythm and layers it on top of others.
Ensemble Skills:
Choose a leader who uses rhythmic signals to direct dynamics and articulation.
In Composing:
Using Percussion Instruments:
Compose two-bar rhythms in 4/4 time and distribute parts to players.
The leader directs the ensemble in performance.
Understanding Instrument Purpose:
Evaluate the necessity of each instrument in the composition.
Rhythm:
Clapping Rhythms:
Practice difficult rhythms by clapping with a metronome before trying on instruments.
Composing with African Rhythmic Ideas:
Create a piece for two instruments, starting simple and adding complexity.
Incorporate African music elements like cross-rhythms, interlocking rhythms, and polyrhythms.
Part 2: Music of South America: Samba
2.1: Origins of Samba
Roots:
Linked to African drumming traditions brought by enslaved Africans to Brazil.
Influenced by African musical culture, including polyrhythms and call-and-response.
Samba: Highly syncopated, lively Brazilian dance.
Syncopated: Offbeat rhythms.
Developed in the 1950s in the favelas (urban slums).
Favelas: A very poor quality house in Brazil (also called a slum).
Characteristics of Samba:
Syncopated Rhythms: Layered on multiple percussion instruments.
Similarities to African Drumming: Includes polyrhythms and call-and-response.
Samba and Carnival:
Strongly associated with Rio de Janeiro's Carnival, held annually since 1723.
Carnival lasts up to six days with over two million spectators.
Local communities decorate floats and are represented by their samba schools during Carnival parades.
2.2: What is Samba Music?
Structure and Leadership:
No set structure; guided by signals from the lead repinique player.
Signals often played on a whistle called the apito.
Parts learned aurally; players use words to memorize rhythms.
Polyrhythmic Texture:
Rhythms layered to create polyrhythmic complexity.
Main groove section (ostinato) is repeated throughout the piece.
Includes solo sections, call-and-response, and unison sections.
Son Clave:
Important rhythm in samba music.
Cross-rhythm that spans across bars: cuts across the four beats of the first bar and syncopates the placement of notes.
Percussion instruments in Samba:
2.3: Musical Elements to consider
Melody:
Created by instruments combining pitch and rhythm.
Typically vocals or brass instruments provide melodies alongside percussion.
Agogo bell features high and low pitches.
Ensemble uses a range of drums producing various sounds and pitches.
Rhythm, Metre, and Tempo:
Metre usually 2/4 or 4/4, indicated by time signature.
Fast and energetic tempo.
Cross-rhythms created by combining different rhythms.
Tempo marked at the beginning of the score.
Structure:
No set written structure; led by band leader's signals.
Phrases often involve call-and-response.
Includes solo percussion sections for variation.
Instrumentation and Timbre:
Percussion instruments:
Repinique, caxia, agogo, surdo, tamborim, ganzá.
Sometimes includes vocals and brass instruments.
Uses untuned percussion, making harmony difficult to achieve.
Texture and Dynamics:
Polyrhythmic Texture:
Different rhythms layered on top of each other.
Monophonic Texture:
Repinique solos or call sections.
Very loud dynamic to be heard outdoors; changes signalled by the leader using the apito
2.4: Suggested Ideas
In Performance:
Polyrhythms:
Use only percussion instruments; each player performs a different rhythm layered together.
Appoint a repinique player to signal structural changes.
Ensemble Skills:
Allocate a leader using hand signals for dynamics and articulation.
Experiment with dynamics and articulation in rehearsal.
Timbre Choices:
Utilize tones from various drums to create a multi-layered performance.
Explore different drumming techniques to vary timbre.
In Composing:
Polyrhythms:
Use computer software to record rhythmic ostinati; combine to create polyrhythms.
Ensemble Composition:
Write two-bar rhythms for samba band instruments.
Notate changes in section or dynamics without a conductor.
Timbre Composition:
Compose a piece exclusively for drums, incorporating complex rhythms and silence.
Include sections where all parts play in unison for contrast and impact.
Part 3: Punjabi Bhangra Music
3.1: Origins of Bhangra
Folk Roots:
Originally a folk dance music from Punjab, India.
Workers in fields sang to the rhythm of the dhol drum, celebrating events like harvests.
Song movements reflect activities like crop collection.
Evolution and Fusion:
Over 50 years, integrated UK instruments and production techniques like synthesizers and sampling.
Modern Bhangra is a fusion of Indian and British cultures.
Many cities host Bhangra artists and clubs.
3.2: Bhangra Music
Instruments:
Uses traditional Indian instruments like the dhol drum (double-headed barrel drum) and tumbi (single-stringed instrument).
Dhol drum plays the traditional chaal rhythm.
Learning Rhythms:
Rhythmic patterns taught vocally before being played on instruments.
Vocal patterns represent drum tones.
Melodic Characteristics:
Melodies move largely by step with melismatic passages (many notes to one syllable).
Uses microtonal intervals, notes between semitones in Western harmony.
3.3: Musical Elements to consider
Dalvindor Singh's Yaar Da Viah will be examined as an example of the genre of music.
Melody and Harmony:
Melodies are conjunct and melismatic.
Uses microtones rather than whole-tone scales.
Sung in Punjabi language.
Simple harmonies.
Rhythm, Metre, and Tempo:
Features chaal rhythm.
Time signature of 4/4.
Fast and steady tempo suitable for dancing.
Percussion accents emphasize the downbeat.
Structure:
Typically follows a verse-chorus form.
Often instrumental with sitar solos.
Instrumentation and Timbre:
Includes lead vocals (both male and female).
Traditional Indian instruments: dhol, tumbi, sitar.
Uses electronic instruments and modern production techniques: synthesizers, drum machines, sampling.
Texture and Dynamics:
Texture is generally melody and accompaniment.
Features call-and-response between lead vocalist and backing singers.
3.4: Suggested Ideas
In Performance:
Chaal Rhythm:
Learn and perform the chaal rhythm on a drum.
Add a drone played on a string instrument.
Improvise a vocal melody over this accompaniment.
Incorporate calls into the performance.
Three-note Riff:
Choose an instrument and use the chaal rhythm to create a three-note riff.
Extend by improvising a melody over the riff.
Sampling:
Assign a recorded chaal rhythm to a sampling device like a drum machine.
Trigger audio recordings or compositions from a digital audio workstation.
Experiment with layering these samples over the chaal rhythm for added texture and variation.
In Composing:
Chaal Rhythm Composition:
Record the chaal rhythm into computer software.
Add rhythmic patterns using a drum machine to enhance the Bhangra song's beat.
Three-note Riff Composition:
Use the chaal rhythm as a foundation to create a riff with three pitches.
Develop the riff further by improvising melodies over it.
Sampling in Composition:
Record the chaal rhythm into computer software.
Collect audio samples from other songs or record new ones.
Experiment with layering these samples over the chaal rhythm to create a rich, textured composition.
Part 4: Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music
4.1: Folk Dances of Middle East
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.
Often features irregular time signatures.
Traditional Instruments:
Common Instruments:
Doumbek (goblet-shaped drum).
Oud (lute-like instrument).
Harp-lyre (stringed instrument).
Clarinet, accordion, flute.
Doumbek:
Similar to the African djembe.
Has three different tones; played with fingertips.
Rhythmic Patterns:
Wazn:
Arabic rhythmic pattern; hundreds exist in different time signatures.
Maqsum:
Basic Arabic rhythm.
4.2: Instruments and Musical Elements in Arabic Music
As an example of Arabic music, Adnan Joubran's Beat the Drum will be examined.
Melody:
Phrases contain intervals.
Mostly conjunct melodic shape.
Rhythm and Metre:
Implements rhythmic patterns like wazn in percussion.
Irregular time signatures such as 5/8 or 7/8; 4/4 in specific songs like "Beat the Drum."
Instrumentation and Timbre:
Instruments include oud, doumbek, and hand claps.
Oud features distinctive fingerpicking and pitch bends.
Texture and Structure:
Texture thickens with additional instruments.
Polyrhythmic texture common.
Typically follows a verse-chorus structure.
Tonality and Harmony:
Modes form the basis of tonality.
Bass instruments often provide a drone.
4.3: Musical Elements in Traditional Jewish and Israeli Music
The song Arb’a Veshnayim Shelosha by the Effi Netzer Singers will be examined because it contains some of the features most associated with the style of music.
Melody:
Phrases are usually balanced and two bars long.
Mostly follows a conjunct melodic shape.
Ornamentation and decoration added to repeated melodies.
Rhythm, Metre, and Tempo:
Guitar plays offbeat chords.
Snare drum syncopation.
Common metres include 2/4 or 4/4.
Tempo varies from steady to fast with accelerandos and rallentandos.
Structure and Texture:
Verse-chorus structure.
Popular texture of melody and accompaniment.
Instrumentation and Timbre:
Lead male vocals.
Clarinet, accordion, trumpet, guitar, bass guitar, tambourine, snare drum.
Tonality and Harmony:
Song is in the minor key.
Bass guitar plays tonic and dominant chords in crotchet rhythm throughout.
4.4: Suggested Ideas
In Performance:
Offbeat Accompaniment Rhythms:
Player 1 performs offbeat chords while Player 2 improvises a melody.
Ornaments:
Add ornaments to a melody when repeated to develop the passage and highlight performance skills.
Playing Techniques:
Experiment with techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and note bends for guitar and strings.
Bassline:
Use tonic and dominant notes (e.g., C and G in C major) to create a simple bassline. Develop by alternating between these notes and composing a melody.
Music in Thirds:
Play a melody and then play it at intervals above the original (e.g., thirds, fourths, fifths).
In Composing:
Offbeat Accompaniment:
Add an offbeat rhythm as accompaniment to add energy to a piece.
Ornaments in Composition:
Write a simple 8-bar melody. Repeat it and add ornaments like grace notes and trills to decorate and develop the melody.
Instrument Techniques in Composition:
Compose while considering the capabilities of each instrument, using techniques suited to enhance the composition.
Bassline Composition:
Create a bassline using tonic and dominant notes. Develop it by integrating it with a composed melody.
Music in Thirds Composition:
Use an additional instrument to perform the melody a third above or below, creating a countermelody to develop the piece.