MUSIC LESSON 1 AND 2

• What is African Music?


  A collective result of the cultural and musical diversity of more than 50 ethnic divisions of the continent
• The organization of this vast continent is a colonial legacy from European rule of the different nations up the end of the 19th century.
• How has European colonial rule impacted African music?

  It enabled African music to incorporate its music with language, environment political developments, immigration, and cultural diversity
• In Traditional music of Africa, How is African traditional music primarily passed down?

  In most part of the continent is passed down orally (or aurally) and is not written.
• In what types of events is African traditional music commonly used?

  African traditional music is used primarily in ceremonial rites, such as birth, death, marriage, succession, worship, and spirit invocations.
• Aside from ceremonial uses, what other purposes does African traditional music serve?

  Others are work related or social in nature, or seen as an entertainment
• How do many traditional African societies view their music?

  Many traditional African societies view their music as a form of entertainment.
• What are the characteristics of Traditional African Music?

  • Polyrhythms, Ostinato
  • The use of percussion, background shimmer
  • Close connection with the music and language
  • Participatory nature of the arts
  • Close connection with the performing arts
  • Responsorial form
• What are the genres of African Music?

  • Afrobeat
  • Apala
  • Axe
  • Jit
  • Jive
  • Juju
  • Kwassa Kwassa
  • Marabi
• Afrobeat


  A term used to describe the fusion of West African with Black American
• Apala (Akpala)


  It is a musical genre from Nigeria in the Yoruba Tribal style.
• What is the purpose of the Musical genre Apala?

  It is used to wake up the worshippers after fasting during the Muslim holy feast of Ramadan
• What is Axe and where did it originate?


  A popular musical genre from Salvador, Bahia, and Brazil
• What musical styles are fused in Axe music?

  Axe is fuses with the Afro-caribbean styles of the marcha, reggae, and Calypso
• Who plays Axe African Music?

  It is played by Carnival bands
• It is a hard and fast percussive Zimbabwean dance


  Jit
• What instruments are primarily used in Jit music?

  Jit music is played on drums with guitar accompaniment
• What is Jit influenced of?

  It is influenced by mbira-based guitar styles
• Jive


  A popular form of South African music featuring a lively and uninhibited variation of the jitterbug, a form of a swing dance
• Juju


  A popular music style from Nigeria that relies on the traditional Yoruba Rhythms, where the instruments are more Western in origin
• Kwassa Kwassa


  A dance style where you move your hips back and forth while the arms follow the hip movements
• When did Kwassa Kwassa started?

  It begun in Zaire in the late 1980s
• Marabi


  A South African three-chord township music which evolved into African Jazz
• What are the Latin American Music influenced by African Music?

  • Reggae
  • Salsa
  • Samba
  • Soca
  • Were
• What is Reggae?


  It is a Jamaican musical style that was strongly influenced by the island's traditional mento music, as well as by Calypso, African Music, American Jazz, and rhythm and blues.
• Who is Bob Marley (Robert Nesta Marley)?


  He is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and a musician.
• Bob Marley is also considered as?

  He is considered as one of the pioneers of Reggae
• What marked his musical career?

  His musical career was marked by fusing elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady, as well as his distinctive vocal and songwriting style
• What is Salsa?


  It is a Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Columbian dance music.
• What styles does Salsa have?

  It comprises various musical genres including the Cuban son montuno, guaracha, chachacha, mambo and bolero
• What is Samba?


  A Brazilian musical genre and dance style. It has a lively and rhythmical beat
• Soca


  It originated as a fusion of Calypso with Indian rhythms, this combining the musical traditions of the two major ethnic groups of Trinidad and Tobago
• Soca is also known as?

  "Soul of Calypso"
• Were


  A Muslim music often performed as a wake-up call for early breakfast and prayers during Ramadan celebrations.
• Were is relies and fused with?

  It relies on pre-arranged music, it fuses the African and European styles
• What are the Vocal forms of African Music?

  • Maracatu
  • Blues
  • Soul
  • Spirituals
  • Call and Response
• What is Maracatu?


  An ancient carnival tradition from the north-east of Brazil
• What historical roots does Maracatu have?

  It has roots in the sugar fazendas and slave estates of Pernambuco state, where black African slaves formed religious brotherhoods to preserve African culture and heritage
• What is Blues?


  An African-American music that traverses a wide range of emotions and musical styles
• What themes are commonly expressed in blues music?

  "Feelings blues" expressed in songs whose verses lament injustice, or express longing for a better life and lost loves, jobs and journey.