African Drumming

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Created by: KatieSwaine
Created on: 17-06-19 19:33

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African Drumming
- Instruments
  - Djembe
    - played with bare hands
    - master drummer has the djembe
    - low, medium and high sounds depending where you hit
    - keeps the pulse
  - DunDuns
    - cylindrical drums played with sticks
    - kenkeni (high-pitched that keeps the pulse going)
    - sangban (mid- pitched drum)
    - dundunba (large, low-pitch)
  - Agogo Bell
    - bells to cut through the tibre of percussion
    - two pitches, high and low
    - plays the timeline and keeps the pulse
  - Gourd Rattle
    - shaker to cut through several drums
    - keeps the pulse
- Culture
  - used to accompany singing, dancing and general work
  - drums call people together for celebrations, funerals and weddings
  - passed down through oral tradition
  - drumming patterns, techniques, and beats can be used as dialect
- Rhythms
  - 4/4 time signature
  - syncopated rhythm
    - notes that dont fall on a strong beat can be emphasised
  - 6/8 time signature
  - cross rhythm
    - conflicting rhythm patterns played at the same time
  - polyrhythm
    - many rhythms played over one another
  - ostinato
    - a rhythmic pattern which repeats over and over again
  - cyclic rhythms
    - short repeated rhythms
- structure and phrasing
  - call and copy
    - the master drummer begins and the other drummers follow with the same rhythm
  - call and response
    - master drummer begins and the other other drummers respond with a different rhythm with the same timing
  - improvisation
    - a rhythm made up on the spot by a performer often based on time phrases