Tuesday, September 16, 2014

African Music Styles & Performance




African music is very traditional and has been handed down from father to son and from generation to another. When a music concert is forthcoming, posters will be pinned on every street wall, radio adverts play and the final day for the concert sets in. Africans line up in queue with either their money or tickets in their hands, eagerly waiting for the performance from the Artiste of the day.


The magic about going to an African music concert is much different from going to a classical concert. At a music concert the audience will join in by clapping, singing or playing an African music instrument, rather than just sitting and listening to the music quietly. Most people will stand up during the performance, raise their hands as they sing along..

It is interesting and interactive. The music (African) sounds very different from European classical music. Although it is nearer to popular music styles, it still seems very unusual to western ears.

Music instruments like the drums are more complex than those found in Europe. Western music is usually played with the same rhythm throughout the piece. African music, however , is often played with a number of rhythms at the same time. This is known as a polyrhythmic style of music.

At the heart of African singing is the "call and response" style. In this style a group of singers might sing a line which is repeated or answered by a soloist. African artistes also like to put a lot of emotion into their performances as if they were acting a part. They like to shout words.


If you want to know more about Music, you can read more articles at Chord Indonesia.