Definitions
Define pentatonic scale
A scale consisting of 5 notes
What is the Kora made of?
A gourd resonator, leather soundboard, and strings, with stick handles. Sometimes it has metal plates or rings to create a buzzing timbre.
The kora is usually performed with what other instrument?
The voice
Describe the melody in the opening section of this kora (say at least 2 characteristics) piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjdWVNRVO1I
Improvisatory, sequential motifs, free rhythmically
Which American people and groups inspired Kuti’s music?
The Black Power movement (and American jazz and funk)
A seven-note (heptatonic) scale. But there are 4 different tunings depending on the region.
Which western percussion instruments are used in Afrobeat?
Drum set with cymbals
Describe the relationship between the singer and the horn section in the beginning of the following piece:
The singer sings a call and the horn section plays a response.
Where did Fela Kuti grow up?
Colonial Nigeria
Define: Polyrhythm
More than one rhythm that are independent in terms of their strong and weak beats.
How many strings does the kora have?
21.
Which instruments play solos in Afrobeat music?
Trumpets, saxophones, or keyboards
Describe the layers of rhythms used in the introduction of the following piece (at least 3 details):
The bass plays a syncopated ostinato, the congas another interlocking syncopated ostinato, electric guitar play the same note on beats 1, 2 and 3.
The drum set (high hat and snare) provide a back beat.
What themes can be found in the lyrics of Afrobeat songs?
Everyday life problems, African self-determiniation, anti-government and other subversive themes (Military dictatorships, oppression against the poor, Western Imperialism and corruption)
Describe the melodic contour of most African melodies.
They descend, are short and repetitive, and frequently use intervals of 2nds, 3rds and 4ths. They often follow the rise and fall of speech patterns.
Why are the bass strings referred to as the "high" strings while the treble strings are the "low"?
Because the longer thicker strings are physically above the shorter thinner strings.
What instruments are included in a "horn section"?
Trumpets, alto tenor baritone and bass saxophones, and trombones.
At about 2:00, which instrument(s) have the melody, and which instrument(s) have the harmony? Describe both lines.
Melody: alto saxophone, joined by another alto sax, playing improvised solos
Harmony: tenor/bari saxophones playing an ostinato that alternates between a major second.
What language are Fela Kuti´s songs in?
Pidgin English, the commonly used language of urban Nigerias. (and Yoruba)
Define Call and Response and list at least 2 different ways it can be used.
When there is a musical "conversation" consisting of two parts, the questions and answer. The second singer may echo every phrase, or a lead singer may begin with a few notes and the other joins as soon as possible, singing to the end of the phrase. The call could be a solo and the response a group. In some songs, the response remains the same while the call changes.
The kora is from West Africa. What is the name of the praise singer tradition that uses it and name at least 1 country it can be found in.
Jeliya tradition.
Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Gambia.
Which traditional African instruments may be used in Afrobeat songs? Name at least 2
Conga drums, maracas, metal agogo, wood block, and shekere (gourd rattle)
Describe the texture of the following piece of music when the singer comes in at approximately :30
Polyphonic, the singer sings a descending melody while the kora plays fast melodic ostinati.
Describe the section of the performance known as "Yabis".
A talking segment where Fela Kuti would get the attention of the audience through dialogue, and talk at length about social issues.