Africa is a very large continent with the existence of
nearly one thousand languages. With such a large continent, their music can be
characterized in many different ways taking into an account all of the
diversity of cultures and terrain; there are common features that links the
continent. Incorporated in their traditional music are playing styles,
instrument styles, song continent, stylistic features, etc. Particularly
speaking, I will be focusing on four specific artists and how they each represent
stylistic continuum, improvisation, and ethnomusicology.
Nigerian
artist King sunny Ade was one of the artists that influenced of inspired what
would become Afro Pop. He makes incredible beats when he combines all the
traditional instruments. His band consisted of ten members and the propulsive polyrhythm
of traditional drums mixed with sophisticated guitar arrangements and redal
steel represented stylistic continuum; because the band uses instruments
invented in the olden days to put their beats together. To mention a few, Gangan,
talking drum that is use to call names and it’s the first communication
equipment. This same artists can represent improvisation because he takes old
music and makes it his own by making changes to them as he goes—omits and substitutes,
thus creating his signature. For example, in one of his interviews, he said, “And
for me to introduce accordion—instead of accordion, I introduced keyboard…so he
introduced the Samba drum. I use emileh instead. With these omissions and
substitutions makes his version different. In addition, he reflects ethnomusicology
as he is always planning and studying how to approach music to make it better
and fit culturally. When making his juju songs for instance, he studies what
the ancestors introduced and tries not to deviate from it; so if the juju music
is missing a violin, he would fix in a guitar sound, thus holding onto the
culture part of the music.
Takfaivias is an Algerian musician; she reflects style of
continuum as she incorporates the 1940’s instrument mandol which was first
passed on by Greece, the Italian, it was Greek. In another ways, she represents
continuity of style when she sings to demonstrate “Yal” music which is a morse
code—the idir melody. Yal, is what they referred to as the music of the
language before there were instruments. She reflects improvisation when she
changes mandol instruments and attaches her signature; her mandol has two necks—she
made hers’ “elecrocoustique” mandol instead of the original acoustic mandol. With
her changes, her tunes will have high sounds, seriousness, energetic, and it
additionally makes love music soft.
