Elements of African culture incorporated into the current genres of music.
Traditionally, African musicians were not concerned with the impact of the music, or its ‘beauty’. It had a specific function with dance being an integral part. Music was used to entertain as well as to mark occasions and provide moral guidance.
Throughout Africa, there are four distinct categories of musical instruments: drums, wind, self-sounding, and string instruments. Rhythmic and percussive sounds are also highly accentuated. The melodies are short, repeated, and include whistles which are peculiar to the African style of music.
Drums are inseparable from African culture and are played to communicate, celebrate, mourn and inspire. There are many other well-known musical instruments like xylophone, rattles, and shakers, many of which are crafted from natural materials using age-old methods.
Another feature of African sound is body percussion, such as hand-clapping, foot-stamping, and dance. Improvisation is a fundamental element in African music and so a musician’s capabilities are measured by his creativity, inspiration, and technical prowess.
African singers use a large number of sounds. They can be comforting, emotional, confronting, or spiritually charged. The singing style can be loud and resonant but can also be constricted with the accompanying sounds.
The music industry is huge with most countries supporting wonderful musicians who still use traditional African musical instruments but overlay them with contemporary rhythms and lyrics. This is a hugely exciting form of expression for modern-day Africans and what they produce is loved and admired and danced to, the world over.
African music is very rhythmic, expressing all aspects of life through the medium of sounds. Whether it is religious ceremonies, social rituals, or festivals, music is an integral part of everyone’s life in Africa. In the era of digital music, African music is touching the hearts of millions of people worldwide.
