African music
- Polyrhythm: several different rhythms played at the same time. Cross-rhythms clash against the main beat.
- Drums lead: the djembe (a goblet-shaped hand drum), the talking drum (its pitch changes when the player squeezes it) and bass drums. A master drummer leads and signals changes.
- Call and response, repeated patterns (ostinatos) and improvisation. Music is learned by ear.
- Other instruments: the kora (a West African harp with 21 strings) and the balafon (a wooden xylophone).
Caribbean music
- Reggae (Jamaica, from the late 1960s): off-beat chords on beats 2 and 4 (the skank), a heavy, prominent bass line, a relaxed tempo, and the one-drop drum beat. Lyrics are often about social issues or faith. Bob Marley is the best-known artist.
- Ska came before reggae: faster, with off-beat guitar and brass.
- Calypso (Trinidad and Tobago): steel pans, syncopated rhythms, a cheerful major key and witty, topical lyrics.
Fusion
- Fusion music mixes African or Caribbean music with other styles, such as Western pop, jazz, funk, rock or electronic music.
- Afrobeat (Nigeria, 1970s, Fela Kuti) mixes West African rhythms with jazz and funk: long tracks, horn sections, interlocking guitars.
- Signs of a fusion: African or Caribbean features (polyrhythm, djembe, kora, reggae skank, steel pans) together with Western ones (drum kit, electric bass, synthesisers, verse and chorus, Western harmony).
- To tell them apart: layered polyrhythms and hand drums suggest Africa; an off-beat skank and heavy bass suggest reggae; steel pans suggest calypso.
Key terms
- Polyrhythm
- Several different rhythms played at the same time.
- Master drummer
- The lead drummer, who signals changes to the group.
- Djembe
- A West African goblet-shaped hand drum.
- Talking drum
- A drum whose pitch changes when its strings are squeezed.
- Kora
- A West African harp with 21 strings.
- Skank
- Off-beat chords on beats 2 and 4 in reggae.
- Steel pan
- A tuned drum made from an oil drum, from Trinidad.
- Fusion
- Music that mixes two or more styles.
Quick questions on Fusion music with African and Caribbean music
- What is a polyrhythm?
- Several different rhythms played at the same time: A key feature of African music.
- What does the master drummer do?
- Leads the group and signals changes: Like a conductor, but drumming.
- What is a djembe?
- A West African goblet-shaped hand drum: It has bass, tone and slap sounds.
- How does a talking drum change pitch?
- The player squeezes the strings on its sides: It can copy the rise and fall of speech.
- What is the kora?
- A West African harp with 21 strings: It is plucked with the thumbs and fingers.
- In reggae, what is the skank?
- Off-beat chords on beats 2 and 4: Usually played on guitar or keyboard.
- Which part is especially prominent in reggae?
- The bass line: Heavy and melodic.
- Where do steel pans come from?
- Trinidad and Tobago: They were first made from oil drums.
Practise Fusion music with African and Caribbean music: 10 questions