African drum music

Category: entertainment and leisure >> Music

Analysis:

See haha /play/ 1509 1#

African drum-Djembe originated from West African tribes and belongs to the traditional musical instruments of indigenous peoples. Generally, it is hung around the neck, playing while walking, not playing on the ground. The most special thing is that this instrument must be struck by hand, with one hand adjusting the pitch and the other hand striking the rhythm.

The main feature of African drum performance is that its musical attributes can be widely used in special festivals. For example, Yagba Odienne is a necessary song for concerts, weddings, festivals and celebrations, and Yankadi is a warm welcome melody. Listen to African music with rich rhythm, and you will experience mysterious and special national style!

Drum is a popular musical instrument in black Africa, also known as the soul of African traditional music.

In Africa, drums have different functions and uses. Besides music, drums are sometimes used as symbols of ethnic groups, tribes or religions, or to convey all kinds of information, that is, the so-called "talking drums". African drums have their own national characteristics, with unique materials, shapes and playing skills.

Generally speaking, there are dozens of basic drums and hundreds of different drums in Africa. Drum, as big as a water tank, as small as a teacup. The shape of the drum body is gyro-shaped, cone-shaped, columnar and square, as well as various birds and beasts and even human figures. Some drums are also painted with various geometric figures and carved with flowers and plants, highlighting the characteristics of black culture. Drum skin is also varied. In addition to cowhide and antelope skin, leopard skin, zebra skin, lizard skin, crocodile skin and even elephant ears are also used. African drums are often equipped with some devices to obtain some special effects, such as putting some beads or dried plant seeds in the drum cavity, or putting metal pieces, shells and mottled beads on the drum side. When the drummer hits the drum, it will make a tinkling sound. There are many ways to hold a drum. It is common to put the drum between your legs. Sometimes you put the drum under your arm, or hang it around your neck and carry it on your shoulders. There are also many ways to beat drums. People beat drums with fists and palms, even with heels, thus playing different sounds and effects. And drums and hammers. In the past, drums and hammers were made of ivory and human bones. There is also a kind of drum rubbing, which uses a small stick to rub and spray some powder on the drum skin to make a sound. In Nigeria, there is a small drum played under the arm. With the pressure of the arm on the drum skin, the pitch of the drum can be changed at any time.

Drums can be solo, ensemble and ensemble. The rhythm of solo and ensemble drums is complex and changeable, cadence and sonorous. When a group of people play drums or one person plays drums at the same time, the drums are magnificent, like a million Ma Benteng, magnificent and exciting. In life in Africa, dance is indispensable, and dance is inseparable from drums. In Swahili in East Africa, "drum" and "dance" are the same word. In Togo's song and dance activities, when to play music and when to dance, so the rhythm and melody must obey the command of the drum. Mauritanian female drummers beat drums while dancing. Sometimes they flick their heads with their fingers, such as flowing water, and sometimes they pound violently, such as rivers running. They beat the drums and beat their arms and legs in turn with their hands, making various gestures, which was very touching. For example, in Burundi, 10 male dancers hold drums on their heads and beat them in a semicircle, and then the actors take them off and put them in front of them. Put another big drum in the circle, and the actors take turns playing it. Sometimes they jump in the air, sometimes they spin and dance, accompanied by singing, strong rhythm, intensive drums and warm carnival scenes, which are very wonderful. In Africa, drums are often used as a symbol of a country and a nation. For example, the national symbol of Uganda has a drum, which shows an ancient tradition. Because before Uganda became a Republic, there were four kingdoms, and the royal family of each kingdom had a set of drums of different sizes, and each drum had a different name and timbre. This drum can only be used in royal weddings, funerals, the accession of a new king, and the declaration of war. For people with different power levels, the number of drums is regulated. In the primitive kingdom of Buganda, there were 93 huge ceremonial drums, and the number of chiefs at all levels decreased accordingly. People or animals had to make sacrifices when replacing the drums. This kind of drum is sacred.

African drums are also often used to convey information and language. Drummers can make different sounds by hitting different parts of the drum surface with different dynamics, and with different rhythms, they can form various drums as signal languages to convey various information. In the quiet moments in the morning and evening, drums can reach 15 kilometers away. Drummers beat drums repeatedly one after another, so that they can spread the word accurately at an amazing speed-they can reach 100 miles away in two hours. In the past, when slave traders arrested blacks, Africans told people to flee quickly by drumming, so that slave traders got nothing. Drum language is also often used to call on people to participate in public welfare work, resist enemy attacks, report fire, etc.

Africans often use encouragement to express things that are inconvenient to express in words. For example, in Aken, Ghana, husbands are used to praising their wives with drums at dances. Drums can also be used to announce a person's birth, death and marriage.

In many parts of Africa, there will be * * * to choose drummers every once in a while. Drummers beat drums in two groups in the "Drum Dance Competition" held in Ghana. First, praise the chieftain's virtue and merits with bright and warm drums, then narrate ancient myths and legends with slow and fresh drums, and then announce clan anecdotes with hurried drums. The complex and changeable drum rhythm expresses people's different feelings, sometimes making people sad and angry, and sometimes making people laugh. People hold their breath for fear of missing a drum. The * * * of "drum competition" is "fighting drums". One group of drummers asks questions, and the other group must drum up answers and ask rhetorical questions, otherwise they will lose. The audience gathered around the drummer to help make suggestions, join the battle and try their best to beat each other.

In a word, the most prominent and important factor of African music is rhythm. Drum is the basis of African music rhythm and the most important instrument to express music language. The important position of drums in African people's lives is incomparable to any other musical instrument.

Among all kinds of drums in Africa, the most commonly used one is a medium-sized drum called Damdam, which is usually put between the legs and beaten by hand, and the performance is often very impromptu. In recent years, African drums have also entered the field of professional music creation. 1990, Malary, an African Zimbabwean composer, created a new work "Mother Nozbo" with African drums and string quartets, which was played by the world-famous Konos Quartet and achieved good results.