What's the difference between north and south music on the African continent?

Africa has a vast territory, diverse nationalities and different beliefs, so African music is complicated. According to the classification of ethnomusicologists, African music can be divided into four categories: ancient Egyptian music, Andalusian music in North Africa and Ethiopian music.

Black music in Africa and sub-Saharan Africa (referring to East Africa, West Africa, Central Africa and South Africa). African music is a collective concept, which contains a variety of musical cultures. What we are talking about here is our usual meaning.

Sub-Saharan Africa (black Africa) originated from various black traditional music.

There are dozens of countries, hundreds of languages and countless nationalities and tribes on the African continent, so African music is very complicated.

Yes African blacks living in sub-Saharan Africa are divided into two major ethnic groups and four ethnic minorities: the two major ethnic groups are the dark-skinned Sudanese north of the equator and the light-skinned Bantu south of the equator.

People. Four ethnic minorities are Miao people in the Horn of East Africa; Malays and black descendants of Madagascar; Koisan tribe in southwest Africa; Pygmies scattered in the tropical jungles of central Africa.

Due to many complex tribes and various external influences, African music culture is diverse and rich, but African black music has obvious similarities and they are interrelated. African music is full of passion and gives people a strong sense of rhythm. People who have heard African music will never forget its distinctive musical characteristics.

First, the rhythm characteristics of African music

Rhythm plays a special role in African music. Highly developed rhythm is the most important feature of African music. The complex and changeable rhythm is the soul of African music.

The rhythm of African music is multi-line and multi-level rhythm. African music is basically based on two beats, but it is played in a mixed rhythm at the same time. Several rhythms overlap at the same time, and syncopation is constantly added to produce a dynamic rhythm. An important feature of African music rhythm is compound rhythm. Many rhythms with different lengths and beats are played in parallel, or the rhythms with the same length and beat are staggered, which will produce wonderful rhythm and harmony. Such as the rhythm of encouragement,

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The rhythm of two beats and three beats is carried out at the same time, forming a multi-line and multi-level rhythm, which is the most distinctive place of African music. The rhythm of music in any country in the world can't be compared with that in Africa.

Rhythm is particularly important in Africa. In Africa, a certain rhythm will convey a certain meaning, so attaching a sense of rhythm is the most important feature of African music.

Second, percussion instruments in African music

There are various musical instruments in Africa, such as Malimba, castanet, straight flute, horn and African melody piano. Most of them are percussion instruments, and the main percussion instruments are Malimba and drums. It can be said that Africans prefer percussion instruments, especially drums. Because there are often ceremonies in Africa, wizards pay special attention to rhythm percussion instruments, mainly drums, and priests are sometimes drummers.

Therefore, African drums have a god-like lofty status in the eyes of an African. Drum can best express African music full of rhythm and vitality. In Africa, the drum is not only a musical instrument, but also the main tool to imitate language and transmit information.

It carries important functions such as witchcraft, ceremony and entertainment. In Africa, drum music performances are sometimes just for entertainment, and there are tribal festivals, baptisms, funerals, adult ceremonies, political exchanges between tribes, celebrations in spring, summer, autumn and winter, wedding banquets and so on. And African dances are all performed with drums. Drum is an indispensable thing for every tribe, and it is also a symbol of status and rights, because in Africa, the number of drums owned by tribal leaders or chiefs is directly proportional to their rights and status.

African drums are also diverse. First of all, the materials used to make drums are diverse. The materials used to make drums are generally animal skins, while the materials used to make drums are varied, such as hollow logs, gourds and clay containers. that

The second is the diversification of hitting methods. Put the bigger one on the ground and hit it with the palm of your hand or a drumstick. The younger one hangs on his shoulder, tucks under his arm, sits between his legs, stands, sits and beats with drums and hammers.

Yes, with the palm, and so on. Finally, the variety of drums is diversified. Drum is the most popular musical instrument in Africa. Different drums have different uses and rhythm patterns, and different playing skills are used in different occasions.

What a coincidence, the most common ones are the golden cup drum and the high foot drum. The golden cup drum looks like the holy grail, which is an African culture and an important historical wealth. The goblet drum looks like a glass sand leakage timer, and the upper and lower peripheries of the double-headed drum are pulled by ropes.

When playing the drum, put the drum under your arm and squeeze it hard at the same time. Drumming with a special wooden stick can make a strange drum sound like talking, so it is called a talking drum. There are also cone drums, ceramic drums, barrel-shaped wooden drums and long drums.

Drum, palm drum and hand drum.

In a word, African drums are complex and diverse, and they are the most important instruments in African music and people's lives.

Third, the chorus of echo songs

The most common singing form in African music is echo singing, that is, one person leads the singing, and everyone is easy-going, or takes turns singing or overlapping singing. The aria is short and repetitive, and mostly adopts seven-tone scale and five-tone scale.

Africans like rhythm, and they like singing. People can beat percussion instruments, sing and twist their bodies everywhere. The most common form of singing is echo song. Just like playing, there is a leading drummer. A person starts with a few words, which is very rhythmic, just like greeting everyone to sing together, and then everyone promises to sing a few words. Almost the whole piece is like this. The melody is simple and the phrases are short and repetitive. The chorus of an answering song makes more people join in the singing and makes the singing more orderly.

Fourthly, the relationship between African music and dance.

An important feature of African music is the combination of music and dance. If Africans especially like rhythm, then dancing is a part of life for them. There is dance in the rhythm of life, and music and dance are inseparable. Today, "music" and "dance" are the same word in the languages of many ethnic tribes. In the minds of most Africans, music and dance are a unity and can be equated. When holding ceremonies or celebrations, people shake their heads, shake their shoulders, twist their hips and drag their feet in a very coordinated way, accompanied by various percussion instruments, in life, at work, in the fields and in houses. Any music will make Africans dance. In Africa, music and dance can even be equated. Music is dance, and dance is music.

Verb (abbreviation of verb) the function of African music

African folk music has a powerful function, and music activities are mostly accompanied by social daily life, and music is a part of social life. Like other countries in the world, music is accompanied by life and labor.

An integral part of the ceremony. Music is social in various festivals and festive activities, and is often closely linked with religious ceremonies. In Africa, music can praise God, man and exorcism.

Gross.

Everything in their lives is inseparable from music, and there are specific music in specific occasions. Africans are very good at expressing all their thoughts and feelings with music. For example, there is a lot of mourning in Africa.

Music, people can know who is dead according to the music played, and can also judge the identity and gender of the performer according to the nature of music-related traditions and rituals. This is an extremely powerful advantage of African music.

Energy.

African music, especially song and dance activities, has a strong self-entertainment. African music has a strong social function, and it is often used as a tool for social interaction between tribes, sacrificial ceremonies and other formal occasions. African people can't live without music and dance, which have many functions. More often, Africans will sing and dance spontaneously in their spare time, sometimes even without any musical instruments. The music at this time is improvisation for self-entertainment.

Everyone gets together, you play drums, I sing, and the concert attracts more people to join in. Slowly, music will become a small-scale musical work, which sounds like rehearsal in advance.

Similarly, because there are so many impromptu and spontaneous songs and dances in Africa, they almost become a part of their daily life. This kind of self-entertainment music activity has always been liked by Africans.

Sixth, the influence of African music.

The spread of African music culture mainly depends on African residents-blacks. The development of the African continent has been relatively backward, and African blacks have joined the societies of other countries and regions as slaves, which is the reason for African music culture.

Communication makes it possible. In the process of labor, they preserved the African music tradition in their own way, and made this tradition continue and develop. In this process, the musical characteristics of African black music are integrated into other music.

In national music, it promoted the development of local music, spread African music, and preserved and spread African music. Therefore, many countries are influenced by African music to some extent, especially North and South America and

Latin American music is influenced by black music as a whole, and American music is the representative of black music. We all know that American pop music is the most representative of American music and also the most representative of American pop music.

It's American jazz. Before jazz appeared, there were similar black soul songs, blues, ragtime and so on. Jazz originated from black dance music, and two main sources are black songs.

Bruce and ragtime.

African music is vigorous and vigorous, with strong vitality. The original, simple and energetic music from the primitive jungle, while merging with the music culture of other countries, has produced a more distinctive music culture, which has influenced and promoted the development of world music and made great contributions to the development of world music culture.