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Major and minor migrations of African peoples brought musical styles and instruments to new areas. The single and double iron bells, which probably originated in Kwa-speaking West Africa, spread to western Central Africa with Iron Age Bantu-speaking peoples and from there to Zimbabwe and the Zambezi River valley.
The kora (Manding languages: ߞߐߙߊ kɔra) is a stringed instrument used extensively in West Africa. A kora typically has 21 strings, which are played by plucking with the fingers. It combines features of the lute and harp.
Notable djembefolas. Selected recordings. See also. References. Further reading. External links. Djembe. A djembe or jembe ( / ˈdʒɛmbeɪ / JEM-bay; from Malinke jembe [dʲẽbe], [1] N'Ko: ߖߋ߲߰ߓߋ [2]) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa .
Rhythm is the foundation of West Africa's traditional music, so percussion instruments play a major role in constructing its sounds. Traditional music of West Africa incorporates the use of a variety of percussive instruments, the most popular of which is the djembe.
Some are sounded by striking, others by shaking, scraping, plucking, or friction. Idiophones are numerous and widely distributed throughout the continent. On musical grounds they may be divided into instruments used mainly for rhythm and several varieties tuned and used melodically. Rhythmic idiophones.
A calabash drum from Ghana. See all videos for this article. In a great many African music and dance cultures, movement organization rigidly follows certain principles of timing that cannot be equated with Western metrical systems. African systems of timing are generally based on at least four fundamental concepts:
Identify musical aesthetics, stylistic elements and instruments specific to west African music. Analyze music through listening to recorded performances of west African music Identify cultural values and traits specific to west African cultures.
