One of the most crucial aspects of the development of philosophy of African history has been a realization of the importance of the spoken or oral traditions in the framing and interpretation of African history. The oral tradition is a living, and dynamic organism within the African community, and the original element of oral traditional is djembe. The Djembe is a traditional African drum and is the symbolic instrument of the West African community. The Djembe is held on a high pedestal in the social communal aspect of the society’s daily routine, and is seen in many gatherings. The value and importance of the djembe as embodiment of African tradition and its translation in West Africa and the United states via the salve trade demonstrate its role and importance vehicle it plays in the African roots.
The djembe has become one of the most popular African drums. The making of the djembe is very unique. The village djembe player will offer ten kola nuts to the blacksmith for the making of djembe in return. The blacksmith regarded the making of such a drum an honor (Billmeier 2007). The blacksmith would venture into the forest to find the ideal tree to make a djembe. Once he has found the perfect tree, the blacksmith would then ask the spirit that inhabits the tree to accept the tree to be cut while engaging into a ceremonial performance at the base of the tree (Fanta Keita Tauber 2000). After a successful attempt, he then would carve the tree from the center of the wood, and created two holes (to the tope and to the bottom). This would serve as a way for the voice of the tree to be heard through the djembe. The djembe thus achieves an extraordinary sound range, from a high, to a low, resonating sound. The Djembe has carvings on the ...
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...ncing to drums, which must have been done in secret” (Epstein 2006). Djembe was thus created with materials that were available or enslaved Africans used their bodies like a drum, clapping and stomping with feet and sticks (Wilson 1992).
The djembe is very important to me, not because it is an essential instrument for the preservation of oral tradition, which holds a crucial role in African society, but it was also tremendously used and visible in all African ceremonies that I’ve attended to send greetings upon arrival and keep the audience entertain. However, the traditions of the djembe and its aesthetic principles are starting to change across the border. Those influences involve African instructors from different ethnic groups to teach a drumming class to people coming from different backgrounds, and the modifying of the djembe in regards to the client’s need.
Beck, John. Encyclopedia of Percussion. 2nd ed. New York: Taylor and Francis Group, LLC, 2007. Accessed May 15, 2014. http://books.google.com/books?id=8U83AgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false.
In Africa, music helps define its culture by expressing emotions through each song. Drums play a very important significance in African culture; they are always present in ceremonies such as births, deaths, and marriages along with a ritual dance. Ompeh is an organized system with many rules and is performed by recreational amateur ensemble of singers and percussionists. Maru-Bihag is loosely structured, performed only by experts, and is used more for entertainment. In India, the sitar instrument is taken very seriously; a student must apprentice with a master for 15-20 years before being allowed to play this
At the University of Chicago, Dunham decided to study anthropology with a focus on African and Caribbean ritual dances. Here, she studied under many of the best anthropologists of the time, and in 1935, she was awarded a grant from the Julius Rosenwald Fund to study dance in any way she wished. So, she decided to use this money to travel to the islands of the West Indies and document the ritual dances of the people. She visited such islands as Jamaica, Trinidad, Martinique and Haiti; however, she found a special connection with the people of Haiti and the dances they performed, particularly in their Vodoun rituals. In 1936, Dunham received a bachelor of philosophy from the University of Chicago, and after gathering her research and materials from her work in the Caribbean, she submitted her thesis, Dances of Haiti: Their Social Organization, Classification, Form, and Function,” to the University of Chicago in 1938.
I have chosen to write this essay on the drum kit, which is an instrument that I play myself. The drum is one of the oldest instruments known to man and has been used by many cultures around the world. Primitive tribal societies used drums to celebrate victory in battle as well as in ritual dance and worship to the deities. The drum kit (also known as the drum set or trap set), however, is an American invention whose rise was seen in the late 19th century. This is an instrument that has taken the work of several percussionists and turned it into something that can be mastered by one; a phenomenal contraption that has only gotten better with time and continues to develop over the years.
Samba can be heard all throughout Brazil. It is a musical genre accompanied by song and dance that includes an ensemble of percussion instruments and guitar. The puxador (lead singer) initiates the samba, sometimes singing the same song for hours at a time. The responsibility of keeping thousands of voices in time with the drum section rests on his shoulders. Gradually, the other members of the escola (samba group) join in, and with a whistle from the mestre de bateria (percussion conductor) - the most exciting moment of the parade occurs as the percussion section crashes in. The surdos (bass drums) keep the 2 / 4 meter, while caixas (snare drums) and tamborins accent the second beat. This percussion ensemble, referred to as the 'bateria', often i...
In Native American culture, the ceremonies and performed in kivas. One ceremony is the Whirling Log Sand Painting. In the Navajo tradition, healing requires the ritual restoration of hozo, or the beat of the harmony of the world. Following the sand, painting is destroyed. Another ceremony found in Native American cultures is the corn dance. The intention is for the rain to come down from the sky and nourish the sprouting of the corn. In African ceremonies the use of drums is common. The drums evoke the passion of the different dancers by the spirits and their ancestors. Masks are used to represent the ancestors that are called by the drum into the bodies of
Drumming, over the ages, had been depicted in healing rituals, rich with images of figures holding drums embellished on cave walls and archeological sites all over the world. More recently, the therapeutic effects of group-drumming have been explored which has led to research studies providing an evidence base for considering drumming as a therapeutic intervention in its own right or as part of other programs (Blackett & Payne, 2005). In addition to being regarded as one of the oldest instruments in world history, the drum has also held different values and benefits across a diversity of cultures. For instance, drumming in American Indian culture is a traditional-based activity that has been cherished and utilized over centuries to promote self-expression and healing (Dickerson, et al., 2012).
“How Musical is Man?” was published in 1974. This book was written by John Blacking, a musician turned social anthropologist. His goal in writing this ethnography, and several other papers during this same time period, was to compare the experience of music-making that takes place within different cultures and societies throughout the world. In this book, he discusses and describes the musicology of the Venda people in South Africa. Though he does go to Africa to research and learn about the Venda people and their music, he specifically states that his book is “not a scholarly study of human musicality” (ix), but rather it is a summary (written from his point of view), which is both expressive and entertaining, of several different issues and ideas that he has seemingly been contemplating for some time.
Toyin, Falola. “The Power of African Cultures.” Woodbridge, Suffolk, United Kingdom: University of Rochester Press, 2003. Print
Angeles, Los. (2009). African arts. Volume 28. Published by African Studies Center, University of California.
Fullen, Matthew. "Characteristics of West African Music | EHow." EHow. Demand Media, 02 June 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
It is essential in representing the strong african heritage and it 's importance can be seen in many aspects of culture (Gaines 1).
Mainly the West Africans used percussive instruments. These drums came in all sizes ranging from ten to twelve inches to ten to twelve feet. Their drums were made out of hollowed out logs and gourds with a tight skin over the hollow. They also used idiophones to make music. They used a variety of bells, castanets, gongs, and sometimes they made small xylophones or small pianos. Aerophones weren't as prevalent as the percussions or idiophones. Some explorers made small flutes, horns and trumpets from elephant tusks.
Many people do not often realize what the most revolutionizing and most important instrument is. In fact, this instrument can be found in every style of music in some way, shape or form. The one instrument that fits this criteria is the drum. According to the Harvard Dictionary of Music, a drum is a generic name for instruments that consists of skin stretched over a frame or vessel and struck with either hands or sticks. Drums are membranous. In other words, a drum has something inside of it, or a "membrane," that gives it its sound (Apel 247). There are many different types of drums, and each drum has its own place in different styles of music. For example, a tympani drum, also referred to as a kettle drum, is mainly found in classical styles of music,
Music has played a role in society since the dawn of man. Said to be the beginning of communication in early civilization, music and dance have influenced how we think, act and treat members of our own society. Song and dance is used in rites of passage ceremonies such as births, weddings and funerals throughout the world. Jamaican and Yoruba cultures have made many contributions to our society. The uses of this music as a vehicle for political issues, values, and beliefs have been used by many musicians from different cultures. I intend to discuss the Contribution of these two contemporary cultures music and their effect on society.