African music is historic, multi-faceted, passionate & diverse. Many creative & distinct musical traditions. Songs & dance are performed in traditional ceremonies.
Sub-Saharan African music relies on percussion instruments like xylophones, djembes, drums & tone-producing instruments like mbira & thumb piano. A wide range of slit gongs, rattles, double bells, harps, fiddles, flutes & trumpets.
Some visible traits of Caribbean music are soca, calypso & zouk. Latin American music genres like rumba, conga, bomba, cumbia, salsa, samba, blues, jazz are influenced by African music.
Like music of Asia, it’s high energy & rhythmic. Complex styles & patterns involve one rhythm played against another to create poly-rhythms. Common poly-rhythms play 3 beats on top of 2. A triplet played against straight notes. Mesmerising.
Understanding African music is difficult. It doesn’t have written traditions, just like India. Horn of Africa music (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia) is typically pentatonic. Uses 5 pitches per octave in contrast to heptatonic 7 note scale. Music of Ethiopia uses a modal system called qenet with 4 main modes – tezeta, bati, ambassel, anchihoy.
West African music has special elements of Islamic & Sufi music. Enchanting. African dancing is creative, graceful & energetic. Needs great levels of strength, stamina, flexibility in movements, co-ordination & balance. Spectacular & sensational sounds.