a wide range of sounds from low tones to high tones. Some of the drums were put together like kegs with animal skins stretched across the top. Another type of drum was made from full sized tree logs and hollowed out by a process of burning or gouging. The last type of drum was made like a wooded box. Each box then had some form of frame that was fixed in side of the frame and could be tuned to any desired pitch. Most of the drums, however, apart from the ones just mentioned had small pegs on the top. The bell was ingeniously also a tuning tool for the drums.
(figure available in print form)
Gourds with beads laced together on the out side are the ancestor of the modern Maracas).
(figure available in print form)
the Marimba, which was also made in a family of sizes, consisted of wood strips of different sizes connected to resonator gourds. The smaller marimbas could be played with a strap over the shoulders. The ancestors of the modern Marimbas were tuned in fifths, or the pentatonic scale. {To match the sound of the pentatonic scale use all the blacks keys on the piano}.
(figure available in print form)
The Harp, these small harps may have been the inspiration of the design of the modern Banjo. Most Harps had either a wood base with strings connected to the base or a metal base with skin stretched around and over the base. The strings were then connected to a the stretched skin. This trait bears resemblance to the drum like head of a Banjo. The bridge design may of come from sight of the European stringed Instrument like that of the bridge of the violin.
(figure available in print form)
(figure available in print form)
The pipe was made out of metal, wood or bamboo.
(figure available in print form)
The music often had “words” which were sung in it’s own rhythmic pulse. The words often had many levels of meaning. The words would often be set to a dance step which had it’s own unique pattern and rhythmic structure which was distinctly different from both the drums and the words. The dance steps, the instrument accompaniments of the drums, bells, gourds, and the singing never conflicted or got in the way of each other. To hear the richness and observe the complex relationships of the dance to the words and drums one must be trained to see and hear it in it’s entirety. Have the students form two large groups so that the groups are facing each other.
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1. have both group practice the drum parts “right, left, right, left” as one group.
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2. have one group start as in a call and have the second group answer group one: “right, left, right, left” group two: answer back “right, left, right, left”.
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3. have group one say “Umoja” while drumming, then group two will answer back “Umoja”. Have groups switch, group two “Call”.
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Teacher:
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AH-Moo-JA
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I say and drum or clap;” clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap
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I.
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Day Two: Today we are going to learn about “The Master Drummers Role in Call and Response”: There are people in Africa who are trained to lead these wonderful music works. They are called (Master Drummers). They are well versed in both written and “Oral History” of the tribe and also must understand all of the symbolic meanings of the dance steps of each song. After many years of training the master drummer is the one who leads or directs, if you will, the other group Drummers who are called (Support Drums),along with the Singers, who are usually the rest of the tribe or the audience, and the dancers. There are sometimes special dancers who will lead the dance group under the direction of the Master Drummers.
The Master Drummer gives special signals to cue the entrance of either the dancers, singers (the Audience) or the support drummers. At the leader’s call, which is a person on the big lead drum, the support drummers answer. Some times the drums will play the same pattern as the master drum. Other cue’s given by the drum will have a different beat, yet, will relate directly to the master drum part.
Due to the complexity of original West African Drum parts, both the Master Drummer’s part and the Support Drum’s Part in this lesson will approximate the effect of the “Call and Response”.
(figure available in print form)
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Notes: When starting this exercise, make sure that students understand that they are going to imitate the leader. The teacher might also explain that the class will be doing this exercise twice. Both times students shall do this routine without the music. The first time with hands and feet and the second time with either sticks or pencils on the desk and feet.
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Teachers: for non music teachers, there are some items that might refresh your music skill memories:
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1. Most blues songs are in four four time. This means that on the music staff measures are divided into units called bars or measures. Each unit has four counts. Each measure is divided up by vertical bar lines.
(figure available in print form)
(figure available in print form)
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The four on top means four beats to a measure. The four on the bottom means that the quarter note gets a beat. To read the first measure just count and say; one two three four, one two three four, and so forth.
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2. Eight notes are grouped together in this exercise and are clapped twice as fast as the quarter notes.
(figure available in print form)
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One can count eight notes by placing the word “and” after one. . . . one and two and three and four and.
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3. ONE, TWO AND, THREE, FOUR, = CLAP, CLAP CLAP, CLAP, STOMP. The “Stomp” is done with your feet.
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4. The Tap, Tap, Tap, Stomp - Right, Left, Right, Stomp. Do not worry about the grip of the pencils or sticks with this routine, keep it simple.
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5. Under the word “rest” is the symbol for the Quarter Rest. This translates into one count of silence on the fourth beat.
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6. If students are having difficulty in doing this music exercise or you think that they might experience difficulties have them either go back to the top or have them start off with just saying their parts (first) i.e. without the “Stomp” of the feet or the “Clap” of the hands nor the “Tap” of the pencils.
HOMEWORK:
For a homework assignment, have students create their own [call and response] piece. The teacher might give guidelines to use very simple rhythms, such as quarter notes, tied eight notes, and quarter rests. Give students a few days to complete this assignment.
VOCABULARY WORDS:
Call and Response: is a musical form that can be traced both to Europe in the church and in Africa in the plainsong. The call is lead by either the pastor or the lead Master Drummer in West African Music. The Response comes from either the congregation or for the tribe or Audience.
The form of call and response of the early church and the early “praise meetings” of the 1900’s, where blacks were not allowed to praise God in groups, shared some things in common from the divergent past. Both groups had people who could not read or write.
So the leader would lead the group in verse, prayer, or song, one line at a time. This is where lining was born, which can be seen and heard in some form today in the music albeit that need for lining is no longer needed at the is point in time.
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MIDDLE PASSAGE: was the forced migration of Blacks out of Africa to American soil in vessels used by Europe for the highly profitable slave trade in the 1500’s. Many families were torn apart, died en route from sickness, were severely abused, chained together like animals, and then sold separately as property to Plantation owners. All blacks were considered less than human by their white kidnappers; they wanted Blacks to labor for their personal gain.
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Rhythm: a regular pattern formed by long and short notes or beats
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Steady Beat: a uniform and recurring flow of notes or sounds
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Tempo: the rate speed of a rhythm. such markings might indicate a fast rate of speed of music, a moderate pace, or slow pace of a musical piece or composition.
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Time signature: 4 2 Tells how many beats per bar and which
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4, 4 note gets one count. For example, the time signature 2,4 reads two beats per measure and the Quarter gets one count.
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Umoja: (unity)—to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, and nation.
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Vessel: a sailing ship big enough to hold cargo in it’s hold “under the deck”.
