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- Probably the most recognisable genre in music.
- Reggae is the a slow-tempo style which owes itself to the early Jamaican style of ska.
- Beats 1 and 3 are heavily emphasised on percussion instruments.
- Beats 2 and 4 are often used for off-beat staccato chords. Traditionally these would have been played on an early style of electronic organ known as the Hammond organ, but nowadays the guitar is more commonly used.
- Bob Marley is the most famous exponent and pioneer of this art form. He received world-wide recognition for his music.
- Go and explore his music in more detail, including 'Is This Love?'. There are many examples to choose from; one of his most famous songs is 'Three Little Birds'.

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- Son was created on the Caribbean's largest inhabited island: Cuba.
- Popular in the first half of the 20th century, it blended two popular local genres of Spanish flare with African rhythms, made popular through the slave trade.
- There is a repeated rhythm all the way through (quaver - quaver rest - three semi quavers - quaver). The piece is in 2/4.
- There is a lengthy instrumental introduction.
- The harmony for the whole piece is simplistic: the entire opening four-bar phrase is played over chord I (E flat) before moving to chord V (B flat).
- Listen out for the clever use of the trumpets - they are added to the texture to create a mood and an aesthetic, rather than as a dominant force.

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- Merengue is a fast, very rhythmic dance style from the Dominican Republic.
- Merengue is usually in 2/4 time with a strong rhythmic section.
- The rhythm is typically played on congas (pair of tall drums, often made from barrels) and güira (sheet of metal with bumps made into a cylinder then scraped, often on the first beat).
- Other parts of the texture include a brass section (made up of trumpets, played at a high pitch) as well as occasional backing singers.
- This song should give you an idea of the genre and how it is created. All of the above features can be heard in this song.

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- The Caribbean is a set of islands located off the coast of central America. The sea which lies between central America and these islands is known as the Caribbean sea and as such all islands located on this sea are associated with the same name.
- The region was discovered by Europeans, who not only settled there but brought with them slaves from Africa. The original language of Carib was eventually non-existent by the 1920's, such was the influence of expats.
- Nowadays the musical traditions are many and various, with each island essentially laying claim to their own specific tradition.

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- Arguably the most famous Indian musician of the 20th century.
- Born in 1920, his long and illustrious career led him to establish the Maihar gharana (a society dedicated to Hindustani music) and work with notable musicians such as Yehudi Menuhin (violinist) and George Harrison from The Beatles (listen to Within You Without You from their Sgt. Peppers album).
- Listen out for the features listen above. Try to pick out the different instruments and their related features. Familiarise yourselves with the sounds and textures.

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Ravi Shankar - The Spirit of India (full album)

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- Sitar - long-necked lute (string instrument) with sympathetic strings (strings which are not directly played by vibrate and make a sound when the instrument is played).
- Sarod - a fretless Indian lute with sympathetic strings.
- Tanpura - long-necked lute which provides the drone.
- Bansuri - bamboo flute.
- Shehnai - double-reed woodwind instrument.
Sarangi - short-necked lute which is played with a bow, designed to resemble the sound of the human voice.
- Tabla - a pair of hand drums with contrasting pitch.
- Due to the way the string instruments are made, it is easy for the player to create pitch bends, which are a key feature of Indian music.

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- Indian music is based upon simple components:
- A single melodic line is played over a fixed drone (a pair of low notes which are sustained throughout the whole piece).
- The melody is made up of a set of notes, known as a raga. There are many different ragas in Indian music, each of which are associated with a time of day or season in the year. Each raga tells the musicians which notes to use to create the melody.
- The whole piece is underpinned by a rhythmic element, provided on the tabla (a pair of contrasting-pitched drums which sit on the floor). This rhythm is known as the tala.
- It is traditional for Indian music to have an introduction, where the raga and the drone are introduced before the rhythmic element is added. This is known as the alap.

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- Indian music is in itself a classical tradition but differs from Western classical traditions in a number of ways.
- The most identifiable differences lie in the instruments used, the tuning of the notes and the structure of the pieces.

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Paradise by The Piano Guys ('Peponi' feat. Alex Boye).

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Paradise by The Piano Guys ('Peponi' feat. Alex Boye).

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- Here is a cover of the Coldplay song 'Paradise' with some very obvious Africa influences.
- Another common instrument the rain stick is used fairly on. See if you can spot it. Why is it called the rain stick?
- How many features of African music can you hear/see being used?

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Coldplay - Paradise (Peponi) African Style (ft. guest artist, Alex Boye) - ThePianoGuys

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The Rhythm Studio African Djembe Drumming Group

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Click here to subscribe: http://smarturl.it/therhythmstudio Welcome to The Rhythm Studio's official YouTube channel. The Rhythm Studio is a rock and pop music academy in London where students are inspired to develop their musical talents while learning the songs that they know and love, rocking out in bands, and playing live gigs.

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Nii Okai Aryeetey - Master Kpanlogo Drummer.wmv

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Nii Okai Aryeetey is a master kpanlogo drummer from Accra, Ghana. In this clip he is playing at home with 5 kpanlogo drums. If you are in Accra, contact Nii Okai for drumming lessons - 027 734-8361

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- The Zulus are the native tribes of South Africa. Their music is heavily influenced by vocal ideas of call and response, homophony and a cappella singing.
- Listen to the first track on this video. It clearly demonstrates the above vocal techniques and features.

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The talking drum-Donno.mpg-Kwame Ansah-Brew @ Frostburg State Univ.

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- African music relies heavily on vocal ideas. Traditionally, one person will sing a line, before a group repeat that line back. This is called call and response.
- Vocal music is often sung a cappella. This means that the singers are not accompanied by any instruments.
- Vocal music is often homophonic, with responses containing simple harmony.
- Music stays in the same key and does not modulate.
- There is a strong drum culture in Africa, partly because these instruments are easy to make out of locally-sourced materials, such as wood and cow skin.
- African drum instruments include the djembe, kpanlogo (pronounced 'panlogo' as the 'k' is silent) and dundun (talking drum).
- Other instruments include the gankogui or agogo bells (a pair of two pitched metal cylinders, one high one low) and shekere (traditional African shaker made out of a fruit and beads).

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- African music forms the basis for a lot of genres which have emerged over the last two centuries, especially in America. This, in part, is as a result of the blend of cultures and traditions born out of the slave trade of the 18th and 19th century.
- Music in Africa has a greater role in society than you might think. In small communities, natives play music as a source of celebration. Music plays a leading role in birthdays, marriages, funerals, seasons and anniversaries.