In Africa, singing and drumming has a long history.
Our German sisters who ran our hospital, brought up on classical music, only heard banging and noise, but I could detect the rhythms, because American popular music tends to be a combination of celtic ballads and African rhythms, and I was amazed to find how complicated the rhythmic patterns are: Often different drummers played different rhythm in complementary forms to each other.
The nurses tried to give me a lesson in using one of the smaller drums, but alas I didn't have the time to actually get into the complicated rhythms of traditional songs.
Here is a lecture on African music at the Library of Congress about it: Downloaded for later watching.
The Mbira is another instrument. Usually you see these in craft shops as a single line, but professionals use a larger and more complicated one.
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| Alex Weeks at English Wikipedia |
No, you don't play the melody on it: The melody is sung, and the mbira is played counterpoint to the song, as can be heard in this film:
People will carry small versions with them and play them in leisure time, but professional musicians have larger versions.
usually the larger version is played inside a gourd or as in this film, with a sounding board.
You can often "buy" one at a craft shop or make your own, but like any instrument, it is part of the musical heritage, so you need to learn not only how to "play" it but the musical forms of Africa.
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cross posted from my other blog
