Monday, August 4, 2014

The Different Origins Of Ghana Music

By Imelda Reid


When it comes to music, there are several genres. This could not be more true when it comes to Ghana music. Ghanian melodies can be very diverse depending on what part of the country an individual may be in at the time.

Musical taste vary among the people of the country. It is for this reason that all genres of music are generally available for purchase at stores or through a website. Sahelian features a combination of string instruments and melodies and is popular in all areas. Whether it is the kologo lute, gongey fiddle, the many wind instruments or the vocals accompanying same, it is a style that is as appropriate for dance as meditation.

Set to a minor chromatic or pentatonic scale, notes flows almost effortlessly with these combination of instruments and voice. Praise singing is also a popular form in the area. Griot, somewhat like mild chanting or story telling is also quite popular. Most often, regardless of style, vocals are accompanied by some type of drums, bells or stringed instrument.

Melody is an essential and important aspect to song in Northern and Southern parts of the country. Praise-singing traditions and storytelling while more popular in the North also exist in all areas. Still, there is a distinct differences between the drums as a focus in one area and strings in the other.

Social functions are often accompanied by music from the coast regions of Africa. Different styles rhythms fold into complex patterns on drums and bells. Many of these rhythms are found at the various drum and dance events around the world.

The Coast sound and material can also be associated with many different religions. Most religions tend to use the percussion based styles over the harps and strings with few exception. A harp-lute whose origins are in the well known stringed harps. The most common drums with relation to religious ceremonies are the kete and adowa which host a set of bells as part of the base drum.

It was only in 1957 that Ghana won her independence. As a result, while always popular, music in the region has gone through several changes. For the most part, the two most popular forms of music are dance pop and Highlife. A newer version of HipLife has also now become quite popular as is the case with hip-hop in other areas of the world.

Highlife, or High-life is a combination of soukous, jazz, rock, ska and swing. Both of which are more dance focused than styles which were popular in the earlier days of the country. Hip-Life and Highlife can be thought of as similar to the dance, rock and jazz genres alive and well in other parts of the world.

During the depression and years following, the clubs stayed fairly active and hopping. The popular years for electric guitar and dance-pop were mostly in the 70s. At least that is the case until German-Highlife took over with Burger-Highlife and other forms which are still popular. The Burger-Highlife, Dance Pop and German-Highlife are often some of the most influential and listened to music in and outside Ghana.




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