‘Yiri’ - by Koko FACT SHEET
GCSE Music: AoS4 World
African Music in Society -
African music has a major impact on the rest of the world because many of its features spread via the slave trade.
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A lot of music in Africa is performed by professionals. Families of griots (praise singers) were attached to tribes and would perform at important events.
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Drums have special significance in Africa. They don’t play the instrument – they ‘teach it to speak’.
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The vocal inflections can be imitated by the talking drum to communicate.
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Music is nearly always part of any social gathering.
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Music is combined with speech, dance and vibrant costumes to produce exciting and dramatic performances.
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Music is frequently linked to movement which is regarded as an important mode of communication, as important as the music itself.
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Music is learnt and passed on through oral tradition/orally.
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Music falls generally into three strands, drums, choral (singing) and instrumental music.
The set work is made of 3 main strands: up
Yiri by Koko
1) Balafon ostinati
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Koko are a group of 6 musicians
2) Drum ostinati
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Koko come from the West African country of Burkina Faso
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Yiri means wood.
3) Vocal line
Djembe
Balafon
Talking drum
Bell
Structure • • • • • •
1. Solo balafon improvisation 2. Solo balafon ostinato 3. 2nd Balfon enters 4. Drums enter and there is a prominent 1 quaver, 2semi-quavers beat 5. Vocals enter in unison - Chorus 6. Changes between Call & Response vocal sections and balafon breaks (there are some vocal solos and improvisations)
• 7. During the final section (the coda) the balafons and drums keep pausing. The piece ends with a bell.
‘Yiri’ - by Koko
key words
In the exam, you will have to answer questions about a specific section of the piece. Below are some keywords to help you wil this. Not only do you need to know the definitions of the words, you also need to be able to pick them out in the piece.
African Features • Improvisation – Music is made up on the spot. Opening section. • Call and Response – A call is played/sung followed by the response. A musical converstation had between the voices and balafons. • Polyrhythm – 2 or more different rhythms being played at the same time . • Repetition – The repeating of ideas. • Cross-rhythms – A rhythmic device where rhythms either go against the regular pulse or where 2 or more rhythms work against each other, e.g triplets against quavers. • Syncopation – A rhythmic device where rhythms are performed off the beat or on weak beats with the rests on the strong beats. As the balafon ideas develop.
Textures • Monophonic – One musical idea (at the start) • Heterophonic – Varied versions of the same tune happening at once (once the 2nd balafon enters) • Polyphonic – 2 or more different ideas happening at once (as the drums and voices enter)
Other • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Ostinati – Short musical ideas that are repeated Tremelo – Rapid repetition of a note Free tempo/unmetred – No sense of pulse. Beat is impossible to find Sense of pulse – A pulse is obvious and clear Triplet – A rhythmic device where three notes are played in one beat Octave – The 2nd balafon comes in an octave lower Tonality of G flat major – The key that the piece is in. This key relates to the notes on the Balafon Tonic – The first note of the scale so in this case G flat. Will be heard a lot in the piece. Dominant – The fifth note of the scale so in this case D flat. Will be heard a lot in the piece. Fill – A short improvised flourish played by the djembe Break – An instrumental solo Chorus – A section that returns in a piece Solo – A part for one instrument. Can have some accompaniment underneath the solo. Pentatonic scale – A scale consisting of 5 notes. The vocal parts in this piece are based around the pentatonic scale. Hexatonic scale – A scale consisting of 6 notes. The Balafon parts in this piece are based around the hexatonic scale.