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Koko - Yiri (Instrumentation (The Djembe is the most popular drum in…
Koko - Yiri
Instrumentation
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Balafon - Xylophone
Has a wide range of pitches
The smaller the Balafon = the higher the pitches
Often, there is a membrane between the bars that is made of natural materials such as Orange peel.
Vocals
Sub-Saharan Africa = centred around singing
Music serves as a link to the spirit world
African languages = tone languages
Tone languages = pitch level (high or low)determines meaning of words
Pitches of melodies and rhythms can match meanings and speech rhythms of words
Meldody
Opening solo balaphone melody is high pitched
It’s a simple, repetitive idea using rolls on each note:
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The vocal melody is short, simple and repetitive
It has very few different pitches (6 = Hexatonic) - this is common in African vocal music:
Melodies are often varied by different instruments
Contrasting melody in Call and response section - long held notes and short punctuated notes on ‘Yiri’
Harmony and Tonality
The opening balaphone melody establishes the tonality of G flat major
This is reinforced by the Dominant D flat note
The harmony stays close to the tonic G flat major throughout
All choral responses to the solo call are in unison
Rhythm and Metre
The harmony stays close to the tonic G flat major throughout
All choral responses to the solo call are in unison
It’s decorated with occasional rhythmic fills
The balaphones play cross rhythms in the call and response section
These become syncopated in the coda
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Tempo and Dynamics
Yiri starts in a free tempo
It continues with a moderate tempo
It starts with soft dynamics
The dynamics increase as more instruments come in and the texture thickens, though it remains polyphonic
The piece ends with a single ‘ting’ on a bell