Year 10 - Music
Delving deeper into West African percussive music
North Indian Classical music and West African drumming
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
No unit description is available for this selection yet.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to understand and perform some more complex examples of West African percussive music.
Key Notes
- West African percussive music is often rhythmically complex.
- West African musicians traditionally don't use notation, but instead learn rhythms by ear and through movement.
- A compound time signature has each beat divided into three quavers. 6/8 is a common example of this.
- In a simple time signature each beat is divided into two quavers.
- Some West African music has a feel of compound time, including akom and dununba.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Simple time: Simple time is where each beat is divided into two quavers. 4/4 and 3/4 are examples of this.
- Compound time: Compound time is where each beat is divided into three quavers. 6/8 and 12/8 are examples of this.
- Polyrhythm: When multiple rhythms are played at the same time we call this a polyrhythm.
- Dununba: Dununba is a type of dance and music in compound time from Guinea.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Dance music is usually in 4/4.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
West African percussive music is often rhythmically complex. West African musicians traditionally don't use notation, but instead learn rhythms by ear and through movement.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'Simple time'
Simple time is where each beat is divided into two quavers. 4/4 and 3/4 are examples of this.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Dance music is usually in 4/4. Correction: While the majority of modern Western dance music is in 4/4, dance music around the world (and throughout history) often uses different time signatures, including 3/.4, 6/8 and 12/8, as well as others.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 10 Music guide library.