Year 8 - Music
Composing in a Kuku or Warabadon style
Djembe drumming and rhythms from the regions of West Africa
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
Pupils are introduced to drumming from the regions of West Africa, performing as an ensemble and developing their understanding of djembe technique, the structure and musical conventions of the music, how rhythm and tempo are used to create excitement and the culture connected with the music.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to create a drumming composition in the style of Kuku or Warabadon.
Key Notes
- Composing a rhythmic piece in the style of either Kuku (in 4/4) or Warabadon (in 12/8).
- A successful Kuku or Warabadon structure includes a call, break, échauffement and solo sections.
- Composing and performing two contrasting ostinato patterns as the basis of our piece.
- Developing these within the structure, creating a polyrhythmic section with an improvised solo.
Vocabulary To Learn
- ostinato: a repeated pattern
- structure: the different sections of a piece of music and how the piece is organised
- 4/4: a time signature with four beats in a bar
- 12/8: a time signature with twelve quavers in a bar; these are in four groups of three
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Composing a rhyhtm means creating something totally original
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Composing a rhythmic piece in the style of either Kuku (in 4/4) or Warabadon (in 12/8). A successful Kuku or Warabadon structure includes a call, break, échauffement and solo sections.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'ostinato'
a repeated pattern.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Composing a rhyhtm means creating something totally original. Correction: Successful compositions often take some ideas from other pieces and do something new with it, so adapting rhythms from the drumming pieces you have already played is acceptable and can help in finding the right type of rhythms and the right style.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 8 Music guide library.