African Drum and Dance is a popular area event in many parts of the world. Many of the drummers and dancers who frequent these different events are visiting drummers from Africa. It is interesting that most of the rhythms used at these events are derived from Ghana music whether authentic musicians are present or otherwise. In some areas, there are weekend seminars and workshop related solely to Ghanian drum and dance found in Ghana and other regions of Africa.
North and South Ghana have very different musical taste. Northern traditions come from Sahelian traditions. Sahelian features a combination of melody and stringed instruments. Some common instruments in the North and South are the kologo lute and the gonjey fiddle, wind instruments, voice, drums and percussion.
Notes flow almost effortlessly thanks to the chromatic and pentatonic scales used in Northern and Southern Ghana. Chanting, praise-singing and story telling are all essential to the people and identity of these areas. Whereas, other areas are more prone to rhythmic beats surrounding by the softness of strings and at times, voice.
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.
Coastal styles are often associated with social functions. These style rhythms rely on complex patterns played on bells and drums. Like many other parts of Africa, there is also a strong correlation between drum and dance. One of the most popular attractions at many festivals and shows in the United States and around the world are that of African drummers and dancers from Ghana.
Coastal tunes can also be associated with many traditional religions. One exception to this rule is material from the Seperewa harp-lute whose origins are in the stringed harps of the North and West. The most well known drums of southern Ghanian drum traditions is that of the adowa and kete drum ensembles with bells.
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 and HipLife have been quite successful with regards to downloads, album sales and shows. Dance Pop and other rhythms have once again pretty much taken over the region. One of the most promising of success stories on the Ghanian scene is that of Osibisa's Afro-rock which also became quite active and well known in the late 1970s.
Guitar bands and High-life pretty much kept the clubs hopping in the 1920, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s in Ghana. Then in the 1970s, electric guitar and pop-dance took over the scene. Later, German Highlife took hold and led to the pop music which remains quite popular. Burger-Highlife was a form founded by the Ghanian-Germans which is very similar to Highlife with George Darko being one of the primary musicians of the genre. Later, HipLife, a hip-hop version of Highlife found its way onto the Ghanian music scene.
North and South Ghana have very different musical taste. Northern traditions come from Sahelian traditions. Sahelian features a combination of melody and stringed instruments. Some common instruments in the North and South are the kologo lute and the gonjey fiddle, wind instruments, voice, drums and percussion.
Notes flow almost effortlessly thanks to the chromatic and pentatonic scales used in Northern and Southern Ghana. Chanting, praise-singing and story telling are all essential to the people and identity of these areas. Whereas, other areas are more prone to rhythmic beats surrounding by the softness of strings and at times, voice.
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.
Coastal styles are often associated with social functions. These style rhythms rely on complex patterns played on bells and drums. Like many other parts of Africa, there is also a strong correlation between drum and dance. One of the most popular attractions at many festivals and shows in the United States and around the world are that of African drummers and dancers from Ghana.
Coastal tunes can also be associated with many traditional religions. One exception to this rule is material from the Seperewa harp-lute whose origins are in the stringed harps of the North and West. The most well known drums of southern Ghanian drum traditions is that of the adowa and kete drum ensembles with bells.
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 and HipLife have been quite successful with regards to downloads, album sales and shows. Dance Pop and other rhythms have once again pretty much taken over the region. One of the most promising of success stories on the Ghanian scene is that of Osibisa's Afro-rock which also became quite active and well known in the late 1970s.
Guitar bands and High-life pretty much kept the clubs hopping in the 1920, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s in Ghana. Then in the 1970s, electric guitar and pop-dance took over the scene. Later, German Highlife took hold and led to the pop music which remains quite popular. Burger-Highlife was a form founded by the Ghanian-Germans which is very similar to Highlife with George Darko being one of the primary musicians of the genre. Later, HipLife, a hip-hop version of Highlife found its way onto the Ghanian music scene.
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