Unit 4-4: Rhythm Time Lines in African Music

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Compare and contrast the concept of African time lines with the idea of meter and beat in Western art music.
Describe, perform, and aurally identify four different African timelines as defined in the reading by Kofi Agawu.
Describe three different modes of African drumming (speech, signal, and dance) and how they relate to the rhythms of speech and the body.

Preparation for Class

Read:

The term ostinato comes up frequently in discussions about time lines. Check out a quick definition of the term here.
Read the "African Time Lines" handout. This handout summarize material from Kofi Agawu's chapter on rhythm in The African Imagination in Music (2016). (Optional: If you'd like to read the full chapter, you can find a copy here.)

Watch

In this video excerpt Kofi Agawu walks us through the concept of time lines in African music. Use the Time Line handout (above) as a visual to follow along with his demonstrations. Try tapping along with each of the rhythms presented.

Rhythmic Imagination in African Music
(Kofi Agawu, Library of Congress, 13 mins)
** Watch from 36:56–49:43

Explore:

Modes of Drumming: The rhythms of speech and of the body are represented in different African modes of drumming. Listen to each of these three modes of drumming with speech and body rhythm in mind:

Speech mode: The drum conveys the rhythms and pitch characteristics of spoken language.
Signal mode: The drum signals a message. In this video, it signals: (1) a call to fight, (2) a chief summoning his people, and (3) a death announcement.
Dance mode: The drum provides a rhythmic groove to guide dancers' movements.

Study Aids

Kofi Agawu, The African Imagination in Music, p. 162

The image presents a diagram titled "A framework for conceptualizing the domain of rhythmic expression." It shows a progression of generative stages and expressive dimensions of rhythm, depicted through a curved flowchart. The flowchart consists of five labeled stages, with arrows indicating the progression of rhythm development. The elements described are: * Generative stages (listed vertically on the left): 1. Gesture 2. Spoken Word 3. Vocal Music 4. Instrumental Music 5. Dance * Expressive Dimensions (listed below each stage): Stage 1: Begins with Gesture, branching into Tone and Rhy thm.Stage 2: From Spoken Word, there are two branches: Free Rhythm (Speech), which curves back into Gesture. Strict Rhythm (Stylized Speech), leading forward. Stage 3: Vocal Music develops from Strict Rhythm, branching into Drum Language (Speech Rhythm). Stage 4: Instrumental Music leads into Dance Music (Stylized Speech Rhythm). Stage 5: Finally, Dance emerges from Dance Music and connects back to Stylized Gesture. The entire flow depicts a loop, showing how rhythmic expression evolves from simple gesture and spoken word into complex music and dance, with connections among speech, music, and physical movement. The caption at the bottom reads, "Figure 4.1 A framework for conceptualizing the domain of rhythmic expression."

Pre-Class Assignment

Listen to these five recordings, and complete the five blanks in the handout here.

Assignment 4-4

In-Class Activities

Discussion

Definitions: What is an African time line and how does it compare with the Western concept of beats and meters?
Influence on Western Music: Explore the influence of African beat patterns on Western music, including jazz, blues, funk, and popular music genres. Discuss how African rhythmic concepts have been incorporated into Western musical styles.
- - If you need an example to get you started, take a look at Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man."

Metric Perception: The video to the right features the Igbo dance, "Ije nwayo" (Walk Gently) performed by the Agbani-Nguru Ikorodo Group (Nigeria). It showcases several instrumentalists performing alongside a group of female dancers.
- - Before you watch the video, just listen to it. Try tapping or conducting in time with the recording.
  - Then, view the video, focusing specifically on the dancers' feet, which represent the beats.
  - Do the dancers' steps correspond with how you perceive the meter in this recording? Why or why not?

Activities

Clapping Timelines: Practice clapping through a few of the time lines summarized on your "African Time Lines" handout. Focus especially on the four timelines presented on pp. 2–3. Once you've learned the time line, try listening to the recordings provided and tapping along using the inter-onset interval patterns as a guide. Discuss the different rhythmic feel of each time line after you perform it.
Imitating & Identifying Time Lines: Listen to this recording performed by Ewe musicians and dancers from Ghana: "Funeral Dirge - The Warrior's House Has Become Empty." The musical instrument featured here is known as a gankogui, or double bell. This instrument is performing the time line. Listen to the recording and try to clap along with the gankogui rhythmic pattern that you hear.
- - - How many rhythmic onsets do you hear in the pattern? Try to notate it in terms of inter-onset intervals or as a string of long (L) and short (S) rhythmic values. (Hint: The time line you're hearing is one of the 4 patterns presented on the Time Line handout here on pp. 2–3)
    - Once you've determined which time line you're hearing, listen to the recording again and tap along using your notation as a guide.
Generating African Time Lines: Read through the handout "Generating African Timelines" in groups or individually. Then, perform each of the generative steps together as a class in class-and-response with your instructor. Once you've worked through the time lines, try to generate a time line of your own using Agawu's steps.
Listening and Analysis: Explore recordings of African drum ensembles. (There is an example here to get you started). In small groups or as a class, actively listen and analyze the rhythmic patterns, identifying the pulse, accents, and interlocking rhythmic layers. Discuss the cultural context, rhythmic feel, and unique characteristics of each rhythm.

Hand-Clapping: Clap along with the "3+3+3+3+3+3+2" rhythm in this recording of "Kolota II" from the album Bushmen of the Kalahari (2006).

Kolota II - Bushmen of the Kalahari.mp3

Learn a Ghanaian Children's Game: The game is known as "Ampe." It's a beloved children's game in Ghana. Here's how to play:
- - Gather in a circle with two individuals in the center, designated as the the 'leader' and the 'challenger.'
  - These two participants will perform the rhythm notated below, essentially composed of four beats: clap, clap, jump, jump, with a swift kick inserted between the claps.
  - Should both students kick with the same foot (for example, choosing the right foot), the leader is deemed the 'winner' and remains in place while a new student takes over as the challenger.
  - Conversely, if the two students select different feet, the leader 'loses' and is substituted by another student. Repeat this process until everyone has had a chance to play.

This is notation of the “Ampe” game on a single-lined staff. The time signature is 6/8. It begins with a pickup measure, consisting of a dotted quarter note rhythm, labeled "clap" notated below the line. The first measure consists of two dotted quarter notes, the first below the line labeled "clap", the second on the line labeled "kick". The second measure begins with a dotted quarter on the line labeled "jump", followed by an eight note below the line labeled "clap", followed by a quarter note above the line labeled "kick". The final measure is a single dotted quarter note below the line labeled "clap".

NEXT STEP

Next Lesson: North Indian Taal

Want to learn more?

Explore other types of beat patterns in Afro-Cuban and Gullah music with these videos by musicians from the Library of Congress.

Also, check out this article for a discussion about notating sub-Saharan African music: Grupe, Gerd. “Notating African Music: Issues and Concepts.” The World of Music 47, no. 2 (2005), pp. 87–103.

Daymé Arocena: Afro-Cubam Rhythms
(Library of Congress, 6 mins)

Quentin Baxter: Rhythmic Patterns in Gullah Music
(Library of Congress, 6 mins)

Optional Additional Practice

Musition: Rhythm Notation: Level 4 (African Time Line IOI
Auralia: Rhythm Styles: Level 1 (African Time Line ID)

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