When it comes to music, there are several genres. This could not be more true when it comes to Ghana music. Ghanian melodies can be very diverse depending on what part of the country an individual may be in at the time.
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.
Northern styles are set to a minor pentatonic or chromatic scale and melisma plays an important part in melodic and vocal styles. There is a long history of northern styles also being inclusive of the griot and praise-singing traditions.
Social functions like funerals, graduations, weddings and the like are often met with coastal style music. This style requires complex patterns be played on a variety of percussion instruments. These instruments often include bells, cowbells, drums, gourds, sticks and other percussion based instruments.
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.
Ghana won her independence in 1957. Ghana while rich with Caribbean flavor, still retains its own musical identity. The 20th century saw the onset of pop. A style that became known as High-life became quite popular. Pop-dance has been quite popular since the 70s. Like many other genres, it too has been known by many different names over the years.
Highlife, or High-life is a combination of soukous, jazz, rock, ska and swing. Both of which are more dance focused than styles which were popular in the earlier days of the country. Hip-Life and Highlife can be thought of as similar to the dance, rock and jazz genres alive and well in other parts of the world.
Guitar bands and other genres were popular during the 70s. Prior to that time, music of the depression, 40s, 50s, and 60s was often more easy listening than rock and roll. Later, when German-Highlife took over the scene, a rendition of burger-highlife was also founded by Ghanian based Germans. George Darko has always been one of the best known musicians of Ghana, partly because he founded this new genre of polka like rock and roll.
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.
Northern styles are set to a minor pentatonic or chromatic scale and melisma plays an important part in melodic and vocal styles. There is a long history of northern styles also being inclusive of the griot and praise-singing traditions.
Social functions like funerals, graduations, weddings and the like are often met with coastal style music. This style requires complex patterns be played on a variety of percussion instruments. These instruments often include bells, cowbells, drums, gourds, sticks and other percussion based instruments.
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.
Ghana won her independence in 1957. Ghana while rich with Caribbean flavor, still retains its own musical identity. The 20th century saw the onset of pop. A style that became known as High-life became quite popular. Pop-dance has been quite popular since the 70s. Like many other genres, it too has been known by many different names over the years.
Highlife, or High-life is a combination of soukous, jazz, rock, ska and swing. Both of which are more dance focused than styles which were popular in the earlier days of the country. Hip-Life and Highlife can be thought of as similar to the dance, rock and jazz genres alive and well in other parts of the world.
Guitar bands and other genres were popular during the 70s. Prior to that time, music of the depression, 40s, 50s, and 60s was often more easy listening than rock and roll. Later, when German-Highlife took over the scene, a rendition of burger-highlife was also founded by Ghanian based Germans. George Darko has always been one of the best known musicians of Ghana, partly because he founded this new genre of polka like rock and roll.
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