FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS OF AFRICAN MUSIC

By Gabbie Liu | April 20th, 2021

A workshop on music was held via Zoom on April 17, 2021. The workshop was sponsored by MeiYu International Learning Group and led by Nigerian musician Digba (Timothy) Ogunbiyi, hosted by Gabbie Liu. Ogunbiyi is a pianist and composer from Lagos, Nigeria who currently lives in the United States. In September 2020, he released his first album, “Ade’digba.”

To start off the workshop, Mr. Ogunbiyi played us a song that he had recently composed. Afterward, he explained some of the fundamental elements of African music, specifically Nigerian music. He explained a few different terms such as functional harmony vs. static harmony (music that feels like it is going somewhere vs. music that feels like it is staying still). He also introduced the concept of modes, specifically D Dorian mode, and quarter voicings.

Mr. Ogunbiyi also explained clave patterns which is a type of rhythmic pattern that is used in African music. He introduced 3-2 clave and 2-3 clave and had the audience participate in trying to clap along to different types of rhythms.

After explaining some of the rhythms that are often used in African music, Mr. Ogunbiyi showed some of the various styles of African music such as the call-and-response style. He played some examples for the audience, like Fela Kuti's Water Get No Enemy. He also recommended other artists such as McCoy Tyner and Nduduzo Makhathini.

Lastly, Mr. Ogunbiyi answered a few questions from the audience like whether a person who does not have the natural talent for music could fall in love with and understand music and what kind of influence African music has on the American pop scene.