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.
Musical taste vary among the people of the country. It is for this reason that all genres of music are generally available for purchase at stores or through a website. Sahelian features a combination of string instruments and melodies and is popular in all areas. Whether it is the kologo lute, gongey fiddle, the many wind instruments or the vocals accompanying same, it is a style that is as appropriate for dance as meditation.
Praise singing is and has always been a vibrant part of this tradition. Chanting and storytelling are also aspects though not as common or ongoing as praise singing. The drums with bells and stringed instruments together have been reported often take journeyers and seekers deeper into meditation.
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.
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.
The Coast sound and material can also be associated with many different religions. Most religions tend to use the percussion based styles over the harps and strings with few exception. A harp-lute whose origins are in the well known stringed harps. The most common drums with relation to religious ceremonies are the kete and adowa which host a set of bells as part of the base drum.
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 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.
Musical taste vary among the people of the country. It is for this reason that all genres of music are generally available for purchase at stores or through a website. Sahelian features a combination of string instruments and melodies and is popular in all areas. Whether it is the kologo lute, gongey fiddle, the many wind instruments or the vocals accompanying same, it is a style that is as appropriate for dance as meditation.
Praise singing is and has always been a vibrant part of this tradition. Chanting and storytelling are also aspects though not as common or ongoing as praise singing. The drums with bells and stringed instruments together have been reported often take journeyers and seekers deeper into meditation.
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.
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.
The Coast sound and material can also be associated with many different religions. Most religions tend to use the percussion based styles over the harps and strings with few exception. A harp-lute whose origins are in the well known stringed harps. The most common drums with relation to religious ceremonies are the kete and adowa which host a set of bells as part of the base drum.
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 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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