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Africa is, of course, a big continent.
Each of these traditions deserves its own page, but until an editor with expertise in these traditions arrives to give them the coverage they deserve, they will be briefly discussed here with external sources given for further reading.


An essential musical culture (or family of musical cultures) of Africa is the [[Arabic,_Turkish,_Persian|arabic]] one, for which there is a separate page. A brief overview of non-arabic African musical cultures:
== Equipentatonic tunings ==
Many cultures use an [[equipentatonic]] tuning:


The Wagogo people of central Tanzania use a pentatonic scale 1/1 - 9/8 - 5/4 - 3/2 - 7/4 ([[Overtone scale|harmonics 5 through 10]]) in all their songs and all their instruments. Instruments: [[kalimba]], harp, fiddle, [[marimba]], hand drum. Vocals tend to have parallel harmonies, singing at a distance of a "penta-third"{{clarify}}. Hukwe Zawose is a well-known Wagogo musician.
*The [[Lobi music|Lobi]], [[Dagarti music|Dagarti]] and [[Senufo music|Senufo]] people of Burkina Faso, northern Ghana and southern Mali. Instruments: gyil (a type of marimba), hand drums and ideophones (bells and scrapers). Vocals tend to be in unison or octaves. Well-known musicians/groups are Neba Solo, Kakraba Lobi, and Farafina.


Many cultures use a [[5-edo]] (equipentatonic to ethnomusicologists) or near-5-edo tuning:
*[[Ugandan|Uganda]] also has equipentatonic music. Their marimba is called the amadinda. They also play harps.


The Lobi, Dagarti and Senufo people of Burkina Faso, northern Ghana and southern Mali. Instruments: gyil (a type of marimba), hand drums and ideophones (bells and scrapers). Vocals tend to be in unison or octaves. Well-known musicians/groups are Neba Solo, Kakraba Lobi, and Farafina.
== Equiheptatonic tunings ==
Many cultures use an [[equiheptatonic]] tuning:


Uganda also has equipentatonic music. Their marimba is called the amadinda. They also play harps.
*The [[Mande music|Mande]] peoples of West Africa (Guinea, Senegal, Gambia, Mali and neighboring countries) play [[balafon]], [[kora]], djembe, dundun and other instruments. Vocals traditionally tend to be in unison or octaves. The balafon is traditionally tuned near [[7edo]]. The kora is <em>not</em> tuned near 7edo, even though the balafon and the kora share the same repertoire and even play together sometimes. The kora is traditionally tuned to one of several [[kora tunings]], which are mostly in [[5-limit]] [[JI]]. In modern times, the balafon and kora are often tuned to [[12edo]], to be in tune with western instruments. Well-known pop musicians are Baba Maal, Salif Keita, and Oumou Sangare. Well-known kora players are Jali Musa Jawara and Toumani Diabate.


Some cultures use a [[7-edo]] (equiheptatonic) or near-7-edo tuning:
*The [[Shona music|Shona]] people of Zimbabwe and neighboring countries play the re-tuneable [[mbira]]. Vocals tend to harmonize only in 4ths, 5ths and octaves. The mbira seems to have been traditionally tuned near 7edo. In modern times, it's often tuned to 12edo. Paul Berliner's book "The Soul of the Mbira" is a good resource for tuning information. Well-known Shona musicians that use the mbira include Thomas Mapfumo and Stella Chiweshe.


The Mande peoples of West Africa (Guinea, Senegal, Gambia and Mali, also neighboring countries) play balafon, kora, djembe, dundun and other instruments. Vocals traditionally tend to be in unison or octaves. The balafon is traditionally tuned to 7-edo. The kora is <em>not</em> tuned to 7-edo, even though the balafon and the kora share the same repertoire and even play together sometimes. The kora is traditionally tuned to one of several [[kora tunings]], which are mostly in [[5-limit]] [[JI]]. In modern times, the balafon and kora are often tuned to [[12-edo]], to be in tune with western instruments. Well-known pop musicians are Baba Maal, Salif Keita, and Oumou Sangare. Well-known kora players are Jali Musa Jawara and Toumani Diabate.
* The [[Chopi music|Chopi]] people of Mozambique play large marimba ensembles spanning 4 octaves. Their marimba, called the timbila, is tuned roughly equiheptatonic. The timbila tuning of the Mavila village creates an approximate [[TAMNAMS|soft-of-basic]] [[2L5s]] scale. The [[Mavila]] temperament gets its name from this village.


The Shona people of Zimbabwe and neighboring countries play the re-tuneable [[mbira]]. Vocals tend to harmonize only in 4ths, 5ths and octaves. The mbira seems to have been traditionally tuned to near-7-edo. In modern times, it's often tuned to 12-edo. Paul Berliner's book "The Soul of the Mbira" is a good resource for tuning information. Well-known Shona musicians that use the mbira include Thomas Mapfumo and Stella Chiweshe.
== Other tunings ==
* The [[Wagogo music|Wagogo]] people of central Tanzania use a [[pentatonic]] scale 1/1 - 9/8 - 5/4 - 3/2 - 7/4 ([[Overtone scale|harmonics 5 through 10]], similar to [[5afdo]]) in all their songs and all their instruments. Instruments include: [[kalimba]], harp, fiddle, [[marimba]], hand drum. Vocals tend to have parallel harmonies, singing at a distance of a [[penta-third]]. Hukwe Zawose is a well-known Wagogo musician.


The Chopi people of Mozambique play large marimba ensembles spanning 4 octaves. Their marimba, called the timbila, is tuned roughly equiheptatonic. The timbila tuning of the Mavila village creates a 2L5s scale, suggesting that [[135/128]] is tempered out. The [[Mavila]] temperament gets its name from this village.
* In eastern Uganda, the [[Gwere music|Gwere]] use for their six-string [[harp]] (called tongoli) a [[tetrad|tetratonic]] scale in which all the intervals are [[Quasi-equal|nearly equal]], which to Western ears sounds like a chain of [[6/5|minor thirds]]. Though not the same thing, this is quite close to both [[4edo]] and [[kleismic]][4].


Madagascar was colonized by Indonesians long ago, and the music is a mixture of African and [[Indonesian]]. Tarika Sammy is a well-known group.
* Some [[Xhosa music|Thembu Xhosa]] women of South Africa have a low, rhythmic style of [[timbre|timbrally]] complex throat-singing, incorporating [[overtone singing]] within its technique, that is called ''umngqokolo''. It is often accompanied by call-and-response vocals and complicated polyrhythms.
 
* In South Africa, the [[San music|San]] use a tetratonic scale which could be approximated by [[1L 3s]] (a [[MOS scale]]).<ref>Wikipedia contributors. (2022, November 21). Tetratonic scale. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:40, August 13, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tetratonic_scale&oldid=1123114247</ref>
 
* [[Malagasy music|Madagascar]] was colonized by Indonesians long ago, and the music is a mixture of African and [[Indonesian]]. Tarika Sammy is a well-known group.
 
* An essential family of musical cultures of Africa is the [[Arabic,_Turkish,_Persian|Arabic]] one, for which there is a separate page.


== External links ==
== External links ==
[http://infohost.nmt.edu/%7Ejstarret/pygmies.html Baka Pygmies vocal polyphony]
* [http://infohost.nmt.edu/%7Ejstarret/pygmies.html Baka Pygmies vocal polyphony]
 
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/497105067092502/posts/930794453723559/?comment_id=930798123723192 Facebook thread in the MMTT group about wagogo music, includes pre-Hukwe-Zawose recordings]
 
== See also ==
* [[Rick Tagawa]]


[https://www.facebook.com/groups/497105067092502/posts/930794453723559/?comment_id=930798123723192 facebook thread in the MMTT group about wagogo music, includes pre-Hukwe-Zawose recordings]
== Notes ==


[[Category:African music| ]] <!-- main article -->
[[Category:African music| ]] <!-- main article -->
[[Category:Traditions]]
{{todo|Cultural expertise}}
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