Music of Africa
African music is highly rhythmic, communal, and passed through oral tradition.
The music of Africa is vast and highly diverse, with different regions and nations maintaining distinct musical traditions. It encompasses genres such as highlife, mbube, township music, jùjú, fuji, jaiva, afrobeat, afrofusion, mbalax, Congolese rumba, soukous, ndombolo, makossa, kizomba, and taarab, among others. African music uses a wide variety of instruments and is characterized by complex rhythmic patterns, call-and-response style, and improvisation. It is an integral part of communal life, serving social commentary, religious ceremonies, and public participation.
- Region
- Africa
- Key Characteristics
- Polyrhythm, call-and-response, improvisation, oral tradition
- Instrument Families
- Membranophones, chordophones, aerophones, idiophones
- Scale Systems
- Tetratonic, pentatonic, hexatonic, heptatonic (often with non-Western tuning and intervals)
- Major Genres
- Afrobeat, highlife, jùjú, fuji, makossa, kizomba, soukous, taarab
Lore & Background
African music traditions are passed down through oral tradition, with subtle differences in pitch and intonation that do not easily translate to Western notation. While African music may use tetratonic, pentatonic, hexatonic, and heptatonic scales, these often feature unique intervals and tunings distinct from Western counterparts, and are not exclusively Western in origin. Harmonization is accomplished by singing in parallel thirds, fourths, or fifths. A common rhythmic feature is the three-against-two polyrhythm, comparable to a triplet played against straight notes. Sub-Saharan traditions frequently rely on percussion instruments including xylophones, djembes, drums, and the mbira or 'thumb piano.'
Reader's Guide
The music of Africa is significant for its profound influence on the music of the African diaspora, shaping American genres such as Dixieland jazz, blues, and jazz, as well as Caribbean styles like calypso and soca, and Latin American genres including cumbia, salsa, son cubano, rumba, conga, bomba, samba, and zouk. These genres developed from the music of enslaved Africans and have in turn influenced contemporary African popular music. African music is also notable for its social function: it is created for public enjoyment and participation, and serves as an avenue for social commentary and moralism through work songs, love songs, lullabies, boasting songs, praise songs, narrative songs, and satirical songs. Music is also important to religion, where rituals and religious ceremonies use music to pass down stories across generations.
Did You Know?
- African music includes genres such as highlife, mbube, township music, jùjú, fuji, jaiva, afrobeat, afrofusion, mbalax, Congolese rumba, soukous, ndombolo, makossa, kizomba, and taarab.
- Sub-Saharan African musical instruments are grouped into four organological categories: membranophones, chordophones, aerophones, and idiophones.
- The music of the Ethiopian highlands is based on a modal system called qenet, which includes four main modes: tezeta, bati, ambassel, and anchihoy.
- Somali music is typically pentatonic, using five pitches per octave in contrast to a heptatonic scale such as the major scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Music of Africa?
It is the collective term for the vast array of musical traditions found across the African continent, spanning dozens of nations and regions. Rather than describing a single style, it is an umbrella covering everything from West African highlife to East African taarab and Central African soukous.
What are the defining characteristics of African music?
The most recognizable traits include layered polyrhythmic patterns, call-and-response singing between a leader and a group, and a strong emphasis on spontaneous improvisation. These traditions are primarily passed down orally from generation to generation rather than through written notation.
What major genres fall under the African music umbrella?
The genre landscape is enormous, with notable examples including afrobeat, highlife, jùjú, fuji, makossa, kizomba, soukous, and taarab. Each tends to be rooted in a specific country or cultural region while sharing broader rhythmic and structural DNA with its neighbors.
What kinds of instruments are used in African music?
African musicians draw from all four major instrument families—membranophones, chordophones, aerophones, and idiophones. Tuning and scale systems often fall outside Western norms, employing tetratonic, pentatonic, hexatonic, or heptatonic structures with unique intervallic spacing.
Why is Music of Africa culturally significant?
Music functions as a core thread of communal life, woven into religious ceremonies, social commentary, and collective participation rather than existing purely as entertainment. Its role in binding communities together and preserving oral history makes it far more than a background art form.
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