The Influence of African Music on American Music

European music has a strong sense of rhythm, but not many melodies.

In the history of world music development, a large number of African blacks were forced to immigrate to the United States as slaves, which is undoubtedly an important event. Most of these blacks are from West Africa, but some are from other regions. They brought their own music and other cultural elements, and came into contact with a large number of different European music cultures. Their reaction formed a musical subculture, which had a far-reaching influence on all kinds of music in the west and other regions.

Black music in the New World is not only complex and lively, but also has an impact on white folk songs and plays an important role in the development of some American music forms. Black people dominated the development of ragtime music and jazz music, and also played an important role in some urban music, such as rock music and blues, and even had a lot of influence on classical music.

What are the characteristics of music brought to America by Africans? Let us immediately think of their emphasis on rhythm, the use of percussion instruments such as drums, syncopation and complex rhythm, which are all manifestations of African-American music culture. Strict control of rhythm can be said to be the symbol of drum music in West Africa. Secondly, the singing method of summoning response is extremely important in Africa, which is particularly obvious in the rotation of jazz lead. Besides African instruments, European instruments, such as guitars and harmonicas, were quickly integrated into their music, and the most important features of African music-improvisation and polyphony-can also be found in the music of many African-Americans.

The music collected in this album can make you feel the life of African tribes singing and dancing. The combination of drums and sounds is far away and full of sensibility and melody, swaying gently in the dynamic drums. Take you to feel a happy trip to Africa and walk into the wilderness of Africa.

African music has many functions.

For example: entertainment, sacrifice, festival celebration, hunting or information transmission, war and courtship.

African black music has a very direct and close connection with social life, and music has become an indispensable organic part of life with the activities of almost everyone. In Africa, music activities are mostly accompanied by daily life, and a lot of work is often accompanied by music, which plays an important role in many important ceremonies. In festivals or off-seasons, various musical activities are often social. They are usually carried out in the open air, or in squares, markets, or forests, courtyards or tombs. In this kind of public activity, people who spontaneously gather together are generally people from the same tribe or people who use the same language. Through collective music and dance performances and song and dance revelry, they strengthened their feelings and strengthened the ties between tribal members. At this time, both men and women, old and young, are spectators and actors. They can all take part in chorus, instrumental ensemble and dance. Even if there are professional musicians performing, there is no clear boundary between them and the audience. In a word, music is a social activity in Africa. It not only emphasizes artistry, but also emphasizes sociality, politics and religion. It can not only be used purely for entertainment, but also as a means of transmitting information, and it is also an important channel for tribal members to express their feelings and will. It can not only praise God, but also praise people, and it can also be used to drive away evil spirits and diseases.