Draft:Music of East Africa

East African Music has steadily evolved over the years, from the dull yet melancholic and interesting traditional style of music to a diverse rich tapestry of different genres most of which are direct tributaries of the traditional, cultural music style.

East African Music's inspiration and style is got from the different cultures, historic and social events, fantasies and myths, geographical landscapes and the creative art of East African people.

Currently, there are a number of music genres in East Africa. Some are intelligently weaved from the various East African Music styles while others are contemporary sub-genres derived from other global music genres. These genres are perfectly blended by a number of music specialists and the idea keeps expanding as years go by.

Modern Music Production has also played a big role in the evolvement of East African Music and development of music genres and sub-genres in the region.

Modern Music Producers work hand in hand with musicians, music experts and creative music enthusiasts to come up with a style of music. This style is then adapted by music artists and finds its way through the media and music industry until its popularly recognized and publicly accepted as an authentic mainstream music genre/style.

Elements, Style & Character Of East African Music

1. Melodies & Scales

• East African Music often features melodic variations influenced by their diverse traditional cultures.
• Coastal cultures have also directly influenced East African Music and style in infusing the melodies, scale and music with a unique sonic flavor and character.
• The melodies can be soothing, vibey, or melancholic, creating a calm sense of peace and connection.

2. Vocal Harmonies

• East African Music often contains various harmonious vocal elements. The practice of harmonious singing in East African societies and music in general dates back to the era of traditional music. It has since been weaved and incorporated into urban and mainstream East African music.

• Vocal harmonies are a significant part of East African music, providing a sense of depth, lifting, and vibe to the music.

3. Traditional Instruments

• East African Music encompasses a wide array of traditional music instruments;
  • Oud: A guitar-like stringed music instrument which provides warm resonant sound when played. This instrument is great when layered along with other musical instruments.
  • Qanun: A zither-like music instrument with delicate timbre. This music instrument is often used in choruses of many East African songs whether traditional music or in contemporary music genres.
  • Aduungu: A harp-like stringed traditional musical instrument. This instrument is widely used in Northern Uganda by the Acholi tribe and North-Western Uganda by the Alur. It is a great musical instrument which can be used as a solo instrument or accompanied by other musical instruments.

• East African music embraces a variety of musical instruments. With modern music production, With modern music production, East African music has adapted even more modern musical instruments such as the guitar, piano and many more. These music instruments altogether contribute to the distinctiveness of East African musical arrangements and style.

4. Rhythms & Percussions

• Drumming is a defining principle in East African musical performances.
• Drums, along with other percussive instruments have deep roots in East African music, dating back to the traditional music era where drums and other percussion instruments are played during social events.
• Drums have for a long time been a part of East African music.

5. Dance & Drama

• Music in East Africa is tied to dance an drama. This way it has been for a very long time.
• Music performances in traditional East Africa involved not only singing or drumming but also dancing. These dance movements synced with the rhythm of the drums and percussions being played. During such performances, even story-telling and other traditional activities were involved.

6. Modern Music Production

• Modern music production techniques, equipment and tools play a significant role in the evolvement and urbanization of East African music. East African music has over the years noticeably changed from the raw traditional feel to a more modern sound.
• East African music producers have also played a big part in seeing that such a milestone in the East African music scene has been achieved.
• Modern music production tools, equipment and techniques have also led to the birth of many urban genres in East Africa for example "Pulsy-Afro/Psyfro" which has embodied even more modern instruments such as the leads, synths, pads and many others.

Prominent Music Producers In East Africa

• Benon Mugumya
• Producer Washington
• Nessim
• Jack Rollen
• Tedd Jossiah
• Eric Musyoka
• Cedo Kadenyi
• Philip Makanda
• Lizer Classic
• Kimambo
• S2Kizzy

Music Of Uganda

The first form of popular music to arise out of traditional music was the Kadongo Kamu. This style of music rose to prominence in the early 1980s from the Buganda traditional Kiganda Music.

Kadongo Kamu was influenced by various musicians in Uganda at the time for example Philly Lutaaya who released two internationally successful albums(Born In Africa & Merry Christmas) both of which are popular to date.

Many other genres have arose in Uganda over the years for example Kidandali which is also called Afro Ragga. This genre is pursued by many young iconic musicians in Uganda for example Zizza Bafana. Many national and international hits have been made in this genre.

Modern Music Production however, has led to the rise of many more music genres and sub-genres in the country for example;

• Kidandali/Afro Ragga
• Reggae
• Dancehall
• Pulsy-Afro/Psyfro
• Afrobeat

Music Of Tanzania

Tanzania is one of the most musically established countries in East Africa. Tanzanian musicians mostly sing in Kiswahili. Kiswahili is the most widely used language in East Africa.

There are five mainly prominent music genres in Tanzania;

• Ngoma
• Dansi
• Kwaya
• Taarab
• Singeli

Music Of Kenya

The music of Kenya diversifies from folk music based on the different languages and cultures within the country. The most dominant music instrument used in Kenyan music is the guitar which is played and arranged with a lot of complexity.

Musical instruments usually interplay with each other and at times involve a repetitive rhythm. Kenyan musicians usually sing in Kiswahili.

Music Genres In Kenya

• Gospel Music
• Genge
• Kapuka
• Rap
• Afro Fusion