West African Drumming and Vocal Styles 

When we talk about West African drumming, we mean the musical tradition of Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia , Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin , Nigeria , and Cameroon. Inland West Africa includes Burkina Faso and parts of  Mali ,  Niger,  and  Chad.  Most of these countries are small, but within each there are also a number of different tribal groups. Each group has its own musical tradition. For example, in  Ghana, some of the tribal groups include the Akwapem, Ashanti,  Fanti, Ewe,  Ga, and Mole-Dagbani. 

Picture: Female Atumpan drum

Drum Assemble

Drums are said to be sacred in some West African society (culture) and ritual precautions are considered when assembling or arranging.

 Drums are orderly arranged and plays for recreation, ceremonies, weddings, funerals, parties, and religious meetings. Other instruments often join the drums to accompany singing and dancing.

Drumming, singing, and dancing are often performed in a circular formation.

Dancing partners are choosing at random and are sometimes influenced by way the dancer dances. A good male dancer always gets the beautiful partners to dance with.

 Drum instruments usually include drums in a variety of sizes and types as well as bells and rattles. West African drumming frequently begins with a time line played by one or more bells (single or double). The time line is a rhythm that may remain constant throughout the piece, or it may change to a different pattern. The time line anchors the entire ensemble and all drums and rattles play in relation to it. Drums and rattles play complementary overlapping patterns, forming a fabric of sound.

Picture: Male and female fontomfrom drum.

Fontomfrom Drumming

  Fontomfrom is one of the cultural drumming that the drum beats synchronies with dancer. This dancing is typical with Akans of Ghana. The dancing is known as warrior dancing; performs normally at the Kings palace, religious ceremonies like funerals and occasional festivities and social gathering.

The dancing encompasses the movement of the legs, head and hands with a defined meaning.  When a fontomfrom dancer makes a wrong movement he or she can get a serious punishment by the King or elders of the clan. The movement can mean an offense.

A good Fontonfrom dancer is highly respected and bad dancer will always find him or herself taken out from dance floor.  

Picture: 

Set of Aserewa drums 

Bamaya dancing:

This is a popular social dance from the Northern region of Ghana. It is gracefulness and controlled gaiety in expressive dance movement which portray the men as women

Kpatsa

 This is a puberty dance from Ga-Adagbe area in the greater Accra region of Ghana .

This dance normally is done with girls showing their beauty in dramatizations in initiation rites.