Ga Kpanlogo and Ewe.Traditional West African dance and music techniques - Research Paper Example

? Introduction Ga Kpanlogo and Ewe are West African traditional dance and music techniques. Just like in any form of cultures, these two techniques have their pros and cons in terms of how they would influence the people. While one of the forms is progressive and able to adopt the future orientation, the other seems to be quite static. This piece of work will be able to make an analysis of both Ga Kpanlogo and ewe in their musical context and further find out their influence in the society. Comparison of Ga Kpanlogo and Ewe Drumming culture Ga Kpanlogo and Ewe are more or less Ghanaian cultures and they are West African in nature. Ga Kpanlogo has its origin in the capital city of Ghana, Accra, given this is the traditional home of the Ga people whose culture is manifested here (Lewis 2002, p.5). This type of dance can be termed as the urban youth dance and drumming. In addition, it is mainly a symbol of commitment among the rapidly growing youth in the capital of Ghana. This is due to the advocacy nature of the culture while trying to shape the political vision of the post-colonial Africa (Music 2001, p.10). Ewe music and drumming, on the other hand, are a combination of musical and drumming activities of the Ewe people of Ghana, Togo and Benin. This community throughout West Africa is known for drumming and their mode is in the form of a sophistication of cross rhythms and polyrhythm borrowing some of their similarities from jazz and Afro-Caribbean music. This form of drumming embraces diversity and therefore, the drums and music are played in so many different ways depending on where the group playing it originates. The Ewe drumming culture is composed of several drums, a bell and a rattle, and this will be different from Ga Kpanlogo, which is generally composed of drums. Each group of complete Ewe drumming is composed of a master drum together with other secondary drums and an iron bell (Lewis 2002, p.8). The Ewe people do not only have a complex drumming culture but also a complex way of their living. One of their beliefs is that if one person is good at drumming and dancing, then it is because they inherited it from an ancestor who was good at it. It is important to realize that for both the Ga Kpanlogo and the Ewe music systems, they exhibit 16 voices in their voice notations in terms of their female and male voices. It is notable that the music and drumming cultures of the two societies have some aspects in common. The two forms of drumming and music relate to the belief systems of their respective societies. For example, in the Ewe people music helps them reconnect with their ancestors as they feel the power of life. The aspect of ancestors is quite fundamental to the people of Ewe as they possess the ability to define an individual’s destiny, hence they must be pleased through music (Music 2001, p.13). Secondly, both the group music and drumming culture are aesthetic. For example, the Ewe considers powerful music as good music. This is as the force of drumming helps people remember their past victories as very important concepts. The drumming and music of the two communities are a significant symbol of their history as well. In the past for example, drumming helped the Ewe people achieve their freedom from their captors through the blessings from their ancestors (Burns 2006, p.24-6). According to this culture, music is a destiny manifested as a gift from the ancestors. For the two communities, music is used for and during special functions such as during war, at funerals and for rituals for the ancestors in the society. After such functions are over, other genres are put in place for continuity (Rentink 2002, p.31-8). Ga Kpanlogo, as played by the Ga ethnic group most of whom live in Accra, existed in the recreational dance and music. It has since spread as bushfire throughout the country, which began just as a mere creative dance (Agawu 1987, p.9). As opposed to the Ewe dance and music, which were influenced by Afro-Caribbean music and jazz, this form of music and dance, got its influence from the American rock and roll creating a clear distinction of the Ga younger generation and the old people. This form of music and dance is primarily inclined towards the youth in the urban areas as they advocate their space through music and dance as a symbol of commitment to their aspirations (Hargreaves & North 1999, p.21-4). While Ewe dance music is highly sacred adhering to the social ancestral norms, the Ga Kpanlogo, on the other hand, involves it in the performance of the dance low to the ground and with sexually suggestive features. This has raised a lot of complaint in the past because of the impact that the naughtiness of the dance has on the social setting (Rentink 2002, p.11). The other difference in the two setups refers to the part of instrumentation. Ewe music dance instrumentation is composed of merely three instruments, which are master drum, other side drums and bell without necessarily incorporating the vocals. Ga Kpanlogo, on the other hand, includes instrumentation, which, among other things, includes vocal music, drums and idiophones. In other cases, the horn is also used without inclusion of any traditional stringed or wind instruments. The rhythmic and tonal variations in both are diverse, incorporating 16 tones of high, low and even flat tones producing perfect music as depicted by the examples of the songs provided (Hargreaves & North 1999, p.12&13). Ewe music drumming is a scholarly form of art traditional in form but has a void that enhances translation into the modern form (Burns 2006, p.4-7). These are quite wonderful sounding recordings through a disc that is able to wait over time. This is as opposed to the Ga Kpanlogo music dance as it does not contain such provisions to help in the translation quite positively. The Ewe music is able to transform the society through the passage of information into many languages while even adding a lot of ethnographic information and even other links for developing the community. Ga Kpanlogo covers the traditional society in 16 beat cycles with 4 pulses each of 4 beats to pass valuable information to the traditional society. The nature of the songs by the Ga people reiterates some vital aspects of a society, such as seduction and even marriage. The societal framework is in the position of gaining with respect to cultural parameters that forms the villages. Therefore, the two dances are more than necessary for the sake of socio-economic growth (Browning 2002, p.37-8). Conclusion Ga Kpanlogo and ewe are vital cultures in the Ghanaian context and hence they can never be ignored at all cost. This is among other reasons, its ability to impact in today’s music culture and forms in Ghana as well, as how it has shaped the peoples way of life in the West African country. References Agawu, VK 1987, ‘The rhythmic structure of the West African music’, The Journal of Musicology, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 400–418. Browning, B 2002, ‘Global dance and globalization: emerging perspectives’, Dance Research Journal, vol. 34, no., 2, pp.12–13. Burns, J 2006, ‘Ewe drumming from Ghana: the sweet which is sweet draws the chair in closer’, Yearbook for Traditional Music, vol. 38, no. 1, p. 151. Hargreaves, D & North, A 1999, ‘The functions of music in everyday life: redefining the social in music psychology’, Psychology of Music, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 71–83. Lewis, T 2002, Ga Kpanlogo, Macquarie University, Accra. Music, P 2001, ‘The rest is history – Mathias Spahlinger and Hans Heinrich Eggebrecht on utopia in new music’, Contemporary Music Review, vol. 27, no. 6, pp. 665–672. Rentink, S 2002, ‘Conflict, identity crisis and enjoyment in a Ga drum dance’, Kpanlogo, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 4–95. Read More