Ethiopian Musical Instruments
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Ethiopian Musical Instruments
Ethiopian music is a term that can mean any music of Ethiopian origin, however, often it is applied to a genre, a distinct modal system that is pentatonic, with characteristically long intervals between some notes. The music of the Ethiopian Highlands uses a fundamental modal system called '' qenet'', of which there are four main modes: , , , and . Three additional modes are variations on the above: tezeta minor, bati major, and bati minor. Abatte Barihun, liner notes of the album Ras Deshen, 200. Some songs take the name of their qenet, such as tizita, a song of reminiscence. When played on traditional instruments, these modes are generally not tempered (that is, the pitches may deviate slightly from the Western-tempered tuning system), but when played on Western instruments such as pianos and guitars, they are played using the Western-tempered tuning system. Music in the Ethiopian highlands is generally monophonic or heterophonic. In certain southern areas, some music is po ...
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Musical Mode
In music theory, the term mode or ''modus'' is used in a number of distinct senses, depending on context. Its most common use may be described as a type of musical scale coupled with a set of characteristic melodic and harmonic behaviors. It is applied to major and minor keys as well as the seven diatonic modes (including the former as Ionian and Aeolian) which are defined by their starting note or tonic. ( Olivier Messiaen's modes of limited transposition are strictly a scale type.) Related to the diatonic modes are the eight church modes or Gregorian modes, in which authentic and plagal forms of scales are distinguished by ambitus and tenor or reciting tone. Although both diatonic and Gregorian modes borrow terminology from ancient Greece, the Greek ''tonoi'' do not otherwise resemble their medieval/modern counterparts. Previously, in the Middle Ages the term modus was used to describe intervals, individual notes, and rhythms (see ). Modal rhythm was an essential ...
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Dorze People
The Dorze are one of the Gamo people, Gamo communities inhabiting the Gamo Zone, Gamo Highlands in southern Ethiopia. They speak the Dorze language, an Omotic languages, Omotic tongue. Population According to ''Ethnologue'', the Dorze numbered 29,000 individuals (1994 census), of whom 9,910 were monolingual. They primarily live in the southern parts of the country, though some have migrated to Addis Ababa and other regions. Many reside in villages near the cities of Chencha and Arba Minch. Language They speak the Dorze language, an Omotic languages, Omotic tongue. Culture Weaving is a primary profession for a number of Dorze. Traditional Dorze textiles are colourful. They are known for their traditional weaving of huts made out of local bamboo. The huts can last up to 80 years. Their polyphonic multi-part vocal music features a sophisticated use of hocket. Religion Dorze people originally adhered to traditional African religions. Most are members to the faith of th ...
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Polyphony
Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ( homophony). Within the context of the Western musical tradition, the term ''polyphony'' is usually used to refer to music of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Baroque forms such as fugue, which might be called polyphonic, are usually described instead as contrapuntal. Also, as opposed to the ''species'' terminology of counterpoint, polyphony was generally either "pitch-against-pitch" / "point-against-point" or "sustained-pitch" in one part with melismas of varying lengths in another. In all cases the conception was probably what Margaret Bent (1999) calls "dyadic counterpoint", with each part being written generally against one other part, with all parts modified if needed in the end. This point-against-point conception is ...
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Heterophony
In music, heterophony is a type of texture characterized by the simultaneous variation of a single melodic line. Such a texture can be regarded as a kind of complex monophony in which there is only one basic melody, but realized at the same time in multiple voices, each of which plays the melody differently, either in a different rhythm or tempo, or with various embellishments and elaborations. The term was initially introduced into systematic musicology to denote a subcategory of polyphonic music, though is now regarded as a textural category in its own right. Characteristics Heterophony is often a characteristic feature of non-Western traditional musics—for example Ottoman classical music, Arabic classical music, Japanese Gagaku, the gamelan music of Indonesia, kulintang ensembles of the Philippines and the traditional music of Thailand. In European traditions, there are also some examples of heterophony. One such example is dissonant heterophony of Dinaric Ganga or "Oj ...
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Monophony
In music, monophony is the simplest of texture (music), musical textures, consisting of a melody (or "tune"), typically sung by a single singer or played by a single instrument player (e.g., a flute player) without accompaniment, accompanying harmony or chord (music), chords. Many folk songs and traditional songs are monophonic. A melody is also considered to be monophonic if a group of singers (e.g., a choir) sings the same melody together at the unison (exactly the same pitch) or with the same melody notes duplicated at the octave (such as when men and women sing together). If an entire melody is played by two or more instruments or sung by a choir with a fixed interval, such as a perfect fifth, it is also said to be monophony (or "monophonic"). The musical texture of a song or musical piece is determined by assessing whether varying components are used, such as an accompaniment part or polyphonic melody lines (two or more independent lines). In the Early Middle Ages, the earli ...
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Musical Temperament
In musical tuning, a temperament is a tuning system that slightly compromises the pure intervals of just intonation to meet other requirements. Most modern Western musical instruments are tuned in the equal temperament system. Tempering is the process of altering the size of an interval by making it narrower or wider than pure. "Any plan that describes the adjustments to the sizes of some or all of the twelve fifth intervals in the circle of fifths so that they accommodate pure octaves and produce certain sizes of major thirds is called a ''temperament''." Temperament is especially important for keyboard instruments, which typically allow a player to play only the pitches assigned to the various keys, and lack any way to alter pitch of a note in performance. Historically, the use of just intonation, Pythagorean tuning and meantone temperament meant that such instruments could sound "in tune" in one key, or some keys, but would then have more dissonance in other keys. In the w ...
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Tizita
Tizita (var. Tezeta; ; ) is one of the Pentatonic scales or Qañat of the Amhara ethnic group. Etymology and origin The term ''tizita'' is distinctly Tigrinya, and Amharic, there's no Geez equivalent, as opposed to the term ''nafkot'' which belongs to both languages with the same meaning (regret, emotion linked to a remembrance). Tizita folk songs developed in the countryside by the Amhara peasantry and the village musicians called the Azmaris. Tizita music genre Tizita songs are a popular music genre in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It's named after the Tizita Qañat mode/scale used in such songs. Tizita is known for strongly moving listener's feelings not only among the Amhara, but a large number of Ethiopians, in general. Western sources often compare tizita to the blues. Other musical equivalent are the Portuguese '' Saudade'', ''Assouf'' for the Tuareg people, or ''Dor'' in Romania. In Slovakia, the closest word is ''clivota'' or ''cnenie'', '' Sehnsucht'' in German, ...
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Ras Deshen (album)
Ras Deshen may refer to *The highest mountain of Ethiopia, most often spelled Ras Dashen Ras Dashen (Amharic: ራስ ዳሸን ''rās dāshn'') is the highest mountain in Ethiopia. Located in the Simien Mountains National Park in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, it reaches an elevation of 4,550 metres (14,930 ft). T ... *The Ras Deshen Ensemble, an Israeli jazz duo named after the mountain {{Disambig ...
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Abatte Barihun
Abatte Barihun (; born 1967) is an Israeli jazz saxophonist and composer. His sound is reminiscent of John Coltrane's, who has highly influenced Barihun. Early life and career (1967–1999) Barihun was born in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia to a Jewish family. His house resided next to the music school of Addis Ababa University, as well as a nearby military base. Young Barihun fell for the march sound of the saxophones and other wind instruments emerging from the neighbouring military brass band. He got a saxophone and joined the music school, where he was exposed to the albums of Charlie Parker and others.Barry Davis''Ras Jazz'' ''The Jerusalem Post'', 1 August 2002 By the age of 16, Barihun joined the Ethiopian military band, with which he toured through Ethiopia and the Eastern Bloc. Mengistu Haile Mariam once sent him to play at Kim Il-sung's birthday in North Korea. This period in his life came to an abrupt end six years later, when the band's bus was ambushed by ...
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Ambassel Scale
The Ambassel scale () is a pentatonic scale widely used in the Gonder and Wollo regions of Ethiopia. The notes of the scale (from C) are C, Db, F, G and Ab. It can be viewed as a pentatonic subset of the Phrygian scale on intervals 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 or as a mode of the Hirajoshi scale. The scale is used in Ethiopian music for songs with historical themes. It can be heard used on the song "Ambassel" by Abate Berihun and Yitzhak Yedid on their ''Duo Ras Dashen'' album. See also *Music of Ethiopia Ethiopian music is a term that can mean any music of Ethiopian origin, however, often it is applied to a genre, a distinct modal system that is pentatonic, with characteristically long intervals between some notes. The music of the Ethiopian H ... References * Pentatonic scales Hemitonic scales Tritonic scales {{Music-theory-stub ...
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Tezeta
Tizita (var. Tezeta; ; ) is one of the Pentatonic scales or Qañat of the Amhara ethnic group. Etymology and origin The term ''tizita'' is distinctly Tigrinya, and Amharic, there's no Geez equivalent, as opposed to the term ''nafkot'' which belongs to both languages with the same meaning (regret, emotion linked to a remembrance). Tizita folk songs developed in the countryside by the Amhara peasantry and the village musicians called the Azmaris. Tizita music genre Tizita songs are a popular music genre in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It's named after the Tizita Qañat mode/scale used in such songs. Tizita is known for strongly moving listener's feelings not only among the Amhara, but a large number of Ethiopians, in general. Western sources often compare tizita to the blues. Other musical equivalent are the Portuguese ''Saudade'', ''Assouf'' for the Tuareg people, or ''Dor'' in Romania. In Slovakia, the closest word is ''clivota'' or ''cnenie'', ''Sehnsucht'' in German, and ...
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