African Music: The Rhythm of the World

A Pathfinder by AJ Johnson

African music has influenced music of different cultures and countries throughout the world. Some of its influences are hardly recognizable, but others are easy to hear and distinguish as uniquely African. The most distinguishing characteristic of music from Africa are the rhythms that keep the beat of the music. Today, African music still holds a prominent place on the world music scene. As a result, information about African music is readily available online.

This pathfinder will help curious onlookers, dedicated music fans and serious researchers locate information on the Internet about African music. It cannot cover all sites on the Web dedicated to African music, but it will provide a good overview of the topic and provide a starting place for research on the topic. The pathfinder can be found online at http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~vlibrary/edres/pathfinders/ajohnson2/index.html.

Where can I find sources that provide basic information about African music?

• The African Music Encyclopedia. "The African Music Encyclopedia," Home page online. Available from http://africanmusic.org/; Internet; Accessed 25 Sept 2001.
• Re-connection project. "music.org.za," Home page online. Available from http://www.music.org.za/; Internet; Accessed 28 Sept 2001.
• Cobb, Justin Et. Al. "A Historical Study of West African Music," Home page online. Available from http://asuwlink.uwyo.edu/~cobster/; Internet; Accessed 8 Oct 2001.

Where would I look to find some historical information on the influences and roots of modern African music?

• Hodges, Richard. "Drum Is the Ear of God: Africa's Inner World of Music: Music and Inner Life," Home page online. Available from http://www.bmrc.berkeley.edu/people/rhodges/html/Ear.html; Internet; Accessed 8 Oct 2001.
• Washburne, Christopher. "Clave: The African Roots of Salsa," Home page online. Available from http://www.jazzcorner.com/washburne/; Internet; Accessed 8 Oct 2001.

I would like to hear some African music.

There are many places to hear African music. Most music stores have some music from Africa and many radio stations will have a regular African show. Another option is online. There are some world music radio stations that will intersperse their playlists with African music, in addition to radio stations that are from Africa, and play mostly African music.

• Zvakapressa Zimbabwe. "ZBC Broadcast," Home page online. Available from http://www.zvakapressa.com/Jokes/ZvaLive/zvalive.html; Internet; Accessed 22 Sept 2001.
• Afropop Worldwide. "Afropop Worldwide," Home page online. Available from http://www.afropop.org/; Internet; Accessed 26 Sept 2001.
• Africassette Music. "Africassette Music," Home page online. Available from http://www.africassette.com/; Internet; Accessed 18 Oct 2001.

Who are the most popular African music stars right now, and how can I keep up with what is happening on the African music scene today?

• African Music Group. "African Music Discussion Group," Home page online. Available from http://www.africanmusicgroup.com/; Internet; Accessed 26 Sept 2001.
• African Music Home page. "African Music Home page," Home page online. Available from http://biochem.chem.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~endo/africa.html; Internet; Accessed 26 Sept 2001.
• Africa Online. "Africa Online - Entertainment," Home page online. Available from http://www.africaonline.com/site/africa/music.jsp; Internet; Accessed 8 Oct 2001.

I would like to learn more about traditional African instruments, and maybe even how to play one.

• Djembe -L FAQ. "Djembe -L FAQ," Home page online. Available from http://www.drums.org/djembefaq/; Internet; Accessed 26 Sept 2001.
• Mbira Home Page. "Mbira Home Page," Home page online. Available from http://www.tiac.net/users/smurungu/; Internet; Accessed 25 Sept 2001.
• Nas, Paul. "West-African Percussion rhythms from Guinea and surrounding countries," Home page online. Available from http://members.tripodnet.nl/Wappages/; Internet; Accessed 26 Sept 2001.

I need to do some in-depth research. Where can I find scholarly information on African music?

One can find a substantial amount of information about African Music research for free online. One of the best sites is the International Library of African Music.

• International Library of African Music. "International Library of African Music," Home page online. Available from http://archive.ilam.ru.ac.za/home.asp; Internet; Accessed 26 Sept 2001.

Where can I go for further information about African music?

Most of the previous sources have link pages on their Web site somewhere, but often they will contain many dead links, and some are not organized in a clear way. This page does an excellent job of organizing the information it contains. It is a good place to jump off and go into more research on the music of Africa.

• African Music Resources Online. "African Music Resources Online," Home page online. Available from http://ntama.uni-mainz.de/~ama/archive/ama_links.html; Internet; Accessed 8 Oct 2001.

And remember. If you need further assistance, ask a librarian.

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