Sub-Saharan African music traditions

Sub-Saharan African music traditions are the diverse musical practices of peoples south of the Sahara, shaped by distinct regional histories, instruments, performance settings, and rhythmic and melodic systems.

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Timeline: The organization of musical events in time, including pulse, meter, and rhythm. Layered timelines coordinate interlocking parts in many ensemble traditions.
Mande music: The music of Mande-speaking communities in West Africa, including griot performance and kora playing. Its hereditary musicians link praise singing, history, and instrumental virtuosity.
Timeline pattern: A recurring rhythmic pattern that organizes the timing of an ensemble. A stable reference pattern lets other parts interlock and vary around it.
Griot: A West African hereditary musician, storyteller, and historian who serves communities through performance. Griots preserve histories and praise lineages through music and speech.
Bantu expansion: The long-term spread of Bantu-speaking peoples across much of central, eastern, and southern Africa. Population movement carried languages and cultural practices across wide regions.
Polyrhythm: The simultaneous use of contrasting rhythmic patterns or meters. Independent rhythmic layers can combine into a dense, coordinated texture.
Ewe music: The musical traditions of Ewe communities, especially in Ghana and Togo. Ewe ensemble drumming is known for interlocking rhythms and coordinated dance.
Interlocking rhythms: Rhythmic parts whose gaps and attacks fit together to form a composite pattern. Musicians can distribute one complex rhythmic design among several performers.
African storytelling: Narrative practices across Africa that use speech, song, performance, and audience participation. Sung stories place music within shared memory and public performance.
Indian Ocean trade: A network of maritime commerce linking eastern Africa with Arabia, South Asia, and other regions. Coastal contact helped shape musical exchange in eastern Africa.