[Listening extract audio not available in printed QP. Skeleton score in Insert.] Study the rhythm performed by a hand drum in a West African ensemble. (a) H...
Question 1 Report
[Listening extract audio not available in printed QP. Skeleton score in Insert.]
Study the rhythm performed by a hand drum in a West African ensemble.
(a) How many beats are in each bar of this rhythm? [1]
(b) What is one West African hand drum that could perform this pattern. [1]
[Total: 2 marks]
Answer Details
(a) There are four beats in each bar. [1]
Counting the note values in the SVG rhythm notation, each bar contains the equivalent of four crotchet beats, indicating a simple quadruple (4/4) time signature. The barlines divide the pattern into groups of four beats, and the mixture of crotchets and quavers (beamed pairs) within each bar adds rhythmic variety while maintaining the four-beat framework characteristic of much West African drumming.
(b) One West African hand drum that could perform this pattern is the djembe. [1]
The djembe is a goblet-shaped hand drum from West Africa, traditionally carved from a single piece of wood with a goatskin head. It is played with bare hands and can produce three main tones: bass (striking the centre), tone (striking near the edge with fingers together), and slap (striking the edge with fingers spread for a sharp, high sound). Other acceptable answers include the talking drum (an hourglass-shaped drum whose pitch can be altered by squeezing the tension cords) and the dundun (a cylindrical double-headed bass drum, though it is typically struck with a stick rather than by hand).
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