The

Music of Liberia
Country on the West African Coast
Call and response song structure
Ululation and polyrhythm
Often uses native dialect, rather than the official language
which is English.
- Christian music introduced by American missionaries, now
Christian songs are sung in a fusion of American harmonies
and West African language.
- Banuwa is a traditional folk lullabye.
-

West African music is especially significant in terms of rhythm.

There are commonly drums found in West African music, such
as the Djembe and the talking drum.
A tempo is divided into pulses, the smallest units of rhythm.
The pulses are organised into groups of 3, 4, 6, 8, or 12, which
form beats. The beats are emphasised, not as a downbeat, but
as a way to mark the passage of time.
Instrumental and melodic parts are organised by cycles that
repeat every 8, 12, or 24 beats. Sometimes patterns are
overlayed, creating polyrhythms.
Function: accompaniment to religious rituals/ceremonies to
mark cycles of life, for work, and for politics: the atumpan is a
drum that is only played for the chief.