A famous African proverb states, “The rhythm is in your blood.” While melody and harmony are the dominant elements of the Western classical tradition, the heart of African music lies in rhythm. According to ethnomusicologist A.M. Jones, “Rhythm is to the African what harmony is to the European, and it is in the complex interweaving of contrasting rhythmic patterns that he finds his greatest aesthetic satisfaction.”
The Ewe people, who live in the Volta Region, in south-eastern Ghana, southern Benin and southern Togo, are famous for their drumming. In the streets of rural villages, towns and cities, men, women and children gather to play, dance and listen in a communal celebration that involves artist and spectator equally. S.D. Cudjoe writes, “the audience identifies itself completely with the performers, especially as African performances are generally conducted in the open air and are freely accessible to all.”
Master Drums - Atsimewu and Sogo
Like the captain of a boat, a master drum leads the Ewe drumming ensemble. The dancers move with their ear to the master drum’s rhythm; the musicians start and stop according to its lead.
There are two main types of master drum, both played with either two hands or one hand and a stick. Standing at least four or five feet when upright, with a diameter of eleven inches, the Atsimewu, in the Ewe tradition, is the ‘big daddy’, in charge of all decisions and actions. The Atsimewu sits in a stand, called a vudetsi, at an angle, to allow easy access.
The other master drum is the Sogo, which the Ewe people identify as the ‘elder brother’. Big and round - two and a half feet in height and about ten inches in diameter - the Sogo sits on the floor.
Cross-Rhythms
As ethnomusicologist, percussionist, writer and African music expert, John Miller Chernoff writes, “in African music there are always at least two rhythms going on.” While European music is traditionally based on a central beat, common to all players, cross-rhythms - or conflicting rhythms and accents - characterise African music.
So, once the Atsimewu or Sogo kicks off, the ‘mother’, Kidi, the ‘baby brother’, Kagan, and the ‘twin brothers’, Kroboto and Totogi, join in with their own voices and rhythmic ideas. The Kidi is two feet tall and nine inches in diameter and often participates in ‘call and response’ with the master drum. The Kagan is also two feet in height, but higher in pitch, as it is very narrow – only three inches in diameter – and usually plays a regular rhythm, rather than conversing with the others. The Totogi and Kroboto are identical drums – both small and deep in sound.
Two percussion instruments, the Gankogui, comprised of two bells, one high and one low, and the Axatse, a calabash turned into a shaker and wrapped in a beaded net, usually make up the Ewe drumming ensemble. The Ewe people see the Gankogui as the ‘heartbeat’ of the family. It plays a steady, constant rhythm that ties the group together.
According to Babatunji, "Rhythm is the soul of life. The whole universe revolves in rhythm. Everything and every human action revolve in rhythm." The Ewe people use rhythm and music to reflect upon every aspect of their life, from religious celebrations to war to love to the activities that make up daily existence.
Sources
Chernoff, John Miller, African Rhythm and African Sensibility, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1979
Cudjoe, S.D., ‘The Techniques of Ewe Drumming and the Social Importance of Music in Africa’, Phylon (1940-1956), Vol. 14, No. 3, 1953
Jones, A.M. ‘African Rhythm’, Africa 24, 1954
Jasmine Crittenden - Jasmine Crittenden (B.A.)(Hons.)(First Class) is a writer and editor specialising in music, literature and travel.
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