General musical terms

Polyrhythm-Multiple rhythms being played

Polyphony (polyphonic)-Multiple melodies
Sound quality (percussive, lyrical, melodic)-Percussion-the
striking of one body against another; lyrical-having the form and
musical quality of a song; melody-musical sounds in agreeable
succession or arrangement
Hocket-One melody split among multiple voices
Ululation-Loud shout; found in North Africa

General instrument terms

Chordophones-Any class of instrument in which a stretched,
vibrating string produces the initial sound
Idiophones-Percussion that doesnt have a membrane
Aerophones-Any musical wind instrument
Membranophone-Any musical instrument, as a drum, in which
the sound is produced by striking, rubbing, or blowing against a
membrane stretched over a frame
Lamelophone-Strip of material that is stretched on one end and
free on the other (ie a thumb piano)
Zither-Plucked; chordophone without a neck
Lute-Chordophone with a neck
Harp-Chordophone that doesnt have a resonating body
Thumb Piano-Plucked idiophone (lamellophone)
Talking drum-Drums that have strings along the side; has pitch
as well as rhythm; used for taking
Musical bow-Single string; played with mouth

Specific Musical Instruments (Know kind and where its

found)
Akukuadwo-High pitched drum from West Africa (Guinea
Coast)
Alghaita-Aerophone; leather-covered oboe; Found in Niger,
Chad, Cameroon, and Nigeria
Ashiko-Drum played in sub-Saharan Africa
Balafon-Idiophone (percussion) from the Guinea Coast; led to
the xylophone
Bila-?
Bendere-West African drums
Bendir-Moroccan drums
Darabuka-Goblet shaped drum
Dere-?
Dndn-Drums; Guinea Coast/Sudan
Djun djun-Drum from a single log; Guinea Coast/Sudan
Earth drum-Piece of ground that resonates as one walks across
it; discovered by the Bayaka people of the Congo Area
Enanga-Chordophone zither; from East Africa
Ensasi-Shaker (idiophone); Uganda (Eastern Cattle Area)
Jembe-Drum from West Africa
Kora-West African harp (aerophone)
Mbira-Thumb piano (idiophone); Khoisan Area
Mizmar-Aerophone from North Africa
Mvet-Chordophone (harp zither) from the Congo Area
Ngoma-Drum from the Congo Area; used by the King to call
people; also means music

Oud-Chordophone from North Africa

Sansa-Thumb piano (aka mbira) from the Eastern Cattle Area;
idiophone
Skre-Idiophone from Guinea Coast/Sudan
Tar-North African drum
Tarija-North African drum
Umrhube-Aerophone (one stringed bow) from South Africa

People, Places, and Cultural Terms:

Afrobeat-Consisted of American funk music, highlife (guitarbased fusion), and Jazz (Extensive improvised jams on
saxophones, horn sections, call-and response vocals, and
challenging polyrythms)
Agbekor-Meant to prepare Ewe warriors for war; features
percussion ensemble and a chorus of singers
Bushmen-Oldest inhabitants of Southern Africa
Cairo-Ibrahim Muhammed was sent to study in Cairo and upon
his return he formed the Zanzibar Taarab Orchestra
Cheng He-Chinese explorer
Congo Area-Cameroon, Congo, Central African Republic*
(Sudan), Dem. Rep. of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon,
Sao Tome and Principe (Island - African/Portuguese)
Ewe-Good thing to be a musician
Highlife-Guitar-based fusion; base of Juju music; professional
form of music; dance music that originated in Ghana and
Eastern Nigeria. Derived from the popular kpanlogo rhythm
from Ghana; characterized by its jazzy sound and western
elements
Ibo-Nigerian language

Ibn Battuta-Moroccan explorer

Jali-(aka Griots), professional singers
!Kung-Non-professional musicians; one of three main Bushmen
tribes; thought to possibly be the most proficient musicians in
South Africa
Mbuti-Nomadic Pygmies; from the Ituri Forest and sing a very
complex form of polyphony
Morocco-North African Region
Nubia-Is now northern Sudan; was ruled by Egyptians
Pygmy-Congo Area; use ululations
Soukous-Used more westernized instruments; made Congo
music; popular in Zimbabwe
Taarab-Tunes sang in rhythmic poem
Timbuktu-The place where a flourishing university was
established
Tusi (Watusi)-Like slow and graceful movements; have songs
for herding cattle home in the evening; songs of praise of cows;
songs for drawing water for cattle, etc.
Wawa-?
Wolof-Main Guinea Cast tribe; drumming accompanied
wrestling
Zulu-Went to war with the British