Music of the Dagomba from Ghana

Music of the Dagomba from Ghana introduces listeners to music from one of the largest ethnic tribes in the northern region of Ghana. Drums are featured most prominently in Dagomba music, followed by stringed instruments. One of these, the gondze, is made of a hollowed gourd and covered with reptile skin. The characteristic feature of Dagomba gondze music is the repetitive melodic and rhythmic time lines that are played by both fiddlers and rattlers. Other instruments such as flutes are used less frequently, often as background to drum and string ensembles. The album includes harvest songs, praise and entertainment music, and warrior music. Liner notes explain the instrumentation, rhythmic structure, and social context.

RELATED LESSON PLAN
"They’re Ghana Love It!: Experiences with Ghanaian Music for Middle School General Music Students"

Track Listing

101	Harvest Songs – Rhythm to Bring Priest Out of the House to Consult Him about the Harvest	Three Lunsi drummers in Accra	03:03
102	Harvest Songs – Rhythm While the Priest Pours Libations	Three Lunsi drummers in Accra	05:53
103	Gondze Praise Music	Youth Gonje Group, led by Alhasan Ibrahim in Tamale	10:30
201	Gingeli Entertainment Music (1)	Yakubu Fuseni	05:40
202	Gingeli Entertainment Music (2)	Yakubu Fuseni	04:06
203	Flute Festival Music	Harruna Bamaya Group, Harruna Alhasson	05:57
204	Warrior Music	Drummers in Nanton	07:53