The Most Famous Traditional African Songs

This book was written to help the absolute beginner, whether child or adult learn to play in a simple and easy way that requires no knowledge of reading music. If you are a beginner, playing by note can be difficult. It is easier to follow color-coded circles with note letters. Important! The key color of your musical instrument should match the chromatic scale in this book. We use here the Boomwhackers color system commonly used by American music teachers. The chroma-note colors are the following: C – red, D – orange, E – yellow, F – light green, G – blue-green (aquamarine), A – blue-violet (magenta), and B – dark pink (violet).

Popular in the US, the Chroma-Notes Colored Music System mixes the three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. Mixing them gives three colors in between (orange, green, and violet), and mixing the 6 colors gives the new color tones. In total, there are 12 colors, which include all 12 notes of the chromatic scale, and one color blends into the next.

In Africa, singing always involves dancing, so the emphasis is placed more strongly on rhythms than on melody or harmony. Due to their clear rhythmic patterns, African songs are an ideal material for any kind of musician.

Its main task is not to be reproduced, but to get everyone involved, since music, by definition, is the expression of emotional states with the help of sounds of a certain frequency and rhythm.

An indication of the country of origin of the song is an approximation because many traditional cultures cross current national borders. The language in which the song is sung is more important, and it can be used in various countries. Most songs have been simplified for beginners.

Since African music assumes improvisation and variation, we recommend using this sheet music only as a guide. The most important thing is to listen and repeat the recordings linked to the QR code.