The key features of non-western music.

The drum, played by hand or with sticks, is an important musical instrument in African culture. Their variety of musical instruments is as diverse as their culture. They make musical instruments from any material that can produce sound. These include finger bells, flutes, horns, musical bow, thumb piano, trumpets and xylophones. Singing and dancing also play an important role. A singing technique called “call and response” is evident in African vocal music. In “call and response” leads a person by singing a phrase which is then answered by a group of singers. Dancing requires the movement of different body parts in time to the rhythm. African music has complex rhythmic patterns, and its texture can be polyphonic or homophonic. “Ompeh” from central Ghana stands for African music because of the use of percussion instruments. This piece has different rhythmic patterns and uses “call and response”. This singing technique is evident in African vocal music, with a person leading by singing a phrase which is then answered by a group of singers. Ompeh has a homophonic texture and uses various native instruments, such as idiophones (e.g. Metal bubbles) and membranophones (e.g. A slit drum with bamboo). The solo melodies alternate with the chorus.