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Afro Celt Revision Sheet

This piece by the Afro Celt Sound System is a fusion of African, Celtic, and electronic music. It uses instrumentation from those genres like kora, talking drum, hurdy-gurdy, and synthesisers. The structure consists of three verses without choruses, along with introductions, breaks, and an outro. Melodies are syllabic and repetitive, using vocal samples and instruments. Texture changes as loops are layered in a homophonic or melody-dominated style. Rhythm is in a steady 4/4 metre, with syncopation and swung feel providing a relaxed quality.

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Rob Williams
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243 views2 pages

Afro Celt Revision Sheet

This piece by the Afro Celt Sound System is a fusion of African, Celtic, and electronic music. It uses instrumentation from those genres like kora, talking drum, hurdy-gurdy, and synthesisers. The structure consists of three verses without choruses, along with introductions, breaks, and an outro. Melodies are syllabic and repetitive, using vocal samples and instruments. Texture changes as loops are layered in a homophonic or melody-dominated style. Rhythm is in a steady 4/4 metre, with syncopation and swung feel providing a relaxed quality.

Uploaded by

Rob Williams
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Instrumentation Context/Background Structure

• African forces: kora, talking drum • Afro Celt Sound System formed in 1995 • verse form
• Celtic forces: hurdy-gurdy, uilleann • Music = fusion of African, Celtic and - intro, solos, breaks and an outro.
pipes, bodhrán, fiddle, whistle, accordion electronic dance music. They were signed • No choruses in this piece and the piece
• Western (dance) forces: male vox, to Peter Gabriel’s (former front man for contains three verses.
female vox, synthesisers (including string Genesis)
pad, soft pad, bells, string bass), breath • Performed at World Music festivals Intro, V1, Small link/break, V2, link/
samples, drum machine, electric piano, including WOMAD.
First album, Volume 1: Sound Magic (1996)
break, Solos (uilleann pipes, low whistle,
shaker and tambourine. •
• Looping technique used! • After the death of a core member of the hurdy-gurdy), V3, Build, Outro
• Playing techniques include: glissando, group (Jo Bruce, son of Cream bass player
ornamentation, double stopping, open Jack Bruce), the album Volume 2: Release
and closed hi-hat. was put on hold until Sinéad O’Connor
stepped in and wrote the lyrics to a track
that became ‘Release’.
Melody •
•
Volume 2: Release (1999)
In 2000 Afro Celt Sound System was
• Use of ‘nonsense lyrics’/vocalisation nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best
• Main verse is syllabic World Music category.
• Some spoken parts
• Short phrases
• Limited note range (6th) Texture
• Use of Vocal samples • Constantly changing as loops enter. Loops are
• Repetitive a key part of this piece
• Sense of improvisation from opening • Use of layering
female vocals • Main texture is homophonic / or melody
• Use of glissando (sliding) dominated homophony
• Use of ornamentation (acciaccatura) • Heterophonic texture (during outro)
• Use of double stopping (violin) • Some Polyphonic texture moments
• Use of reverb (echo) is very obvious for throughout as well.
the whole track.

Rhythm/Tempo/Metre
Harmony and Tonality • Free time at the start
• Diatonic • Steady tempo established at 50″ – 100 bpm
• Key of C minor • Simple quadruple metre - 4/4
• Modal - Aeolian mode (a little bit of • Slightly swung quavers (gives a lilting/relaxed
Dorian too) quality to the music)
• Chord sequences are repetitive • Syncopation and triplets/sextuplets
• Some ascending chromatic moments in • Accents
the ensemble towards the end of each • Rhythmic ostinato in Bodhran
verse • Use of loops
• Use of extended chords (7th, 9th) • Use of riffs Afro Celt Sound
• Use of drone (on C - the tonic) • Short rhythmic phrases
System: ‘Release’

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