Subject: AfricanMusicMachine-11.hqx : make your own African percussion music!
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AfricanMusicMachine-11.hqx is an algorithmic stand-alone music application that allows you to program and play a colorful African drum and idiophone ensemble. Or, let it program/play itself according to random settings you select. Learn about African traditional music as you select and cross different rhythms and instruments.
YOU NEED: Apple's Quicktime 3.0 and Sound Manager 3.0 (+) System 7.+
DETAILS: AfricanMusicMachine-11.hqx was realized on a Mac 8500 PPC (system 8.5, QT 3.0) using Opcode System's MAX 3.0. program. Virus checked.Compressed with Stuffit Delux.
AVAILABILITY: AfricanMusicMachine-11 is free to individuals for their private enjoyment. Distribution by CD Rom and other means: OK, please notify by e-mail.
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QUICKSTART: Locate the AfricanMusicMachine .app in the program folder and double click on it. Hit the space bar to start and stop. The music plays on the Mac's internal speakers. Hook your computer's audio output into your HiFi system, if possible.
NO SOUND?: 1). turn on your computer's internal speaker 2). select a pattern underneath an instrument.
CLIPPING and/orIRREGULAR TEMPO? Turn off virtual memory and re- boot: MAX hates it!
You do need SoundManager 3.0 + if you want all 10 voices to sound. Otherwise you might notice some of the instruments "robbing" others.
DO NOT REMOVE the AfricanMusicMachine .app from it's folder (make an alias?). Close by selecting "QUIT" from the Apple control bar file menu.
How-To instructions:
The African Music Machine is simular to a digital drum machine:
Start and stop playing by hitting the space bar. (Note: If no patterns have been selected there will be no sounds).
The first row is a control bar.
*tempo Set tempo by by clicking on the L.H.box and type in
a number between 200 and 400. These numbers represent milisecond durations of the actual beat length. 250 is the default and will give a tempo of MM=120, which is a
rather good overall tempo.
*beat There are 12 "beats" or eighth notes in the African rhythmic phrase. The beat
box shows you which of the 12 beats is sounding. The beats are reset to 1 every
time you start.
*constant random play : If you want the Machine to play continuiously in a random
fashon, click this box. Neat way to generate a cassette recording for background
music.
The Idiophones: *******************************
There are 4 idiophones in a row, Clap, Cowbell, Casava (shaker) and Agogo (metal leaf). Click on the colored buttons to sound each . Below each
instrument is a pull-down menu of patterns that can be assigned to each.
You may assign them all to the same pattern or to different patterns as you wish (or turn them off).
off:
2 meter: steady quarter-notes.................... 6 in a 12/8
3 meter: steady dotted-quarter notes...... 4 in 12/8
3 pattern: same as 3 meter but with several 8th-note fills.
4 pattern: same as 2 meter but with several 8th-note fills.
standard pattern : a common asymetrical African pattern, 2, 2, 3, 2, 3. (= 12)
The Sansa, (kalimba, likembe, etc.) made from flattened nails or saw blades is played with the thumbs. It has its own pattern, click to turn on or off. This is not characteristically found in an African ensemble because of its lack of volume. It is used to accompany singing and is played by individuals, but I include it here because it has become so well known.
On the left:
Random: click to assign random patterns to idiophones (excluding Sansa).
Clear (stop) : click to turn off all patterns.
The Drums: **********************************
There are 4 drums, conga, hi drum, foot drum, lo drum. Click the colored buttons to sound each instrument.
Random
Pattern Assignment all function as with the idiophones.
Clear (stop)
xylophone (marimba): like the sansa, has its own patterns and is linked to the drum patterns.
Drum Pattern Configuration:
Now we've reached the most important part of making a percussion ensemble
sound "African , what A.M. Jones called "crossing the beat". While the idiophones
almost always syncronize to the beginning of same rhythmic phrase, drums, which
hold special virtuostic and ceremonial value, are played differently from shakers, horns and cowbells. Although they share the same or simular patterns with the idiophones, the drums almost always begin thier rhythmic phrases on a different beat,
start pattern on beat... the 5 patterns are listed one below the other with pull-
down menus so that you can assign each pattern to start on the same or different beats
from 1 to 6. Theoretically it could be 1 to 12 but the patterns usually fold over at the middle and no African pattern gets so complecated as to start on the 11th or 12th beat.
Simplicity and directness in every way- the complexity comes in the superposition of
phrases.
Randomize start beats: click on the button to select starting points at random.
Clear: sets all patterns to beat 1.
Please note that African ensembles never start all at once, the instruments come in one at a time in the manner of a fugue- this is one aspect I have not been able to
program here, but the reader can re-create this effect in real time.
Another characteristic of African rhythms has been programed into certain instruments, what the drum machines call "swing" or "shuffle". Some of the instruments have been offset 30- 70 ms. so that they "drag" a little bit. This is quite characteristic of African ensembles and it is amazing how consistant and accurate
this "drag" can be!
Program memory settings: Lower L.H. corner, menus with 9-button matrix
You can save your best ensemble settings to memory and recall them.
(note: a set of 9 programs is included for demos, they will boot up whenever you open the application and load pgm no. 8)
store 1 (pull-down) menu- stores current settings in selected button matrix
read: reads or recalls a previously written file
clear: erases selected button in matrix
write: saves a set of 9-program files to memory
randomize pgm change: randomly changes between your 9 stored programs.
Make a tape for your car or your mother-in-law!
Hope you enjoy this program. I have studyed, performed and taught classes on African Music for some 33 years now, it has been one of my continuing interests. I can't pretend that the music you will create here is really "African", but I have done my
best to make it sound that way. My concept of this genre was shaped by the old-time
researchers whom I read and enjoyed: Father A.M. Jones, Brother Basil, Hugh Tracy,
Williad Rhodes, Alan Merriam, Kurt Sachs, etc. and also by the many Ethnic Folkways recordings I browed from the Boston Public Library so long ago- God bless 'em all!
