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Fontomfrom or Bomaa is the most complex of all musical types of the Akan of Ghana. It is a series of warrior dances that are performed in religious, ceremonial and social contexts at the courts of chiefs.
Ben teaching Fontomfrom at Residential in Kent 2016
The name Assadua evoving from the Asaa tree, relates to the gay and pleasant nature of the dance. The Asaa is a sweet fruit tree commonly found in forest region of Ghana. One therefore would be tempted to conclude that Asaadua is a dance for sheer enjoyment and pleasure.
An Akan dance popular in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions.
Ben Teaching Asuadua at Residential in Kent 2016
Adowa is a popular dance that is widespread among the Akan and is performed during funerals and public social events. The ensemble comprises a lead singer, a chorus and percussion instruments. The leader and the chorus are nearly always middle-aged women, who accompany themselves with hand-clapping and/or with a dawure (double bell) or an atoke (single bell).
The dancers use a symbolic language, the different movements of their hands telling their own story. This body language is accentuated by the use of a white linen cloth, which they hold in their hand. The short dance steps are very subtle, drawing attention to the upper part of the body.
This music is characterized by polyrhythmic accents: the dance is in compound triple time and the accompaniment of the drums is interwoven with syncopations and cross-rhythms. The bell plays a steady rhythm, to which the chorus sings the responses. The lyrics of the songs express social and moral values such as, chiefs who have passed away, the grieving family, sympathy for the deceased, and the Akan faith.
The adowa percussion ensemble comprises several drums (a pair of atumpan, an apentemma, a petia, a brenko and a donno hourglass drum) and bells (a dawuru double bell and an atoke single bell).
The two atumpan drums, tuned to an interval of a fourth or a fifth, are played with two hooked wooden sticks. The largest drum, with the lowest pitch, is associated with the female, while the drum with the highest pitch evokes the male. The atumpan is usually the master drum in the adowa ensemble. The drums are sometimes wrapped in a red cloth. The apentemma drum, which plays a rhythmic ostinato figure in the form of triplets, is struck with the hands.
Traditionally red and black are the appropriate colours worn at an Akan funeral and both men and women wear black sandals. The women also wrap a red or black cloth around their head.
Ben teaching Adowa in Kent June 2016
Woka was brought to Ghana by Liberian fisherman earlier last century. The Ga now play it. It has the same bell part as Woka. Performing it above on youtube is one of my teachers Francis Kofi Akotuah.
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Kpatsa is the principal traditional entertainment music and dance of the :Is a principal traditional entertainment music and dance of the Dangbe community of Ghana.The dance is said to be imitating the uneven movements of “mmoatia” (dwarfs)
Kpanlongo is the most recent of all Ga recreational musical types, an offshoot of Gome, Oge, Kolomashie, and Konkoma. Referred to as “the dance of the youth,” Kpanlongo started during the wake of Ghana’s Independence as a musical type for entertainment in Accra. Kpanlongo is presently performed at life-cycle events, festivals, and political rallies.
The Kpanlogo dance was invented by Otoo Lincoln. He was told an Ansee folk story by his Grandfather. Kpanlogo, Mma Mma and Algodzan were the names of three triplets girls. Their father was the cheif and said, how ever could guess their names could marry them. So a man went to their home pretending to be a mad man asking for water, he met the girls and learnt their names as they called to each other. To remember them he kept singing to himself ‘Kp. Mma. Al.’ And of course he married the girls. Otoo heard the story in 1956 when he was 15. He used to tell it dancing and singing to his brothers and sisters, a friend used to drum along as they liked the music and dance and we created our own version of highlife around 1962. The feeling of the music originated from music played by his father from Oge , Liberian music a sort of slow kpanlogo. I mixed this Oge with high life and rock and roll to produce the feeling in Kpanlogo.
In 1962 the Arts Council, banned its playing as one of the beats made the body move in an indecent way. They called Otoo in for a meeting. Otoo said that it ………………… By 1965 Kpanlogo had become so popular that 50+ groups performed it to the head of state Nkrumah.
Kpanlogo was seen as a dance from the youth, arising from the streets of Accra soon after Ghana’s independence, and symbolised the youth and independence of a young nation and so was taken on and played at funerals, state occasions and became an anthem for the ruling party at the time. Up to now its popularity remains hi. There are countless Kpanlogo performing groups, playing for pleasure and at all social and state occasions.
Otoo Lincoln
Kpanlogo drumming, was created by Otoo Lincoln, who composed well-known tunes like‘Kpanlogo Alogodzan’, ‘ABC Kpanlogo’ & ‘Ayinle Momobiye ‘.
| Kpanlogo Ga Tribe Ghana From 1962 | ||||
| PULSE | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| PULSE DIVISION | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 |
| INSTRUMENT | ||||
| COW BELL | X – – X | – – X – | – – X – | X – – – |
| POD BELL | – – – – | – – X – | – – X – | – – X – |
| CLAP | C – – – | – – – – | – – – – | C – – – |
| SHAKER | X – X X | X – X X | X – X X | X – X X |
| BASS | Gun – – – | Go – – – | Gun – Go – | Go – – – |
| SUPPORT DRUM 1 | Go do go do | gun – – – | go – go do | gun – – – |
| SUPPORT DRUM 2 | go do – – | go – – – | Go – – – | gun go do – |
| LEAD DRUM | ||||
| INTRO CALL X 1 | Cro – go do | – – cro – | go do – – | cro – go do |
| MAIN RHYTHM (many) | Gun – pe te | – – pe te | – – pe te | go – go do |
| CALL 1 X 2 or 4 | Go do go do | pe te pe te | Go do go do | pe te pe – |
| cro – – – | – – – – | – – – – | – – – – | |
| Back in with | go – go do | |||
| CALL 2 X 2 or 4 | Pa – – ta | – – go – | pa – C – | C – – – |
| Back in with | go – go do | |||
| CALL 3 x 2 or 4 | Gun – pa ta | pa – – – | gun – pa ta | pa – – – |
| gun – pa ta | pa – pa ta | pa – gun – | gun – – – | |
| Back in with | go – go do | |||
| CALL 4 x 2 or 4 | Pa ta – – | cro – – – | pa ta – – | cro – – – |
| go – pa ta | – – go – | pa ta – – | cro – – – | |
| Back in with | go – go do | |||
| CALL 5 x 2 or 4 | Pa – – ta | – – go – | pa – – pa | ta – go – |
| Pa – – ta | – – go – | pa – go – | ||
| Back in with | go – go do | |||
| 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 | |
| CALL 6 x 2 or 4 | Pa go do | go do go | do | pa go do |
| go – – | pa go do | go | ||
| Back in with | go – go do | |||
| CALL 7 FEEL | 1 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 2 |
| CALL 7 3 drummers | 1 2 3 1 | 2 3 1 2 | 3 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 1 |
| Drummer One | Go – – go | – – go – | – go – – | Pa – – pa |
| Drummer Two | – Go – – | go – – go | – – go – | – Pa – – |
| Drummer Three | – – Go – | – go – – | go – – go | – – Pa – |
| CALL 7 FEEL | 3 | 4 | 1 2 | 3 |
| CALL 7 3 drummers | 2 3 1 2 | 3 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 1 | 2 3 1 2 |
| Drummer One | – – pa – | – pa – – | Go – – go | – – go – |
| Drummer Two | pa – – pa | – – pa – | – Go – – | go – – go |
| Drummer Three | – pa – – | pa – – pa | – – Go – | – go – – |
| CALL 7 FEEL | 4 | 1 2 | 3 | 4 |
| CALL 7 3 drummers | 3 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 1 | 2 3 1 2 | 3 1 2 3 |
| Drummer One | – go – – | Pa – – pa | – – pa – | – pa – – |
| Drummer Two | – – go – | – Pa – – | pa – – pa | – – pa – |
| Drummer Three | go – – go | – – Pa – | – pa – – | pa – – pa |
| And as above with number 7 but playing two notes of the three so go do – or pa ta | ||||
| Back in with | Cro – go do | – – cro – | go do – – | cro – go do |
| Call 8 x 2 or 4 | Go do pa go | do pa go do | pa – – – | go – go do |
| Ending | Cro – – gun | – – – – | go – – go | do – go – |
| gun | ||||
| Kpanlogo January 2009 Francis Ghana Dance Ensemble | ||||
| 4/4 | 1 – – – | 2 – – – | 3 – – – | 4 – – – |
| Bell | X – – X | – – X – | – – X – | X – – – |
| Shaker | X – X X | X – X X | X – X X | X – X X |
| Support 1 | go do pe te | gu – pe te | Go – pe te | gu go do – |
| Support 2 | Go do go do | – go pe te | go – do – | gu – pe te |
| Call | Cr – go do | – – cr – | go do – – | go – pe go |
| Lead 1a | Gu – pe te | gu – pe te | gu – pe te | go – pe go |
| 1b | Gu – pe te | – – pe te | – – pe te | go – pe go |
| Call 1 | Go – pe go | – pa ta pa | ||
| Call 2 | Go – pe go | – pe go – | Pe – – – | go – pe go |
| Call 3 | Go – pe go | – pa go do | Pa – – – | go – pe go |
| – pe – go | – pa go do | Pa | go – pe go | |
Gome is one of the oldest musical types performed by the coastal Ga of Ghana, which was introduced by Accra fishermen from the Fernando Po Islands in the early eighteenth century. Originally, Gome was performed exclusively by fishermen after their expeditions to celebrate their catch. Other occupational groups, especially artisans, also eventually adopted this music and dance as a form of entertainment. Presently, Gome is performed by all categories of people– young and old, male and female, on all social occasions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWYV405rDjc
The renowned Master Drummer Mustapha Tettey Addy after leaving University in 1965 spent many years traveling and researching traditional music in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Fume Fume was one of the fruits of this research. It is based on the fetish dances of Ivory Coast.