Yiri by Koko

Instruments

• Madou Kone:Vocals, balaphone, flute

• Sydou Traore: vocals, balaphone

• Jacouba Kone: djembe

• Francois Naba: vocals, tam-tam, dundun, maracas

• Keresse Sanou: talking drum

• Tidiane Hema: vocals and maracas

Rhythm

• Cyclic patterns

• Use of accents on particular beats

• Polyrhythms (rhythms are layered on top of each other)

• Some rhythms don’t fit together properly, creating tension

• Syncopated effect, when the accents don’t fall on the strong beats

• ostinatos - All the drums repeat the same rhythms all the way

• Small gaps in the rhythms near then end, as performers signal to each other.

Texture

• Texture starts simple then builds up

• Starts monophonic with 1 balaphon• Another one joins, and they both play polyrhythms throught out

• They both improvise at the same time, around an original theme, this makes a HETROPHONIC texture

• Yiri is polyphonic – parts weave in and out of each other

Harmony/Melody

• Vocal line is based on a pentatonic melody using call and response

• Balafon melody is in Gb major

• Major tonality

Tempo

• Tempo stays the same through out

Dynamics

• Dynamics stay the same

Melody

Timbre

• Developed throughout the piece as instruments join• eg. One balaphon, then another balaphon, drums change the timbre

more, then voices in unison and call and response.

Back ground

• The group Koko are from Burkino Faso in West Africa

• Typical themes for music are: struggle to servive, protecting the environment, like and it’s creation, ceberating life.

• Typical instruments for the region are drumming, balafon and singing

African music