Blog: AudioCred

West Africa, and its tonalities, instruments, and rhythmic traditions, is responsible for a much larger share of American music than most know or would care to admit. African-Americans, who themselves were descended centuries ago from residents of countries such as Benin, Togo, and Mali, brought along with them the minor pentatonic scale (which, with the addition of the tritone, was transformed into what we now consider the blues scale), stringed instruments including the banjo, more syncopated rhythms than Europeans were used to, and a rich tradition of improvisation. These musical qualities stretched across the Americas, with Cuba showcasing the most [...]