Normally I'm a lad who loves music. It's my life and I hardly go a day without listening to some tunes.
In my country, music is probably the only thing that's taken seriously, and it's one of the best things we're known for.
The #julyinleo prompt for today asked us about traditional and modern music. It made me think a bit on what to write because I hardly listen to traditional music.
The traditional music in my country are dope of course, with odd instruments that give the most diverse and interesting of sounds, traditional music is one that can be recognized anywhere.
Although due to modern technology, the sound has been nearly replicated and played on the normal instruments we have hear. Despite that, when one hears the noise of the main animal skin talking drum and palm tree wooden flute, he can differentiate it from these electrical contraptions.
YouTube had no video of traditional musical beat so here's some highlife
I could vibe with the beat and the sounds yet I hardly understood the lyrics.
It's quite a shame that I can't speak my language, I've tried but it just doesn't stick.
Apparently, I'm part of the Gen Z (don't feel like it though 😂) and it's sadly normal to see several of us going around not knowing our language.
The traditional songs help in that at least. It's a kind of root to our homeland, an anchor. We know the beats, know the tempo and flow, now it's to know the lyrics.
The idea of traditional and modern is ever changing though.
In a country like Nigeria where musical talent is uncovered everyday, it's quite easy for the new to become the old and the old to become ancient.
When one may look at traditional music, he or she would think of songs that were sung 60 and below years ago, well in that time, those songs were the modern vibes.
For me, a song from 60 years ago would probably be something like this.
Yet that song, being over seven minutes long was the norm then.
Nowadays, we see short, fast paced songs from our artists, catchy, influencing and filled with fun but most times without any deep meaning 😂
Despite the difference between the modern and traditional songs for me, the style of afrobeats has almost not changed. Each song is still one that would urge your body to move, each would want you to dance and or sing.
That's the one thing our music despite the timeline shares, a song that reaches out and invites you to let it in, a song that takes over just like a fire urging you to get up and dance.
This is my entry into Day 5 of the #julyinleo monthly prompt posted by
If you're out of ideas and in need of some... This is a good place to start.
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All videos are gotten from YouTube, I lay no claim on their ownership and they are used only for enlightenment and entertainment purposes
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