Some people have a hard time listening to "black music," meaning Jazz, Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop but using the same logistics, you would have to put Rock, Pop, many church hymns, and much of choral literature in the same category. For the most part people do not understand the origins of the many types of music we hear around us every day. Unless your high school music teacher found this type of appreciation necessary, or you happened to take some music courses in college, chances are you're a part of the "most people." To understand and fully appreciate the music you enjoy today, you must first understand that while African-American slave songs were a prominent part of pre-Civil War culture, they have also had great influence on modern culture.

In order to further understand African-American music, you must first know a certain amount of information about African music and culture. Music was and is a very important part of African culture. Much of African music was used as a way to document history. Because they di

The slaves also brought several African instruments with them to America. Such instruments as the banjo, tambourine, and calabash were introduced to us by African-American slaves. By the 19th centaury the banjo had become an American standard and most people have completely forgotten its African heritage. When the means to craft African instruments were not available, and even when they were, the slaves often relied on their creativity for instrumentation. Soon household items such as washboards, pots, spoons, springs, and anything else that could be found to make an interesting noise were recruited for making more interesting music (Early 1-2).

African-American slave songs had much influence on modern culture. Starting in New Orleans with Ragtime, a new form of music combining the brass bands of white culture and the music structure of African-American music, American music was forever changed.

The rhythmic structure of African music, and likewise African-American music, was unlike any other music in America at the time. Prior to African influence, American music always worked within a strict set of "rules." Notes were played on or between beats, and sometimes straight triplets were played. African-American music worked outside of this set of rules, sometimes seeming to ignore measure lines all together. The notes themselves seemed to work in a time scheme all their own. These new ideas introduced syncopation and other such rhythmic patterns to American music (Collier 5).

The role of slave music on the plantations of the south were far-reaching. In the fields, one would always hear large groups in song. The meanings of the different songs were many and varied, but field songs often proved to help keep a rhythm and pace, much as sea shanties did for the oarsmen of boats. By keeping pace, slaves were less likely to get whipped by the overseers therefor these songs could help prevent bodily harm (Collier 18).

d not have a written language, history was told through stories and in traditional folk songs. Music was also used in celebration of anything you can possibly think of. There were traditional songs to celebrate weddings, births, and even the loss of a baby tooth. In response to his own findings, Ralph Ellison wrote "[I]t was the African's origin in cultures in which art was highly functional which gave him an edge in shaping the music and dance of this nation. (Collier 1)" African speech added to the use of music. Much like changing the tone of your voice can add a new meaning to a sentence, changing the pitch or quality of your voice changes the meaning of most African words. One word can mean three or four completely unrelated things depending on which syllable is stressed and at what pitch the syllables or word is spoken. Th

Some common words found in the essay are:
Stono Rebellion, Blues Hasse, Prior African, Ralph Ellison, Rock Pop, Drinking Gourd, Music African, Congo Square, African-Americans Rap, Orleans Ragtime, white culture, african-american music, african music, church services, american music, african-american culture, plantation owners, african-american slave, slave songs, african heritage, culture african music, influence modern culture, african-american slave songs,
Approximate Word count = 1867
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)