Koko - Yiri Essay

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KOKO YIRI ASSESSMENT – YEAR 9 KOKO CONCLUSION ESSAY LIAM GRANT 9C Rhythm Yiri by Koko has many good examples of rhythmic techniques such as syncopation and cross-rhythms. Ostinati is another one and is found from bar 14 and carries on until the piece ends. This ostinato played by the djembe is constant and throughout (with the exceptions of occasional drum fills and very small gaps). This ostinato gives the piece a ‘solid’ foundation. For example, without the ostinato being played, the other instruments playing around it would be out of time, as they don’t a solid, constant pulse to listen to. The ostinato isn’t a pulse but the stress on the first beat of each bar keeps the other instruments in time. This is probably the most important rhythmic technique of them all as it keeps everybody in time, but it also makes the piece more certified and strong rather than flimsy. This is because the strong rhythm gives the piece a strong foundation. Syncopation is also used in Yiri. From bar 153 to the end, the two balafons that are playing are both syncopated. This is because the emphasis in their rhythms is off the beat. Syncopation gives the piece a bit of contrast and makes it more interesting to listen to as you can hear rhythms on and off the beat too. Without syncopation, Yiri would be more dull and plain mainly because the rhythms would be on the beat. This technique is not actually important in making music but when it is used, it makes the piece more diverse and interesting. In the Coda at the end of the piece (bars 154 to 158), there is a cross-rhythm between the two balafons and the djembe. A cross-rhythm is when two rhythms have accents (or emphasis) on different notes. Due to the djembe being on the beat and the balafons being off, that means that their emphases are one different beats; therefore making it a cross-rhythm. Cross-rhythms give the piece,

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