Yiri by Koko

Yiri by Koko

1. Instrumentation

   • Balafon: similar to a xylophone, this instrument is made up of wooden bars which are tuned to different pitches.
   • Djembe - a drum shaped like a goblet, played with the hands
   • Talking drum - a drum that is played with a hooked stick and can be used to imitate speech by creating different pitches and slides
   • The members of Koko also sing

2. Structure

   • Introduction - The short introduction is a balafon solo played using tremelo
   • Main section - Throughout this section the drums play an ostinato and there is a strong clear pulse
   • Coda - short phrase for balafon is played five times in varied versions. Drum ostinato is interrupted by rests and a bell is sounded to mark the end

3. Melody, harmony and tonality.

   • Is played in Gb Major. Most of the music is hexatonic
   • The Balafons play short patterns which often fall from high to low
   • During the choruses the group sings together in unison.

4. Rythm, metre and tempo

   • The main metre is 4/4, although a few bars are different
   • The introduction is free tempo
   • Apart from the introduction the piece maintains a steady pulse
   • Syncopation is frequently used
   • The drums play a rythmic ostinato

5. Texture and dynamics

   • Most of Yiri has a layered texture
   • A monophonic texture in the introduction
   • Occasional heterophonic textures, when the balafons play different versions of the same tune
   • There is very little dynamic variation