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Learn about instruments and compositional techniques. Also, explore various musical styles and meet musicians featured on Knowitall.
Jazz | Gullah Music
Episode
7
Audio
Jazz music was born out of the blues. The key element was syncopation (syn-co-pa-tion) that stressed the off beats of the rhythm. In the same way that Gullah language is a mixture of African and...
Middle Passage | Gullah Music
Episode
2
Audio
European slave traders brought Africans to the New World on ships as early as the 1400s. These voyages across the Atlantic Ocean are called the Middle Passage. It was a terrible experience for the...
Blues | Gullah Music
Episode
5
Audio
After the Civil War and emancipation, freed men and women struggled to find work and make a new life for their families. The songs about these difficult times were called the blues, a musical style...