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African Guitar Music Books

The first guitar arrived in Africa centuries ago on the boats of Portuguese sailors. By the 20th century, guitars infiltrated the musical tradition, infused with Latin rhythms and African beats. For Afro-music enthusiasts, guitar lovers or the culturally curious, African guitar music books offer a wealth of information about the musical style, artists and sheet music.
  1. Learn About It

    • Journalist and musician Banning Eyre has spent decades researching guitar music in Africa. He runs a website called Afropop Worldwide. His book "Guitar Atlas-Africa" includes looks at several stylings from Malian blues to Congolese rumba to Zulu traditional and Mbira guitar. A CD supplements the picture and word descriptions.

    Play It

    • "African Guitar Styles," by Folo Graff, offers a guide to playing several African guitar styles. Written by a Sierra Leonean composer, the book captures an insider's knowledge of theory, rifts and cultural history. The book also lays out practical lessons, technique and arrangements. For someone looking to play African guitar, Graff's book gives him or her a place to start and progress.

    Intellectualize It

    • Gerhard Kubik, professor of Anthropology at University of Vienna, published "Theory of African Music, Volume 2" in 2010. The book outlines years of on-site research into the theory of African music and includes meaty information about meter, beat and oral literature. This outline of theory informs the reader about the African guitar through critical observation and years of experience.

Nonfiction

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