Zulu Musical Style

• Music in Zulu culture, similar to many African tribes, is a group activity. Often, all of the members of a Zulu village will play a role in producing the music that accompanies ritualistic dance. Members of the group will gather around the main performers of the dance and sing in unison while other members play instruments.
  
  

Zulu Instruments

• The Zulu use many musical instruments that are common to African music. They employ several types of drums, including the djembe drum and the ngoma drum, into their performances, as well as ankle rattles, shakers, rain sticks and bells. The Zulu also use their bodies as instruments by clapping and slapping parts of their bodies rhythmically.
  
  

Occasions

• Music in Zulu culture is used for ceremonial and celebratory purposes. There are several Zulu dances that are done for special occasions. Each dance is accompanied by traditional Zulu music. For example, Indlamu, is a Zulu war dance in which male members of a group gather dressed in full battle attire and dance to drum music and music produced by their spears and shields. Ingoma is another Zulu dance, perfomed only by women in full tribal attire who dance and make music with ankle rattles and shakers.
  
  

Other Zulu Music Information

• Ladysmith Black Mambaso, an internationally known male choral group, often performs songs based on Zulu traditions. The Zulu language is a tonal language, which means that sounds at different pitches have different meanings. This quality is very apparent in Zulu songs. Zulu music is designed to match perfectly with dance and each dance and song has a very specific meaning. Zulu songs often tell some story from the history of the Zulu people.