The guitar has an ancient tradition in Africa. Vieux Farka Touré, Bombino, Gasper Nali, and Sonah Jobarteh showcase the African approach to the string instrument at the BRIDGE Guitar Festival and BRIDGE Around Town. Conservatory teacher Bas Gaakeer is captivated by (North) West African and Arabic guitar music. In this edition of GUNS ABOUT GUITARS, he explains how the instrument is played in those regions.

Bas Gaakeer immediately clarifies one thing. There isn't really such a thing as "the" African guitar music. "It's such a gigantic continent with an enormously rich music and guitar tradition that you can't say there's one African style. This misunderstanding often exists about Africa, seeing it as one place. But it can't get more diverse than Africa. From world cities to jungles, deserts, forests, and mountains. You can also hear this variety in the music cultures."

Another clear insight from Bas about this music tradition is worth sharing. As a teacher at the Amsterdam Conservatory, Bas occasionally receives students who want to learn more about the style of African guitar music he has immersed himself in. "Then I immediately say that you actually have to go there if you want to learn to play like that. It doesn't work to teach it from here. In North Africa, this music is not taught at a music school or conservatory either. I have completely immersed myself in it, and I play this music with a lot of respect, love, and care. But I would never say that I can teach it to someone. It's really a tradition that is passed down within families and communities."

It is mainly the sounds of guitar music as created by the Tuareg people in the desert that Bas has become addicted to. That started during his own studies at the conservatory where he studied classical guitar. Through music education projects, he came into contact with music in the Middle East. "That's why I ended up in the Arab world first, where I often worked and played. I fell in love with the music culture there. Later, in Morocco, which is a kind of meeting place between Africa and the Arab world, I came into contact with Sahara rock."

This style has also gained popularity in Europe. According to Bas, this is mainly due to greats like Ali Farka Touré (whose son Vieux plays at BRIDGE) and more recently Bombino (you can see him on Sunday, June 2, at Wilhelminaplein). It is primarily the rhythm and groove that, according to Bas, are so characteristic of their style. "It's music that can put you in a kind of trance, often induced in Africa by extremely strong tea. This requires a kind of repetitive rhythm that drags you into a hypnosis. It is music that is often created from a kind of drone approach."

Then there are the characteristic melody forms. Often they are short melodies that are played repeatedly in various variations, as Bas explains. As the song progresses, these melodies are often played faster and faster. Often these melodies are supported by a continuously played fundamental tone. "Thanks to the Ali Farka Touré tuning, where the lowest E string is tuned up to a G, you can more easily maintain that fundamental tone." It seems like a small adjustment, but the result is very effective. Bas takes his guitar and within two bars demonstrates how characteristic that tuning sounds. "What also appeals to me is the use of pentatonic scales. That is an easy-to-learn scale of five notes. Speaking a bit from a nerd perspective: I find that pentatonic approach very interesting. With these basic tones, you can create very effective melodies."

Although the pentatonic scale is relatively simple, according to Bas, the devil is in the constant embellishments that are played. "Every melody contains a lot of ornaments and embellishments." Often you don't just play that one note from the melody, but you slide from another note to it, so to speak. Or you do a pull-off: a technique with which you hit the note not with your strumming hand but with the hand on the fretboard.

As the last indispensable ingredient of this style, Bas mentions the circumstances in which they are played. With Samira's Blues (who will soon release a new album), Bas regularly played in North Africa. There he had many adventures. "It's music for around the campfire. That atmosphere can't be copied. Often there is a real do-it-yourself mentality, and homemade amplifiers, for example, are connected to the cigarette lighter of a car. Guitarists like Bombino have meanwhile become big stars, also outside Africa. But when they play in their home region, they also just play in a tent in the middle of the desert with tea made over hot coals. It's really still a living culture that exists outside of a music business."

For those who want to discover more about guitar music from this part of the world, Bas has a few more tips: "Tamikrest, Imarhan, Tisdass, Mdou Moctar, Aman-Iman, and Tinariwen are all very cool. The latter band recorded music together with guitarist Josh Klinghoffer when he was still playing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This also shows that there is curiosity about this music outside Africa." According to Gaakeer, Bombino, who can be seen at BRIDGE Around Town, is also highly recommended. "He is really one of my great heroes in this style."