Do You need to Learn Music Theory to Excel in Music?

Do You need to Learn Music Theory to Excel in Music?

Do you need music theory to excel in music? From Fela Kuti taking classical training at Trinity College to Salif Keita teaching himself in secret, the stories of the greatest African musicians suggest that theory is a tool — not a requirement. The real question is not whether to learn it, but when it becomes useful.

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SHEKERE KÌ Í LỌ S Ọ̀DẸ̀ ÌBÀNÚJẸ́: Emotional Boundaries in Yoruba Instrumental Practice
By Josplay | 2/13/2026 | Instrument
Yoruba musical culture views instruments in terms of occasion and function. Every instrument has social, emotional, and occasionally spiritual connotations that influence its use and timing. As a result, context, not taste, determines how music is made.
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Ghanaian Highlife Joins UNESCO Intangible Heritage List
By Josplay | 2/9/2026 | General
From the coast of Ghana to global recognition, the inscription of Highlife on UNESCO heritage list highlights its role in shaping African popular music across generations.
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Africa at The 2026 Grammy Awards
By Josplay | 2/6/2026 | People
The 2026 Grammys marked more than a win. They signaled how far African music has come and how much further it can go when authenticity meets global strategy.
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Mara Dance: Breaking Gender Boundaries in Nigeria’s TrenchTok Movement
By Josplay | 2/3/2026 | Genres
From Lagos trenches to TikTok timelines, Mara dance and Street House music are reshaping how Nigerian youth express identity, resilience, and gender beyond rigid social norms. How?
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What Would a Performance Tour Across Africa Look Like?
By Josplay | 1/30/2026 | General
This is a journey across Africa told through stages, crowds, and sound. From the Congo River to the Atlantic coast, from the highlands of Ethiopia to the streets of Lagos, the tour becomes a map of African music itself.
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The Guitar Came, Saw, and Built a Home in African Music
By Josplay | 1/26/2026 | Instrument
The guitar arrived in Africa as a traveler, but it stayed as family. Join us as we explore the journey of the guitar from coastal ports to village squares, from palm-wine bars to stadiums, and how African musicians turned six strings into a thousand tongues of rhythm and history.
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The Long Story of Rock Music in Africa
By Josplay | 1/21/2026 | Genres
Rock music in Africa has never been a copy of the West. From 1960s city bands to hybrid alternative scenes of today, African musicians have used rock to express identity, resistance, and change in their own terms. This is the story of how the sound took root, survived, and evolved.
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Is There Still Hope for African Music Bands?
By Josplay | 1/15/2026 | General
Once the backbone of African popular music, bands shaped the sound of the continent from highlife to soukous and afrobeat. Today, solo stars and digital production dominate the charts. But as live music scenes quietly re-emerge and audiences rediscover the power of collective sound, the question remains: is there still hope for African music bands?
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If African Music had a Personality …
By Josplay | 1/9/2026 | General
If African music had a personality, it would not be a single character. It would be a ...
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Is African Music Really “All About Drums”?
By Josplay | 1/8/2026 | General
We associate Africa with rhythm almost by reflex. But where did that idea come from, and what does it miss?
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Shaabi Music, heartbeat of the Streets
By Josplay | 1/5/2026 | Genres
When you walk through the neighborhoods of Cairo, there is a rhythm that pulses through the streets, a sound that captures the heartbeat of everyday Egyptian life. This is Shaabi music.
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The Ekpe Secret Society: Its Governance, Ritual, and Symbolism in West Africa
By Josplay | 12/29/2025 | People
The Ekpe secret society of West Africa developed sophisticated governance systems using leopard symbolism, Nsibidi writing, and coded drum communication centuries before colonial contact. Explore this enduring Nigerian cultural institution.
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Genre Spotlight: Gqom in South Africa
By Josplay | 12/24/2025 | Genres
In the early years of Gqom, minibus taxis served as the testing ground for the genre. Because its heavy bass and compressed rhythms cut through noisy environments, taxis became moving sound systems—and if your taxi played Gqom, people noticed. This is the story of how the raw, minimalist sound from Durban claimed its place in global club culture.
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Genre Spotlight: Morna in Cape Verde
By Josplay | 12/16/2025 | Genres
Cape Verdean Morna, known as the Queen Music, is a heritage genre born from centuries of migration and longing. Rooted in the improvised songs of enslaved women, it evolved into a poignant musical form expressing sodade—deep emotional yearning—that Cesária Évora brought to global stages.