As a music scholar, I have always been drawn to the unique and exotic sounds of different cultures. But nothing has captivated me as much as Gnawa music’s ability to help listeners transcend realities.

Gnawa music is a genre that originated in Morocco. It is primarily associated with the Gnawa people, a group of West African migrants who arrived in Morocco as soldiers and slaves during the 16th century. Gnawa music genre uniquely blends African, Arabic, and Berber musical elements.

Gnawa music is celebrated as an integral part of Moroccan culture and is globally acclaimed for its unique sound. Despite its pop appeal, Gnawa music is often performed in the context of religious and spiritual ceremonies intended to help listeners contact spiritual dimensions.

The music of the Gnawa is centered around a three-stringed bass instrument called the guembri, which provides a deep, resonant sound that serves as the backbone. The rhythm is driven by the krakebs, a type of metal castanet, and the vocals are often performed in a call-and-response format.

The music is believed to have spiritual and healing properties and is often used in religious ceremonies and trance rituals to invoke spirits and ancestors.

In this series, we explore the physical and musical properties of the Gnawa music genre that helps induce spiritual trance in practitioners.

The spiritual powers of Gnawa music are most emphasized in a religious ceremony called Lila. The Lila are spiritual events that typically last all night and are held for healing and spiritual connection. During a Lila ceremony, a Maâlem (master) leads the group in a series of songs and rituals meant to evoke spirits and ancestors.

Although the music is the most significant element of hypnosis at a Lila, it is not the only element at play in a successful trance experience. The ceremony combines other sensory actuators like sight (colors), smell (incense), and movement (dance).

The melody is characterized by a repetitive, cyclical pattern typically based on a pentatonic scale. This scale consists of five notes played in a specific order, and the melody is built upon this foundation.

The rhythm structure is essential to the trance-inducing properties of Gnawa music. The main rhythm is played on the krakebs, iron castanets, that create a continuous, hypnotic beat.

The guembri, a three-stringed bass guitar made out of camel skin and cow gut, provides the driving lower end of the sound and grounds the meter of each song.

Physically, the vibrations produced by the guembri create a rhythmic pulsation that can be felt throughout the body. This sensation is thought to stimulate the nervous system and activate the release of endorphins, which can induce relaxation and altered consciousness.

An antiphonal vocalization occupies the middle layer, interacting with one another in call and response.

The melding of these loosely equidistant ranges of pitches, performed in repetitive melody and rhythms, creates a trance-like state in practitioners and listeners alike.

Generally, repetitive sounds can stimulate the body's natural entrainment mechanisms, which help to synchronize physiological processes such as breathing and heart rate. This can create a sense of coherence and connectedness within the body, contributing to feelings of trance or altered states of consciousness.

Studies have shown that high-pitched rhythmic sounds like that of the krakebs can stimulate brain theta waves, which are associated with states of deep relaxation and meditation.

The low-pitched rhythms of the guembri can also induce trance in humans but through a slightly different mechanism.

Another theory suggests that repetitive rhythms can induce a state of relaxation and alter the perception of time, leading to a sense of timelessness, where the practitioner becomes fully immersed in the experience.

Another aspect of the melody and rhythm structure is the use of improvisation. While the melody and rhythm are repetitive, there is room for improvisation and variation, particularly in the vocal lines. The Maâlem guides the improvisation and keeps the melody and rhythm on track, but the individual performers can express themselves and add their unique touch to the music.

In addition to the musical instruments, the lyrics of Gnawa songs also play a role in inducing a trance. The lyrics are often religious, invoking ancestors and spirits, and are meant to inspire a sense of devotion and connection to the divine.

It is important to note that achieving trance through Gnawa music is not solely dependent on the music itself. It is also influenced by the context in which it is performed. Many Gnawa practitioners believe that the spiritual and cultural context of Gnawa music is essential to its trance-inducing properties. This includes the use of rituals and ceremonies, as well as the presence of other practitioners and a sense of community.

An Ai generated image of a Gnawa music mallem playing the Guembri instrument in the deserts if Morrocco.

Exploring the hypnotic musical elements of the Gnawa music genre

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