Research on Rythm Wheels

  Using the same site that had the software on it for cultural bead looms and rug designs etc., I did some further research on rhythm wheels. Rhythm wheels contain musical rythyms. African rhythms that are played on drums, congas, claves and things like the slit drums and maracas, and Spanish instruments, such as the Vihuela guitar, create a unique hybrid music. Rythym wheels allow you to simulate a rhythm much like ones that can be created with these instruments. African music is known for its polyrhythms. Slaves use to play drums until masters would take them away because they were a distraction. African music was spread to different places like Cuba because of the slave trade. The Rumba quickly spread from plantations where slaves worked to the slums. When the Cuban Revolution occurred, it changed the style of music that was popular in Cuba. The Dominican Republic also had influencing of the African drumming in their culture from slaves. Plantation owners there soon banned all forms of drumming and dancing because they thought slaves would be able to communicate long distance with music. Puerto Rico was the next country to adopt African Music because of slaves. The Rhythm wheel shows the diversity and similarity between the countries music styles.