Syncopation: Feel the Beat

Section 2 Call and Response

Listen to Call and Response

• Call and response is a song style that follows a simple question-and-answer pattern. Sometimes, the call and response sound exactly the same. Other times, they may be different from one another. Typically, a soloist leads and a group responds, although instruments can take the place of voices.
• Listen to the call and response in "Down by the River." Notice that the lead vocals enter at 0:45 as the "call." The organ mimics the lead vocals as the "response."

• Although call and response is not unique to African-American music, it has been developed strongly in blues, gospel, jazz, and funk. It can even be traced back to the time of slavery, when workers in the field would take turns improvising lead melodies, while the group offered encouragement and energy in the form of a response.
• Listen to "Down by the River": call only.
• In the musical spaces between the "call" phrases of the vocal lead, sing your own responses. For your "response" you can either:
  • mimic the call by repeating what was just sung;
  • improvise unique responses, either with words or simple vocal sounds;
  • create a combination of your call and response.
• Be energetic. Don't worry about how you sound. Instead, try to focus on how your response gives energy to the entire piece.

Perform Your Call and Response

• After experimenting with different ways of singing your responses, perform your song for others or make an audio recording of it.
• Consider how the call-and-response technique provides a structure that musicians can use to "jam" (improvise collectively).
• On your worksheet, answer Section 2.

Now continue to Section 3.