Y'mangi [Northern] Music Features
In many northern cultures, music tends to have common trends characteristic of Y'mang generally.
There is a heavy emphasis on percussion; percussion is the most vital part of Y'mangi music, and drum is the primary instrument that Photuna is depicted with in the north.
The rhythm is often heavy with syncopation, vertical and horizontal hemiola, tuplets, and other features. A good rhythm is vital to the songs, and is more important than event a melody. Layers of percussion that build with more musicians over time is another common practice.
The Ahohana
Another common characteristic of Y'mangi music (assuming is does have a melody) is a style of singing that may or may not contain lyrics. In public and/or communal settings it traditionally tends to be louder belting with shifts and vibrations in the voice (called the "ahohana" in Sk'ausiya). If not that style, then it tends to be more of a chanting style (the oduhna). In private or quieter settings, it's typically a more soft style of singing.
The ahohana has the nickname of roughly "soul singing" because it's a style that is viewed as someone letting their soul guide their singing, and it's thought that the ahohana is the most accurate representation of the soul's voice.
The ahohana is usually flexible, meaning that pre-written lyrics are plenty common, but improvised lyrics or improvised melodies and harmonies are even more common. The latter is incredibly common in large community and spiritual settings.
i feel the urge to add an example of what i’m aiming for in regards to the vibrating/shifting belting sort of singing. It would be pretty similar to Song Sohee’s performance of Odolttogi. Just imagine the non-percussion instruments are removed and percussion instruments were enhanced or added to and i think you’d get pretty close.
The Oduhna
There is another style of singing, called the oduhna in Sk'ausiya.
