Folk Music, which was born in the African American experience, pulls from our culture that often reflect the struggles, triumphs, and resilience of the Black community.

Some elements of Folk Music include:

•  Call and Response
  • A well-known element where a leader calls out a line (the call) and the group responds (the response). This can be heard in blues, work songs, and spirituals.
  • An example of this can be, “God is good all the time”, (and the response) “And all the time, God is good”
• Complex Rhythms
  • Complex, syncopated rhythms are a common feature of Black folk music.
  • Ex: The use of “Hambone” and using the body as percussion.
• Spiritual and Emotional Intricacy:
  • Rooted in the historical background of slavery, racial oppression, and resistance, the music usually explores themes of struggle, hope, faith, freedom, and perseverance.
  •  An example of this can be shown in the song, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”. The song’s symbolic imagery of escape, liberation, and spiritual salvation is abundant in the lyrics, which express the hopes of enslaved people.
• Improvisation
  • A distinguishing feature is improvisation, especially in instrumental and vocal performance. This illustrates how Folk music is dynamic and always evolving, with artists modifying melodies and rhythms in real time. 
  •  Jazz, which originated from Black folk traditions, is distinguished by improvisation, in which performers make up melodies and harmonies as they go along.
• Narrative and Oral Tradition
  • Folk music, like other genres, mostly relies on storytelling. Songs convey tales of love, family, liberation, labor on plantations, and life under slavery. For years, these stories have been passed on orally.