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The Impacts Of Deforestation On Drum Making In Ghana, West Africa, Erin Rae Eldridge

Masters Theses

For decades, musicians from all over the world have been studying the music and rhythms of West Africa. Although some literature exists on the construction of rhythmic instruments, very little research has examined the impacts of environmental change on instrument making processes. This thesis represents an ethnographic investigation of the impacts of deforestation on drum making in Ghana, West Africa.

Research on this topic was conducted during the summer of 2003 in the Volta, Eastern, and the Northern Regions of Ghana. The research methods included participant observation, formal and informal interviews, botanical methods for plant identification, and literature searches. Informed …