The African musical culture relies heavily on percussion instruments for its complexity. The scales used in African music are also very different from the typical seven-note scale, using anywhere between four and seven notes. This gives a very different flavor and organization to the music that is best exemplified in Blues music today. 
The instruments are made with a lot of care, and often have traditional symbols and patterns painted, engraved or embossed onto the bodies. Beads and animal skins may also be used to decorate the body of the instrument. The wind instruments are made of materials as diverse as wood, ivory, reed, millet, animal horns or bamboo. Drums of various varieties are also used in African music – kettledrums, semi-cylindrical and cylindrical drums are only three of the available varieties. The percussion instruments often have sculptures on them, conveying various themes and moods that range from the simple, everyday to the serious, mythological, or even humorous.
Music is an important part of every culture, and each instrument used in African music has something to convey about the culture and heritage of its immediate geographical location. The crafting of the instrument reflects the values and beliefs of the artisan society, as well as portraying the traditions of entertainment prevalent in that place and time. Music is an important part of ceremonial rituals, as well as an aid to recreation, or even to light-hearted humor at the end of a work-day.
