The Director of Communications and Special Projects at the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Ahuma Bosco Ocansey, popularly known as Daddy Bosco, has attributed the lasting appeal of old music to the deep understanding of musical theory by veteran artistes.
Speaking on The Chat, Daddy Bosco highlighted that legendary musicians were well-versed in music theory, which allowed them to craft rich and timeless compositions.
He further noted that bands like Osibisa were able to infuse diverse musical influences into their compositions because of their solid foundation in music theory.
“It was a mix of so many factors but one thing that stands out for me was that they knew their theory very well. Just like the saying goes, if you know the rules, you don’t break them or bend them. Teddy Osei was sent on a scholarship to study music in the UK by Nkrumah. That showed you the depth of his knowledge of music. He became a music scholar; he took the music from academia to write his music. When people like these write music, the music has depth.
“Someone could play a regular cord, but they will know how to accentuate it better. When you listen to the music of Osibisa, they are able to infuse all these influences, because they understood the basic theory of what the various genres are doing,” he stated.
The President of MUSIGA, Bessa Simons, echoed similar sentiments, stressing the importance of music education in the past.
“Those days, you will know the rudiments in music, and every child knew that. If you branch to do music, you have all the melodies in your head, so you couldn’t be singing monotones. We learnt songs at school as well. So, when you branch into music, you have the basics.
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