Abstract:
ABSTRACT
The Yaa Amponsah guitar riff has been described as the lingua franca indigenous
Ghanaian guitar play (Collins, 2006). Researches like (Adum-Attah, 1997;
Collins, 1989, 2006, 2018) provide a brief history of Yaa Amponsah focusing on
her identity, but there is no analysis based on the lyrics of the recorded versions
the song. Sprigge (1961), analysed the rhythm used in Yaa Amponsah and found
similarities with Akan ensembles like sikyi, apart from this there is little to no
analysis of the guitar riffs used in the recorded versions of the Yaa Amponsah
song. This research sought to analyse guitar riffs used in five recorded versions
of the Yaa Amponsah song and also tell a narrative about the Yaa Amponsah
song. Using the qualitative research, discourse analysis method and key informant
interviews, I sought to fill the lacuna identified. Analysis of the data pointed out
that the Yaa Amponsah originated from the seperewa music, however, the guitar
riff became popular as a result of the National dance band competition held in
1972 with the riff built on the chord I, IV, V progression. Analysis of the song
text brought about the narrative about Sam refusing to give up on lost love and his
inability to act on his feelings for Yaa Amponsah. The findings revealed that there
are inconsistencies in the narrative of the recorded versions that I analysed. The
inconsistencies could have arisen from the fact that the underpinning motives of
the original and the subsequent ones were not identical. It stands to reason that
whereas Sam’s version was targeted at winning a loved one back, the subsequent
artists who recorded intended it to serve a more hedonic and aesthetic function
