Editing Soukous (section)

== Characteristics ==
The music typically utilizes a [[Time signature|{{music|time|12|8}} time signature]] and [[Major chord|major chords]] articulated in [[Arpeggio|arpeggiated]] forms.<ref name=":28" /> Soukous lead guitarists are renowned for their speed, precision, and nimble fingerwork, often navigating the higher [[Register (music)|registers]] of the [[Fingerboard|fretboard]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Eyre |first=Banning |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uDLXx5vxTn4C |title=Africa: Your Passport to a New World of Music |publisher=Alfred Music Publishing |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-7390-2474-4 |location=Los Angeles, California, United States |pages=12–17 |language=en}}</ref> The [[bassline]], inspired by [[Hand drum|hand-drum]] percussion patterns, is the genre's rhythmic foundation and is typically characterized by a 16th-note cadence.<ref name=":20">{{Cite book |last1=Boomer |first1=Tim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tI3cBAAAQBAJ&dq=soukous+20+musicians&pg=PA7 |title=Bassist's Bible: How to Play Every Bass Style from Afro-Cuban to Zydeco |last2=Berry |first2=Mick |last3=Bufe |first3=Chaz |date=2014-01-01 |publisher=See Sharp Press |isbn=978-1-937276-25-6 |language=en}}</ref> Emerging prominently during [[Mobutu Sese Seko]]'s reign in [[Zaire]], the assertive bass style of soukous emulated regimented motions of military marches (''marche militaire'').<ref name=":5" /> This distinctive bass approach involves toggling between lower and higher registers, achieved through a plucking method that employs both the thumb (''p'') and index finger (''i'').<ref name=":5" /> 

Tonally, soukous is shaped by specific configurations in the [[Bass (sound)|bass]], [[Range (music)|midrange]], and [[Treble (sound)|treble]] frequencies.<ref name=":20" /> The bass is generally accentuated by +3 dB to yield a deep, full-bodied low-end that supports the groove. The midrange, especially around the 700 Hz frequency, is often left flat or enhanced by as much as +6 dB.<ref name=":20" /> Meanwhile, the treble frequencies are either left flat or attenuated slightly by -3 dB.<ref name=":20" /> 

In [[Matonge (Kinshasa)|Matonge]], the rhythmic guitar typically accompanies mid-tempo vocal passages, with the bass and [[Bass drum|bass drums]] accentuating the dominant beats, while guitarists emphasize the [[Offbeat (music)|offbeats]] (one ''and'' two ''and'' three ''and'' four ''and'').<ref name=":5" /> During vocal performances, the lead guitarist lays down a groove that underpins harmonized [[Call and response|call-and-response]] singing,<ref name=":5" /> often intensified by an echo effect, producing an auditory experience sometimes described as a hypnotic auditory experience.<ref name=":28"/> 

The percussion section is characterized by an unyielding, fast-paced beat, most commonly referred to as [[cavacha]], with the drummer taking the lead in [[Audio signal|signaling]] shifts for the guitarists to match the lead player's transitions.<ref name=":28">{{Cite web |last=Greenstreet |first=Morgan |date=December 7, 2018 |title=Seben Heaven: The Roots of Soukous |url=https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2018/12/the-roots-of-soukous |access-date=11 June 2024 |website=Daily.redbullmusicacademy.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> Soukous [[Chord progression|chord progressions]] mainly rely on the I, IV, and V chords.<ref name=":5" /> Common progressions include:<ref name=":5" />

# I - I - IV - IV
# I - IV - V
# I -I - V-V
# I - IV/V
# V/IV - I
# I/IV - IV/I
# I - V- I - V
# V/IV - I