A Model to Digitally Transform Elements in Ghanaian Traditional Music

The effectiveness of digital transformation in various spheres of contemporary societies cannot
be overstated considering how various communities uphold digital technologies due to the
credible results they achieve with digital technologies. The enormous space to save digital
materials, easy and faster access, limitless space and time, easy creation of multiple copies, and
the ability to preserve information and materials for posterity are some of the benefits of digital
transformation. Kunst (1959) linked the development of ethnomusicology to the invention of the
gramophone which enabled the recording and storing of musical events in ethnographic settings.
According to Seeger (1986), these recordings are often improperly stored, wound too tightly on
warping reels, attacked by mould, and separated from written documentation by termites, rot, and
time. They may not survive to serve any other individual or group. Upon this background, this
study sought to develop a model to digitally transform elements in Ghanaian traditional musical
instruments for extensive assimilation and preservation. From a pragmatic perspective, the study
reviewed literature and theories to propose Digitally Transformed Ethnomusicology as a model
to digitally transform elements in Ghanaian traditional music. The Digitally Transformed
Ethnomusicology model is a methodological process, method, and technical process that hinges
on applied ethnomusicology (Davis and Dyen,1992), use and gratification theory (Katz, 1974),
technological determinism (McLuhan,1964), technology acceptance model (Davis, 1989) and
studio-based design (Marshall, 2010) to digitize and digitalize elements in Ghanaian traditional
music.