Musical Instruments Of SubSaharan Africa An Abridged List

Musical Instruments Of Sub-Saharan Africa An Abridged List for 2017 -18 FAME Cultural Emphasis Sub-Saharan Africa Wendy Bloom Wendy. Bloom@fwcs. k 12. in. us

Musical Instruments Of Sub-Saharan Africa (A) wide array of musical instruments are used. African musical instruments include a wide range of drums, slit gongs, rattles and double bells, different types of harps, and harp-like instruments such as the Kora and the ngoni, as well as fiddles, many kinds of xylophone and lamellophone such as the mbira, and different types of wind instrument like flutes and trumpets. Additionally, string instruments are also used, with the lute-like oud and Ngoni serving as musical accompaniment in some areas. There are five groups of sub-Saharan African musical instruments: membranophones, chordophones, aerophones, idiophones, and percussion. Membranophones are the drums, including kettles, clay pots, and barrels. Chordophones are stringed instruments like harps and fiddles. Aerophones are another name for wind instruments. These can include flutes and trumpets, similar to the instruments you hear in American music. Idiophones are rattles and shakers, while percussion can be sounds like foot-stomping and hand-clapping. [11] Many of the wooden instruments have shapes or pictures carved out into them to represent ancestry. Some are decorated with feathers or beads. [12] From Music Of Africa at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Music_of_Africa#Musical_instruments

Drums used in African traditional music include talking drums, bougarabou and djembe in West Africa, water drums in Central and West Africa, and the different types of ngoma drums (or engoma) in Central and Southern Africa. Other percussion instruments include many rattles and shakers, such as the kosika (kashaka), rain stick, bells and wood sticks. Also, Africa has lots of other types of drums, and lots of flutes, and lots of stringed and wind instruments. The playing of polyrhythms is one of the most universal characteristics of Sub-Sarahan music, in contrast to polyphony in Western music. Several uniquely designed instruments have evolved there over time to facilitate the playing of simultaneous contrasting rhythms. The mbira, kalimba, Kora, Ngoni and dousn'gouni are examples of these instruments which organize notes not in the usual single linear order from bass to treble, but in two separated rank arrays which allows additional ease in playing cross rhythms. The continuing influence of this principle can be seen in the 20 th century American instruments the gravikora and gravikord which are new modern examples. From Music Of Africa at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Music_of_Africa#Musical_instruments

African Bells A bell pattern is a rhythmic pattern of striking a hand-held bell or other instrument of the Idiophone family, to make it emit a sound at desired intervals. It is often a key pattern[1][2] (also known as a guide pattern, [3] phrasing referent, [4] timeline, [5] or asymmetrical timeline[6]), in most cases it is a metal bell, such as an agogô, gankoqui, or cowbell, or a hollowed piece of wood, or wooden claves. From Sub-Saharan African Music at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Bell_pattern#Sub-Saharan_African_music

Gankogui The gankogui, also known as a gakpevi, is a bell, or gong instrument played with a wooden stick. It is made out of forged iron and consists of a lowpitched bell (often referred as the parent bell) and a high-pitched bell (or the child bell, which is said to rest on the bosom of the protective parent), which are permanently bound together. The gankogui is the skeleton, backbone, and foundation of all traditional Ewe music. The gankogui player must play steadily and without error throughout the piece. The gankogui player must be a trustworthy person, and is considered blind if they do not have a concrete understanding of the instrument and its role in the drumming ensemble. In a drumming ensemble, a gankogui player uses no variation. The bell phrase guides the tempo, aligns the instruments, and marks elapsing musical time into bell cycle units. From: Ewe Drumming at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ewe_drumming

Atoke The atoke is a forged-iron bell instrument and is shaped somewhat like a boat or a banana. It is held in the palm of the player's weak hand is played with a small forgediron rod, held in the player's strong hand. You strike the rod against the outside of the bell to create a pitch. The atoke serves the same purpose as the gankogui and is sometimes used instead of or a substitute for the gankogui. The gankogui and atoke come in all various sizes. From: Ewe Drumming at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ewe_drumming

Frikywa The frikywa (pronounced free-kee-wah) thumb bell is a small hand held percussive bell, hand forged from recycled iron in Ghana. Also known as African castanets, they are often played by roving dunun players or in pairs as an accompaniment. The volume can be controlled by cupping the bell more tightly into the palm and dampening the resonance. These bells make great learning tools for exercises involving time marking and keeping the pulse. From African Drumming: https: //www. africandrumming. com. au/cart/frikywa-thumb-bell

Igbo Gong The most prominent Gongs are the Olu and the Ogene. [2] The Olu is a large Gong, about four feet long. The Ogene is smaller Gong and is about eight inches long. The Olu and Ogene are played by rhythmically beating the base of these instruments in cadence with the rest of the ensemble. [3] The Ogene is used mostly for complimenting drums and other percussion instruments. It is also very useful in helping dancers time their movements and gestures. The Olu produces a very distinct sound and is mostly used to warn the community of any danger or as a call for attention in case of an important announcement. [2] From Igbo Music at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Igbo_music#Gongs

Axatse The next instrument used in traditional Ewe drumming is called axatse (pronounced ah-hah-chay). The axatse is a rattle-like instrument made from a hollowed-out gourd covered with a net of seeds or beads. The axatse is usually played sitting down. It is held at the handle and in the players strong hand is shaken up hitting the hand down hitting the thigh making two different sounds. The axatse usually plays the same thing that the bell plays but with some extra added notes in between the beats. It can be described as the eighth note version of what the gankogui plays. It has also been described as enriching or reinforcing what the gankogui plays. Overall it gives energy to the music and drives the music. The axatse produces a dry rattling but energetic sound. From: Ewe Drumming Wikipedia https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ewe_drumming

Shekere The shekere (from Yoruba Ṣẹ kẹrẹ)[1] is a West African percussion instrumentconsisting of a dried gourd with beads or cowries woven into a net covering the gourd. The instrument is common in West African and Latin American folkloric traditions as well as some of the popular music styles. In performance it is shaken and/or hit against the hands. The shekere is made from vine gourds that grow on the ground. The shape of the gourd determines the sound of the instrument. A shekere is made by drying the gourd for several months then removing the pulp and seeds. After it is scrubbed, skillful bead work is added as well as colour. From Shekere at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Shekere

Sistrum (Disc Rattle) Various modern West African and Gabon rattle instruments are also called sistra (plural of sistrum): the calabash sistrum, the West Africa sistrum or disc rattle (n'goso m'bara) also called Wasamba or Wassahouba rattle. It typically consists of a V-shaped branch with some or many concave calabash discs attached, which can be decorated. [12] From Sistrum at Wikipedia; https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sistrum

Slit Drum A slit drum is a hollow percussion instrument. In spite of the name, it is not a true drum but an idiophone, usually carved or constructed from bamboo or wood into a box with one or more slits in the top. Most slit drums have one slit, though two and three slits (cut into the shape of an "H") occur. If the resultant tongues are different width or thicknesses, the drum will produce two different pitches. It is used throughout Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. In Africa such drums, strategically situated for optimal acoustic transmission (e. g. , along a river or valley), have been used for long-distance communication. [1] The ends of a slit drum are closed so that the shell becomes the resonating chamber for the sound vibrations created when the tongues are struck, usually with a mallet. The resonating chamber increases the volume, From Slit Drum at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Slit_drum

Balafon The balafon is a kind of xylophone or percussion idiophone which plays melodic tunes, and usually has between 16 and 27 keys. It has been played in Africa since the 12 th century according to oral records; it originated in Mali, according to the Manding history narrated by the griots. [citation needed] Early forms were constructed of bars atop a gourd. [8] The wood is first roasted around a fire before shaping the key to achieve the desired tone. The resonator is tuned to the key through careful choice of size of resonator, adjustment of the diameter of the mouth of the resonator using wasp wax and adjustment of the height of the key The mallets used to play dibinda and mbila have heads made from natural rubber taken from a wild creeping plant. [9] "Interlocking" or alternating rhythm features the initial caller, is responded to by another player , , , This usually doubles an already rapid rhythmic pulse that may also co-exist with a counter-rhythm. From Balafon at Wikipedia” From African Xylophone at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Balafon https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Xylophone#African_xylophone

Master Drums In almost all West African drumming ensembles, a lead drum or master drum leads the group. The master drummer tells the ensemble when to play and when to stop, he also plays signals telling the other players to change the tempo or the drumming pattern. In some West African drumming ensembles, the master drummer is to play the main theme of the piece and improvise. In Ewe drumming, the master drummer does drum dialogue with the kidi. It enriches the kidi phrase by filling in the empty spaces on the kidi’s part. The master drum can also improvise. In Ewe drumming, the term master drum is not limited to one particular type of drum. A master drum can bean atsimevu, sogo, kroboto, totodzi, or an agboba. The master drum techniques and playing styles are generally the same regardless of which drum is used. From: Ewe Drumming at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ewe_drumming

Sogo The basic master drum is called a sogo (pronounced "sogo)". Sogo is the drum that can always be a substitute for the master drum. It is also the actual "correct" master drum for some pieces. The sogo is a larger version of the kidi and is taller and fatter than the kidi. It can be played either with two wooden sticks, one hand one stick, or both hands. This depends on the technique used in the piece being played. Depending on the piece, sometimes the sogo can play the same support role as the kidi. It produces a low tone and is usually played sitting down. or standing up. From: Ewe Drumming at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ewe_drumming

Atsimevu Another master drum is called atsimevu (pronounced ah-chee-meh-voo). The atsimevu is the tallest of the Ewe drums. It is around 4½ feet tall. To play the atsimevu, the drummer must lean it over a stand called a vudetsi, stand on one side of the drum—and play it with either two wooden sticks or one hand one stick. The atsimevu makes a middle range sound with some bass in the sound. From: Ewe Drumming at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ewe_drumming

Kidi The kidi is a mid-sized drum played with two wooden sticks. Like other Ewe drums, the drumhead is made of the skin of a deer or antelope. Its body is made out of wood and is sometimes decorated by elaborate carvings. It normally plays an eighth note pattern with some variation (e. g. a roll played instead of the first note of the phrase). The kidi does what is described by the Ewe as talking or conversing with lead drum. This is often called drum dialogue. The kidi often improvises a little bit at the appropriate times. From: Ewe Drumming at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ewe_drumming

Kaganu The kaganu is the smallest and highest pitched drum used by the Ewe, but its sound does incorporate some bass as well. It is around 20 inches tall. Like all Ewe drums, the kaganu has a drumhead made of antelope or deer skin. The body of the drum is made of wood and is often decorated with carvings. The kaganu is played with two long skinny wooden sticks, usually with the drummer sitting down. Like the gankokui and axatse, its pattern does not change for the duration of the piece. In Agahu, for example, the rhythm it plays are two notes on the upbeats. Because Agahu is played was in the 4/4 time, then the kaganu would play two notes on the "ands" of beats 1, 2, 3, and 4. The kaganu also gives energy and drive to the music. From: Ewe Drumming at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ewe_drumming

Agboba A newer, lesser used master drum is called the agboba (pronounced ag-bo-bah or sometimes bo-bah). This drum was invented by the Ewe in the 1950 s to play a newly invented piece called agahu. The agboba is the deepest sounding drum played by the Ewe. It has a fat body and is played leaning over on a stand similar to that for the atsimevu. From: Ewe Drumming at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ewe_drumming

Kloboto and Totodzi The kloboto (pronounced klo-bo-toe) or totodzi (pronounced toe-jee) are two more types of master drums, essentially the same, differing only in pitch. These are the smallest drums used by the Ewe. They measure lengthwise around eighteen inches. The two drums are not only used as master drums in some pieces but sometimes play the same role as the kidi. The kloboto and totodzi are always played with two wooden sticks, and their player is usually seated. From: Ewe Drumming at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ewe_drumming

Djembe A djembe or jembe (/ˈdʒɛmbeɪ/ JEM-bay; from Malinke jembe [dʲẽbe][1]) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe comes from the saying "Anke djé, anke bé" which translates to "everyone gather together in peace" and defines the drum's purpose. The djembe has a body (or shell) carved of hardwood and A medium-size djembe carved from one of the traditional woods (including skin, rings, and rope) weighs around 9 kg (20 lb). The djembe can produce a wide variety of sounds, making it a most versatile drum. The drum is very loud, allowing it to be heard clearly as a solo instrument over a large percussion ensemble. The Malinké people say that a skilled drummer is one who "can make the djembe talk. . . Traditionally, the djembe is played only by men, as are the dunun that always accompany the djembe. From Djembe at Wiki[edia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Djembe

Dunun (Malinké: [ˈdu. nun]; plural dunun) (also spelled dun or doun) is the generic name for a family of West African drums that have developed alongside the djembe in the Mande drum ensemble. [1] A dunun is a rope-tuned cylindrical drum with a rawhide skin at both ends, most commonly cow or goat. The drum is played with a stick. Depending on the region, a plain straight stick, curved stick with flat head (similar to the stick used for a tama), or a straight stick with a cylindrical head attached at right angles near one end may be used to strike the skin. Traditionally, the drum is played horizontally (placed on a stand or worn with a shoulder strap). For a right-handed player, the right hand plays the skin and the left hand optionally plays a bell that may be mounted on top of the drum or held in the left hand. citation needed] From Dunun at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Dunun

Ashiko The ashiko [1] is a drum, shaped like a tapered cylinder (or truncated cone) with the head on the wide end, and the narrow end open. It is made of hardwood and generally has a goatskin hide. It is played with the hands, and tuned by ropes. Ashiko drums – or variants thereof – are traditionally found in West Africa, as well as part of the Americas. The origins of the ashiko drum are traced to the Yoruba culture in (mainly) present-day Nigeria and Benin, West Africa. . . The drum has a long tradition in Yoruba culture, where the drum functioned in community celebrations, as well as a “talking drum”. Traditional ashikos were/are hand carved from a single lug of wood and were not straight cones. Some call the ashiko a "male" counterpart to the djembe, though this is contradicted by references to the relatively matriarchal Yoruba culture. From Ashiko at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ashiko

Talking Drum The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa, whose pitch can be regulated to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It has two drumheads connected by leather tension cords, which allow the player to modulate the pitch of the drum by squeezing the cords between their arm and body. A skilled player is able to play whole phrases. Most talking drums sound like a human humming depending on the way they are played. Similar hourglass-shaped drums are found in Asia, but they are not used to mimic speech, although the idakka is used to mimic vocal music. From Talking Drum at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Talking_drum

Ngoma (also called engoma or ng'oma or ingoma) are musical instruments used by certain Bantu populations of Africa. Ngoma is derived from the Kongo word for "drum". Different Bantuinhabited regions have their own traditions of percussion, with different names for their instruments. In Kikongo, "ngoma" is used by extension to signify specific dances, social occasions and rhythms. From Ngoma Drums at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ngoma_drums

Mbira The mbira (pronounced UM-beer-ra , IPA (ə)mˈbɪərə) is an African musical instrument consisting of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with the thumbs. The mbira is usually classified as part of the lamellaphone family and part of the idiophone family of musical instruments. Members of this broad family of instruments are known by a wide variety of names. In the Anglo world it is often called a thumb piano, as well as marímbula (also kalimba) in the Caribbean Islands. In Eastern and Southern Africa, there are many kinds of mbira, often accompanied by the hosho, a percussion instrument. The mbira was reported to be used in Okpuje, Nsukka area of the south eastern part of Nigeria in the early 1900 s. It is a particularly common musical instrument of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Shona people of Zimbabwe. It is also often an important instrument to be played at religious ceremonies, weddings, and other social gatherings. From Mbira at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Mbira

Hosho The hosho are Zimbabwean musical instruments consisting of a pair of maranka(mapudzi) gourds with seeds. They typically contain hota (Canna indica) seeds inside them. [1] The hosho are used to accompany Shona music, especially mbira music. They make a rattling sound that western ears may be unaccustomed to hearing. However, this accompaniment is essential when playing mbira. machachara (miniature Hosho made from seashells or bottle caps) are attached. . . Other instruments, such as drums, will have some kind of rattles associated with their use. A smaller version of the hosho is made of a wild orange called a damba, tied together with sticks and filled with hota seeds or pebbles. From Hosho at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Hosho_(instrument)

Kora The kora is a 21 -string lute-bridge-harp used extensively in West Africa. [1] A kora is a Mandinka harp built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator with a long hardwood neck. The skin is supported by two handles that run under it. It supports a notched double free-standing bridge The sound of a kora resembles that of a harp, though when played in the traditional style, it bears a closer resemblance to flamenco and Delta blues guitar techniques of both hands to pluck the strings in polyrhythmic patterns (using the remaining fingers to secure the instrument by holding the hand posts on either side of the strings). Ostinato riffs ("Kumbengo") and improvised solo runs ("Birimintingo") are played at the same time by skilled players. Kora players have traditionally come from jali families (also from the Mandinka nationalities) who are traditional historians, genealogists and storytellers who pass their skills on to their descendants. The instrument is played in Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso and the Gambia. Traditional koras feature 21 strings, eleven played by the left hand ten by the right. Strings were traditionally made from thin strips of hide. . . A vital accessory in the past was the nyenyemo, a leaf-shaped plate of tin or brass with wire loops threaded around the edge. Clamped to the bridge, it produced sympathetic sounds, serving as an amplifier since the sound carried well in the open air. In today's environment players usually prefer or need an electric pickup. [2] By moving leather tuning rings up and down the neck, a kora player can retune the instrument into one of four seven-note scales. These scales are close in tuning to western major, minor and Lydian modes. [3][4] From Kora at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Kora_(instrument)

Ngoni The ngoni or "n'goni" is a string instrument originating in West Africa. Its body is made of wood or calabash with dried animal (often goat) skin head stretched over it. The ngoni, which can produce fast melodies, appears to be closely related to the akontingand the xalam. This is called a jeli ngoni as it is played by griots at celebrations and special occasions in traditional songs called fasas in Mandingo. Another larger type, believed to have originated among the donso (a hunter and storyteller caste of the Wasulu people) is called the donso ngoni. This is still largely reserved for ceremonial purposes. The smaller kamale ngoni has entered popular musical styles such as Wassoulou music. The ngoni is known to have existed since at least 1352, when Ibn Battuta, a Moroccantraveller reported seeing one in the court of Mansa Musa. It is believed to have evolved into the banjo in North America after Mande slaves were exported there. From Ngoni at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ngoni_(instrument)

Goje The goje (the Hausa name for the instrument) is one of the many names for a variety of one or two-stringed fiddles from West Africa, almost exclusively played by ethnic groups inhabiting the Sahel and Sudan sparsely vegetated grassland belts leading to the Sahara. Snakeskin or lizard skin covers a gourd bowl, and a horsehair string is suspended on bridge. The goje is played with a bowstring. The goje is commonly used to accompany song, and is usually played as a solo instrument, although it also features prominent in ensembles with other West African string, wind or percussion instruments, including the Shekere or Ney. The various names by which the goje is known by include goge (Hausa, Zarma), gonjey (Dagomba, Gurunsi), gonje, (Mamprusi, Dagomba), njarka (Songhay), n'ko (Bambara, Mandinka and other Mande languages), riti (Fula, Serer), and nyanyeru or nyanyero. From Goje at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Goje

African Bamboo Flutes African instruments include a number of aerophones, which produce sound by vibrating columns of air. The three broad categories of African aerophones are: (1) Flutes, (2) reed pipes, and (3) trumpets and horns. Although flutes may be made from a husk of cane or the end of an animal horn or gourd, the most common material in use to make flutes is bamboo. They may be open-ended or closed, they may be played in the vertical or horizontal (transverse) positions. Although most African flutes are made with a number of holes (from two to six), some flutes are made with a single hole. A number of these flutes are made so that the technique of melodic playing known as hocket can be employed. Using the hocket technique melodies are formed by each flute sounding single tones in a melodic chain. From Music Of Africa at New World Encyclopedia http: //www. newworldencyclopedia. org/entry/Music_of_Africa

African Trumpets and Horns Trumpets and horns are made from the horns of many animals which include elephant tusks and are used in various ensembles. Here again, instruments are often arranged in families. Babembe horns are made in human likeness in the Congo. In the case of the Babembe horns, a dorsal opening is cut in the back of each likeness and the player buzzes his/her lips to create a single tone. From Music Of Africa at New World Encyclopedia http: //www. newworldencyclopedia. org/entry/Music_of_Africa

Vuvuzela The vuvuzela /vuːvuːˈzɛlə/, also known as lepatata (its Tswananame), [citation needed] is a plastic horn, about 65 centimetres (2 ft) long, which produces a loud monotone note, typically around B♭ 3[1] (the B♭below middle C). [2] Some models are made in two parts to facilitate storage, and this design also allows pitch variation. Many types of vuvuzela, made by several manufacturers, may produce various intensity and frequency outputs. [3] The intensity of these outputs depends on the blowing technique and pressure exerted. [3] Traditionally made and inspired from a kudu horn, the vuvuzela was used to summon distant villagers to attend community gatherings. [4][dubious – discuss] The vuvuzela is commonly used at football matches in South Africa, [5] From Vuvuzela at Wikipedia: https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Vuvuzela