Musical Instrument Of Africa Flashcards
Sound is produced by the body of the instrument vibrating
Idiophones
It is a single bell or multiple bells and is considered as the oldest samba instrument based on West African Yoruba single or double bells. It has the highest pitch of any of the bateria instruments
Agogo
It is a type of gourd and shell megaphone from West Africa, consisting of a dried gourd with beads woven into a net covering the gourd.
Shekere
It is a hollow percussion instrument. Although known as a drum, it is not a true drum but is an idiophone. It is usually carved or constructed from bamboo or wood into a box with one or more slits in the top
Slit/Log drum
It is a hollowed cylinder of wood with a narrow longitudinal opening or slit whose edges are struck to produce a deep, sonorous tone. They are portraits of ancestors so that when played, it is the voices of awakened ancestors which resonate from their interior chamber.
Atingting Kon (Slit Gong)
It is a kind of wooden xylophone or percussion idiophone which plays melodic tunes. It has been played in the region since the 1300s. In the 16th century, it became a real art at the royal court of Sikasso/ Mali and was flourishing under the reign of a generous king.
Balafon
Sound is produced by the vibration of a tightly stretched
membrane.
Membranophone
It refers to African music using their bodies as instruments. Their body can be used to produce sound by clapping their hands, slapping their thighs, pounding their upper arms or chests, or shuffling their feet. Wearing of rattles or bells on their wrists, ankles, arms, and waists enhances their emotional response.
Body Percussion
It is used to send messages to announce births, deaths, marriages, sporting events, dances, initiations or war. It is believed that the drums can carry direct messages to the spirits after the death of a loved one.
Talking Drum
is one of the best-known African drums. It is shaped like a large goblet and played with bare hands. The body is carved from a hollowed trunk and is covered with goat skin.
Djembe
Sound is produced by the vibration of tongues of metal, wood or other material.
Lamellaphone
It is a set of plucked tines or keys mounted on a sound board. It is being played by holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with the thumbs. They used this instrument to drive away evil spirits since it is believed that it was a vector of communication with ancestors and spirits.
Mbira (Kalimba/ Thumb Piano)
It is a hand-crafted instrument with a unique harp or bell-like sound. It is a popular traditional instrument of the Shona people in Zimbabwe. It is a radical redesign of the African Mbira, and it consists of up to 150 metal tines attached to a wooden board, comprising up to five octaves.
Array Mbira
Sound is produced by the vibration of a string or strings that are stretched between fixed points.
Chordophone
the ancestor of all string instruments. It is the oldest and one of the most widely used string instruments of Africa. It consists of a single string attached to each end of a curved stick, similar to a bow and arrow.
Musical Bow
