MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

OF AFRICA
African music includes all the major instrumental genres of
western music, including strings, winds, and percussion,
along with a tremendous variety of specific African musical
instruments for solo or ensemble playing
A. Idiophones
 These are percussion instruments that are either struck with a mallet or against one
another.

2.Rattles
- Rattles are made of seashells,tin,basketry, animal hoofs, horn,
wood, metal bells, cocoons, palm kernels, or tortoise shells.
These rattling vessels may range from single to several objects
that are either joined or suspended in such
a way as they hit each other
 3.Agogo – The agogo is a single bell or multiple bells that
had its origins in traditional Yoruba music and also in the samba
baterias (percussion)ensembles. The agogo may be called “the
oldest samba instrument based on West African Yoruba single or
double bells.” It has the highest pitch of any of the bateria
instruments.

4.Atingting Kon
- These are slit gongs used to
communicate between villages. They were carved out
of wood to resemble ancestors and had a “slit
opening” at the bottom. In certain cases, their sound
could carry for miles through the forest and even
across water to neighboring islands. A series of gong
“languages” were composed of beats and pauses,
making it possible to send highly specific messages.
5.Slit drum
- The slit drum 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. 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 in width or thicknesses, the drum will produce
two different pitches.

6.Djembe
- The West African djembe (pronounced zhem-bay) is one of the
best-known African drums is. It is shaped like a large goblet and
played with bare hands. The body is carved from a hollowed trunk
and is covered in goat skin .Log drums come in different shapes and
sizes as well : tubular drums, bowl-shaped drums, and friction drums.
Some have one head, others have two heads. The bigger the drum, the
lower the tone or pitch. The more tension in the drum head, the
higher the tone produced. These drums are played using hands or
sticks or both; and sometimes have rattling metal and jingles attached
to the outside or seeds and beads placed inside the drum. They are
sometimes held under the armpit or with a sling.
7.Shekere
The shekere 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. The agbe is another gourd drum
with cowrie shells usually strung with white
cotton thread. The axatse is a small gourd, held by the neck and
placed between hand and leg.

8.Rasp

- A rasp, or scraper, is a hand percussion

instrument whose sound is produced by scraping the
notches on a piece of wood (sometimes elaborately
carved) with a stick, creating a series of rattling
effects.
 B. Membranophones
Membranophones
are instruments which have vibrating animal membranes used in drums. Their shapes may be
conical, cylindrical, barrel, hour-glass, globular, or kettle, and are played with sticks, hands, or a
combination of both. African drums are usually carved from a single wooden log, and may also be
made from ceramics,gourds, tin cans, and oil drums. Examples of these are found in the different
localities – entenga (Ganda), dundun (Yoruba), atumpan (Akan), and ngoma (Shona), while some are
constructed with wooden staves and hoops.

1.Body percussion
- Africans frequently use their bodies as musical instruments. Aside from their voices, where
many of them are superb singers, the body also serves as a drum as people clap their hands, slap
their thighs, pound their upper arms or chests, or shuffle their feet.
This body percussion creates exciting rhythms which also stir them to action. Moreover, the wearing of
rattles or bells on their wrists, ankles, arms, and waists enhances their emotional response.
2.Talking drum
The talking drum is used to send messages to announce births, deaths,
marriages, sporting events, dances, initiation, or war. Sometimes it may also
contain gossip or jokes. It is believed that the drums can carry direct messages
to the spirits after the death of a loved one.

However, learning to play messages on drums is extremely

difficult, resulting in its waning popularity. An example of the
talking drum is the Luna.
C. Lamellaphone
One of the most popular African percussion instruments is the lamellaphone, which is a set of
plucked tongues or keys mounted on a sound board. It is known by different names according to the
regions such as mbira, karimba, kisaanj, and likembe.

Mbira
(hand piano or thumb piano) - The thumb piano or finger xylophone
is of African origin and is used throughout the continent. It consists
of a wooden board with attached staggered metal tines (a series of
wooden, metal, or rattan tongues), plus an additional resonator to
increase its volume. It is played by holding the instrument in the
hands and plucking the tines with the thumbs, producing a soft
plucked sound.
 D. Chordophones
1.Musical bow
The musical bow is 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. The string is either plucked or struck with another stick, producing a per-cussive yet
delicate sound. The earth bow, the mouth bow, and the resonator-bow are the principal types of
musical bows.

The earth bow, ground bow, or pit harp consist of a hole in

the ground, a piece of flexible wood and a piece of chord. The
musician plucks the taut string to accompany his singing.
When the half gourd is not buried, the performer holds the
instrument very tightly under his knee flat side down, so that
the chord puts enough tension on the wood to bend it into the
shape of a hunting bow.
 A more advanced form of ground bow is made from a log, half a gourd, a flat piece of wood,
and cord. The wooden strip is driven firmly into one end of the log and the half gourd is fastened to
the log about 2 feet away from the wooden strip. The cord, fastened from the wooden strip to the
gourd, is stretched so tightly into the shape of a bow. The player holds the instrument on the ground
by placing one leg across the log between the resonating gourd and the wooden strip.

2.Lute
(konting, khalam, and the nkoni)-The lute, originating from the Arabic states, is shaped like the
modern guitar and played in similar fashion.

It has a resonating body, a neck, and one or

more strings which stretch across the length of its
body and neck. The player tunes the strings by
tightening or loosening the pegs at the top of the
lute’s neck.

West African plucked lutes include

the konting, khalam, and the nkoni
 3.Kora
The Kora is Africa's most sophisticated harp, while also
having features similar to a lute. Its body is made from a gourd or
calabash. A support for the bridge is set across the opening and
covered with a skin that is held in place with studs. The leather
rings around the neck are used to tighten the 21 strings that give the
instrument a range of over three octaves. The kora is held upright
and played with the fingers.

4.Zither
The zither is a stringed instrument with varying sizes and
shapes whose strings are stretched along its body. Among the
types of African zither are the raft or Inanga zither from
Burundi, the tubular or Valiha zither from Malagasy, and the
harp or Mvet zither from Cameroon.
5.Zeze
The zeze is an African fiddle played with a bow, a small wooden stick, or plucked with the
fingers. It has one or two strings, made of steel or bicycle brake wire. It is from Sub-Saharan
Africa. It is also known by the names tzetze and dzendze, izeze and endingidi; and on
Madagascar is called lokanga (or lokango) voatavo.
 E. Aerophones
Aerophones
are instruments which are produced initially by trapped vibrating air columns or which enclose a
body of vibrating air. Flutes in various sizes and shapes, horns, panpipes, whistle types, gourd and
shell megaphones, oboe, clarinet, animal horn and wooden trumpets fall under this category.

1.Flutes
Flutes are widely used throughout Africa and either vertical or side-blown. They are usually
fashioned from a single tube closed at one end and blown like a bottle
Panpipes
consist of cane pipes of
different lengths tied in a row or
in a bundle held together by
wax or cord, and generally
closed at the bottom. They are
blown across the top, each
providing a different note.
 2.Horns
Horns and trumpets, found almost everywhere in Africa, are commonly made from elephant tusks and
animal horns. With their varied attractive shapes, these instruments are end-blown or side-blown and range in
size from the small signal whistle of the southern cattle herders to the large ivory horns of the tribal chiefs of the
interior. One trumpet variety, the wooden trumpet, may be simple or artistically carved, sometimes resembling
crocodile’s head.

Kudu horn
- This is one type of horn made from the
horn of the kudu antelope. It releases a mellow and warm sound
that adds a unique African accent to the music. This instrument,
which comes in a set of six horns, reflects the cross of musical
traditions in Africa. Today, the kudu horn can also be seen in
football matches, where fans blow it to cheer for their favourite
teams
 3.Reed pipes
- There are single-reed pipes made from hollow guinea corn or
sorghum stems, where the reed is a flap partially cut from the stem near one
end. It is the vibration of this reed that causes the air within the hollow
instrument to vibrate, thus creating the sound.
There are also cone-shaped double-reed
instruments similar to the oboe or shawm.The most
well-known is the rhaita orghaita, an oboe-like
double reed instrument from northwest Africa. It is
one of the primary instruments used by
traditional music ensembles from Morocco. The
rhaita was even featured in the Lord of the Rings
soundtrack, specifically in the Mordor theme.
4.Whistles
- Whistles found throughout the continent may be
made of wood or other materials. Short pieces of horn serve
as whistles, often with a short tube inserted into the
mouthpiece. Clay can be molded into whistles of many shapes
and forms and then baked. Pottery whistles are sometimes
shaped in the form of a head, similar to the Aztec whistles of
Central America and Mexico.
5.Trumpets
- African trumpets are made of wood, metal, animal horns,
elephant tusks, and gourds with skins from snakes, zebras, leopards, crocodiles
and animal hide as ornaments to the instrument. They are mostly ceremonial in
nature, often used to announce the arrival or departure of important guests.
In religion and witchcraft, some tribes believe in the magical powers of
trumpets to frighten away evil spirits, cure diseases, and protect warriors and
hunters from harm.
African Musical Instruments from the
Environment
Many instruments of Africa are made from natural elements like wood, metal, animal,
skin and horns, as well as improvised ones like tin cans and bottles. These are
mainly used to provide rhythmic sounds, which are the most defining element of African
music. Africans make musical instruments from the materials in the environment, like
forest areas from where they make large wooden drums. Drums may also be made of
clay, metal, tortoise shells, or gourds. Xylophones are made of lumber or bamboo, while
flutes can be constructed wherever reeds or bamboo grow. Animal horns are used as
trumpets while animal hides, lizard skins, and snake skins can function as decorations as
well as provide the membranes for drum heads. Laces made of hides and skins are used
for the strings of harps, fiddles, and lutes.
On the other hand, bamboo was used to form the tongues of thumb pianos, the frames of
stringed instruments, and stamping tubes. Strips of bamboo are even clashed together
rhythmically. Gourds, seeds, stones, shells, palm leaves, and the hard-shelled fruit of the
calabash tree are made into rattles. Ancient Africans even made musical instruments
from
human skulls decorated with human hair while singers use their body movements to
accompany their singing.
Modern Africans make use of recycled waste materials such as strips of roofing metal,
empty oil drums, and tin cans. These people, bursting with rhythm, make music with
everything and anything. At present, new materials that are more easily accessible, such
as soda cans and bottles, are becoming increasingly important for the construction of
percussion instruments. Some rhythmic instruments like scrapers, bells, and rattles also
provide the pitch and timbre when played in an ensemble to provide contrasts in tone
quality and character.
THE END