African Musical Instruments

Drum

Thumb Piano Kalimba

African Xylophone Balaphon

Bow Pizzicato Bow Lute

Mara Cabasa

African music uses a large number and variety of musical instruments, with percussive body-sounding instruments being the most popular, and the types of drums exceed those of other continents. In comparison, air-sounding instruments and string-sounding instruments are secondary. In summary, most musical instruments have the characteristics of percussion, emphasizing clear rhythms and cadences. Relatively speaking, the skills of smooth playing are less valued. Here we will select a few of the most common or distinctive types of musical instruments and describe them separately. As follows:

1. Drums

Drums are extremely important in Africa. Each type of drum often represents a god and has its special functions in different ceremonies.

Djembe (Djembe)

Djembe (Djembe) is a very important part of life in African music and dance, especially various festival celebrations, such as full moon and weddings. They will sing and dance during festivals, harvests, after the Islamic fasting month and other celebrations. The most popular musical instrument used is the African drum (Djembe).

The African drum (Djembe) is a musical instrument of the Mandinka people. Its origins can be traced back to the Great Mali Empire in the twelfth century. It later became the most popular musical instrument in West Africa and is now used in It is also very popular in Western countries.

The African drum (Djembe) is a membrane-type (membrenophone) percussion instrument. Its shape imitates the stone mill used by Africans to grind corn or grain. It is made by hollowing out a whole tree trunk and covering it with sheepskin. The drum body is about 50 to 60 centimeters and the diameter is about 30 to 38 centimeters, but some African drums from Cote d'Ivoire have larger diameters.

The African drum (Djembe) produces sound by clapping with hands. When the parts of the drum are slapped, the timbre will also be different. It can produce three sounds: high, medium and low. This drum can be used as a solo player or in an ensemble with other traditional African instruments.

African Bass Drum (Djundjun)

The African Bass Drum (Djundjun) is also a very important instrument in African drumming, because its tone is deep and powerful, providing a stable rhythm for ensemble music. , can be said to be the "pulse" of the drum ensemble.

Both sides of the African bass drum (Djundjun) are covered with cowhide and struck with sticks. Traditionally, there are three sizes, called Kenkeni, Sangba and Djunmba. Now there are other products of different sizes.

Talking drum

The rhythm and pitch of the talking drum are entirely based on language.

The talking drum is a membrane-type (membrenophone) percussion instrument shaped like an hourglass timer, that is, the diameter is smaller in the center and larger at both ends. The drum head is covered with leather and some strings are used to connect the ends of the drum. When playing, hold the drum at your waist with your arms and hit the drum head with a curved stick. The player can use the elbow to tighten or relax to change the tension of the drum rope, and the drum head will make different sounds due to the different tension. Africans use this to represent different languages ??and to convey messages.

You can see people using talking drums in many African tribes. However, most of the talking drums in East Africa have only one side covered with drum heads, while those in West Africa have both sides covered with drum heads. In addition to conveying messages among the masses, talking drums are also used in religious ceremonies, singing and dancing, or festival celebrations.

There are also many different types of drums in Africa, such as animal belly drums, which come in various sizes, ranging from palm-sized to dining table-sized. There are many other types of drums, each with its own characteristics.

Ekwe / Log Drum / Slit-drum

The wooden drum, or "African wooden fish", is a musical instrument from Guinea, using a whole piece of wood, with two ends Each is made by digging a rectangular hole through the wooden body. Since the walls of the two holes are not the same thickness, they will make different sounds when struck on both sides. In addition to playing music, wooden drums are also mainly used to convey messages and warnings.

Large wooden drums are usually beaten with two sticks; small ones are beaten with one stick.

Wooden drums usually made from a red tree called "Orji" are more precious because of its beautiful natural color and its ability to prevent insects.

2. Thumb piano (Kalimba)

Thumb piano is a traditional musical instrument in Africa. In different African countries, thumb piano has different names. For example, Kalimba is the name of this instrument in Kenya, and in Zimbabwe it is It is called Mbira, Congolese people call it Likembe, and it also has names such as Sanza and Thumb Piano.

The sound body part of the thumb piano is the elastic metal bars of different lengths on the top, and wood or gourd is used as the sound box below. In the past, the raw material of these metal bars was only metal melted in ore, but now they are made of higher quality steel. Thumb pianos come in many different shapes, and the number of steel bars varies. For example, the thumb piano in Zimbabwe has 22 to 28 steel bars arranged in two rows.

The thumb piano is mainly used to accompany singing. When playing, hold the piano body with both hands, and then play with two thumbs. When the thumbs are pressed and released, the steel plate will Vibrated and made a sound. Some thumb pianos are equipped with some objects such as shells or soda bottle caps, so that when playing, they can make a "hissing" sound at the same time, or the sound made when the metal sheet of a tambourine shakes, making the sound effect richer.

The thumb piano is small and easy to carry. At sunset and dusk, people will gather in a circle and use it as an accompaniment for singing or telling stories. Some natives will also carry it when walking long distances. It comes to pass the time along the way.

3. African xylophone (Balaphon)

This is a musical instrument that can be found in Ghana or Zimbabwe in Africa. Wooden blocks of different lengths are used as sound emitters, which can produce different pitches. It is an instrument used to play the melody of music.

In order to make the xylophone produce a louder sound, some gourds are added under the wood pieces to serve as a sound box.

4. Bow Lute

Musical Bow

Probably the most primitive stringed instrument, it evolved directly from the bow of a bow and arrow, using the mouth, chest or gourd as a Nasal sounds are very common in Africa.

Gourd harp (Kora)

It is the most distinctive harp-lute in Africa. It is very common in Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Mali and other places in West Africa. .

5. Sand mallet

Cabasa

Also called Axtase or Skakeres, a net made of rope and seeds is placed on the dried gourd melon, which will emit sounds when shaken. sound. There are also some kabasa nets strung with shells, wooden beads, porcelain beads or glass beads, and modern nets are also woven with nylon ropes. As for the kabasa used in music classes in schools, most of them are changed into the shape of a round wheel with rows of steel balls on it.

When playing kabasa, just hold the smaller end and pat it gently on your thigh or palm.

Maracas (Maracas)

Maracas are musical instruments used by many ethnic groups. They look similar, and are often engraved with patterns with national colors. The most common sand mallet is made of a melon shell containing beads and a wooden handle. There is also the Zambian sand mallet, made from several melon shells joined together. When playing, hold the wooden handle of the sand mallet and shake it gently. Sand hammers are often used in pairs.

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