Musical Instruments Of

Sub-Saharan Africa
An Abridged List
for the 2017-18 FAME Cultural Emphasis:
Sub-Saharan Africa
Wendy Bloom
Wendy.Bloom@fwcs.k12.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 20th century
American instruments the gravi-kora 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 low-
pitched 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 and is played with a small forged-
iron 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 and is shaken up hitting the hand and
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 Ṣẹ́kẹrẹ)[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
 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)
 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 1900s. 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
 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 12th 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 agbobaThe 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 "so-
go)". 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 and 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 and
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 1950s 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-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
Dunun (Malinké: [ˈdu.nun]; plural dunun) (also spelled dun
dun or doundoun) 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
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 Bantu-inhabited
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
 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 and 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
From Ngoni Mande slaves were exported there.
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
From Music
flute Of Africa single
sounding at New tones
World Encyclopedia
in a melodic chain.
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