African Instruments — I`ve Got the World on a String

EE: African Instruments ­­ I' ve Got the World on a String
TODAY IN EXPLORE EVERYWHERE:
­­ IN AFRICA, STRINGED AND PLUCKED INSTRUMENTS
ABOUND ­­ HOW TO MAKE A SIMPLE SINTIR
​
­­ FOLLOW BELA FLECK TO AFRICA
­­ A STRINGY, PLUCKY, INSTRUMENT­Y TOUR
AFRICAN MUSICIANS MAY NOT BE HIGH­
STRUNG, BUT THEIR INSTRUMENTS ARE
Across the continent of Africa drums may be number one,
but sometimes the string is king. In addition to being home
to some of the world's most melodic modern guitar players,
all around Africa traditional stringed instruments abound. Some of these instruments, like the North African SINTIR or
the West African NGONI look and play a lot like guitars (the
AKONTING looks and plays so much like a banjo it inspired
Bela Fleck to get on a plane to come visit it ­­ more on that
below). Others, like the Ethiopian BEGENA, the Kenyan
NYATITI and the West African KORA are more like harps
or lyres. A lot of instruments that are components of Arabic
or Persian ensembles in West Asia and the Middle East,
like the OUD and the Persian TAR, also make an appearance, especially in Africa's north and
east. As you may imagine, many of these African instruments
inspired stringed instruments we hold near and dear in the
West, like the Brazilian berimbau which owes a clear debt to
the Zimbabwean KALUMBU. Scroll down for a stringy,
plucky YouTube tour.
You will find the most accessible and thorough online guide
to African "plucked instruments" ­­ the best guide to the rest
of the world's plucked instruments too ­­ at
AtlasofPluckedInstruments.com. In today's "try­this­at­home" video we make a do­it­
yourself version of a Moroccan sintir, also known as
the guembri, gimbri or hejhouj. The three­stringed,
bass­like lute forms the foundation of Gnawa music,
a type of Islamic spiritual practice associated with the
Gnawa people, who originated in Western Africa but
ultimately migrated north. Gnawa performances often
take place at "lilas," communal gatherings that
happen at night and build in momentum over the
course of the evening so those in attendance are
able to join in a collective trance. *(I don't do any of
that in the video. I just make a guitar­like
thingamagig out of a box.) Learn about the Gnawa lilas here. WHEREFORE ART THOU, BANJO?
In this lovingly crafted documentary, American banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck travels
around Africa in search of the origins of his chosen instrument. On the way he
does a whole lot more than just find an akonting and call it a day. Throughout the
film Fleck has musical adventures aplenty, but he comes across as very soft­
spoken, not just verbally but also in his banjo playing, always letting the African
musicians take the lead. A film for for American and African music­lovers alike.
Watch the trailer here. | Watch an amazing scene from the film featuring a
Ugandan xylophone called an embaire
TAKE A YOUTUBE TOUR OF AFRICAN STRINGS
Rainy day? Or just looking for musical fun? Bounce around Africa with me on YouTube for a
while and join me in marveling at the diversity and sheer imagination of African stringed
instruments.
ENJOY!