The richness of African musical styles is matched only by the continent’s enormous variety of musical instruments. The instruments carry deep cultural meaning and are passed down through generations. African music includes genres such as makwaya, highlife, mbube, township music, jùjú, fuji, jaiva, afrobeat, afrofusion, mbalax, Congolese rumba, soukous, ndombolo, makossa, kizomba, taarab and others.
Each African group evolved in a different area of the continent, which means that they ate different foods, faced different weather conditions, and came in contact with different groups than other societies did. Each group moved at different rates and to different places than others, and thus each was influenced by different people and circumstances.
While most instruments in Africa serve roles that go beyond simple entertainment, stringed instruments in particular have long played a role in maintaining oral traditions, preserving genealogies, and accompanying religious and ritual ceremonies. Performances may be long and often involve the participation of the audience.
Let’s take a deep dive into the world of African musical instruments.
AFRICAN MUSICAL DOCUMENTARY FULL DOCUMENTARY (land of sound and African music)
West African Instruments
West African music is rich in rhythm and tradition, strongly focusing on percussion and storytelling. It is woven into daily life in Ghana and across the region and used in festivals, ceremonies, and community gatherings.
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West African music has regional variations, with Muslim regions incorporating elements of Islamic music and non-Muslim regions more influenced by indigenous traditions, according to the historian Sylviane Diouf and ethnomusicologist Gerhard Kubik.
Percussion Instruments
These skin covered instruments form the beat and heart of African music. Percussion is integral to African dance and spiritual music. Multiple layers of interlocking rhythmic patterns ensure a vibrant and dynamic performance.
- Djembe: The djembe is played using the hands to produce a variety of deep, expressive sounds. Originating from Guinea and Mali, it's believed that its name comes from the Mali term ‘anke-dje-anke-be’, translating to ‘everyone gather together’.
- Shekere: The shekere is a hand-held percussion instrument crafted from a dried gourd wrapped in a net of beads or shells. When shaken or tapped, it creates a lively, rattling sound that adds texture and rhythm to the music.
- Talking Drum (Dùndún): The talking drum, or dùndún, can be tuned to mimic the tonal language of many West African languages. Played with a curved stick, it can produce a wide range of pitches and is often called the talking drum. The dùndún, often called the "talking drum," is a traditional instrument widely used in Nigeria, Ghana, and West Africa. Renowned for mimicking human speech's tones and rhythms, it is used for music, storytelling, and communication.
- Sabar: The sabar is a traditional West African drum with a tall, narrow body. It is played with either sticks or hands and is common at weddings. The sabar is a drum from Senegal often used in traditional and contemporary music.
- Kpanlogo: The kpanlogo drum hails from the greater Accra region of Ghana and plays a key role in social dances and celebrations. Known for its sharp, distinct sound, the kpanlogo is ideal for use in dances and festivals.
- Ekwe: Falling under the category of percussion, the Ekwe is a set of drums found in the community of Igbo. It is simply a hollowed-out tree trunk with rectangular slots. Its sound is impressive and it's deep and rich, creating beautiful beats.
Stringed Instruments
Although there are hundreds of different types of stringed instruments across the continent, they can broadly be divided into into bowed (fiddles), plucked (harps, lutes, zithers, harp-lutes, harp-zithers) and beaten (musical bows, earth-bows) types.
- Kora: The kora is one of the most well-known instruments in West African music, particularly in the Mande cultures of countries like Mali and Senegal. It is a large, 21-string instrument that blends the qualities of a harp and lute. Played by plucking its strings with both hands, it produces a clear, melodic tone with a natural rhythm. Traditionally played by griots-West African oral historians and musicians-the kora is often used to accompany songs, poetry, and storytelling.
- Ngoni: The Ngoni is typically handcrafted from a wooden frame with strings stretched across it. The strings are usually plucked with the fingers to create a warm sound. The ngoni has a unique sound that is both melodic and percussive. It is often used in solo performances or ensemble settings.
- Akoting: Commonly found in West Africa, the akoting is said to be the inspiration for the modern-day banjo. Oral history says its birthplace was in a Senegal village called Kanjanka.
Xylophones
West African xylophones are an essential part of the african music. Due to its upbeat tone, this instrument is played at a range of festivals and ceremonies. The xylophone produces its sound by being struck by a mallet, and the wooden bars make a sound.
- Balafon: The balafon is a traditional wooden xylophone with a warm, melodic tone. Musicians play it by striking the wooden keys with padded mallets, often creating lively, flowing rhythms. Beneath the keys, hollow gourds act as natural resonators, giving the instrument its buzz. The balafon has long been part of West African life. It is heard at ceremonies, dances, and gatherings and often supports storytelling or spiritual events.
- Gyil: The Gyil is the national instrument of the Lobi and Degara people of Burkina Faso, Ghana and the Ivory Coast. With 14 wooden slats it is played by just about every male in the community to some degree of competence.
Wind Instruments
- Algaita: The Algaita is a wind instrument, and it’s the perfect choice for all lovers of jazz. This oboe-like piece produces flute-like sounds when placing your fingers over the four holes.
Other African Instruments
Africa’s wide range of eclectic traditional musical instruments produces rich, diverse sounds, some of which are only heard during special occasions, while others face extinction.
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- Udu: The term ‘udu’ means ‘pot’. It looks like a clay water jug with an extra hole. This instrument is popular among the Igbo tribe in South-eastern Nigeria.
- Wooden Flute: Primarily found in Guinea and Senegal, the wooden flute is made from ethically sourced conical vine, wrapped in leather and handstitched in cloth and cowrie shell.
- Marimba: When you say the word marimba, it instantly puts you in the mood to get grooving, especially as you hear its soft and melodic tones.
- Kalimba: The kalimba is also known as a thumb piano. Its harmonic, mellow notes are created by plucking the keys with your thumbs and covering and uncovering the holes for vibrato.
- Bendir: The ‘bendir’ looks like a tambourine in a wooden frame, but instead of shaking it, it creates a noise when hit with the palm or fingers. This way it creates a rhythm and a beat to dance to.
- Mbira: The ‘mbira’ is another member of the percussion family. Known by a range of names, including ‘agidigbo’, the mbira is often used in hip-hop songs due to the unique sounds it produces.
Stringed Instruments Across Africa
Stringed instruments across Africa play specific social roles: some serve ritual or religious purposes, while others can only be played by people of a certain age, sex, or status.
- Orutu: The orutu, for example, is a one-stringed vertical fiddle of the Luo community from Western Kenya that was almost lost because of Western missionaries’ suppression of traditional African cultures.
- Goje: By far the most common is the goje or “Hausa Violin” and its many variations, a one or two stringed fiddle traditionally tied to pre-Islamic rituals in the Sahel and Sudan.
- Lyres: Lyres are most typical of northeastern Africa, both as traditional instruments and in their updated, “modernized” versions.
- Endongo: The national instrument of the Baganda people of Uganda is the endongo, an increasingly rare lyre made with the skin of either a monitor lizard or ant lizard.
- Nyatiti: In Kenya, one of the most popular traditional instruments is the eight-stringed plucked bowl lyre known as the nyatiti, made famous across the world by the delicate, transportive music of Ayub Ogada.
- Valiha: Different types of zither can be found in various parts of Africa, but are by far most common in Madagascar, where the valiha tube zither, constructed with 21 and 24 strings made by unwound bicycle brake cable tied through nails, running the length of a long bamboo pole, is considered a national instrument.
The Sounds and Rhythms
African music is also highly improvised. Traditional music in most of the continent is passed down through oral tradition. There are subtle differences in pitch and intonation that do not easily translate to Western notation. African music most closely adheres to Western tetratonic (four-note), pentatonic (five-note), hexatonic (six-note), and heptatonic (seven-note) scales.
The playing of polyrhythms is one of the most universal characteristics of Sub-Saharan 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. Many languages spoken in Africa are tonal languages, leading to a close connection between music and language in some local cultures. These particular communities use vocal sounds and movements with their music as well.
Modern African Music
Modern African music includes music based on tradition, music fusing Eastern and Western styles and instruments (world music) and music that is very progressive; embracing technology and the very latest of sounds and beats. Instruments continue to be made and produced in many African countries for the commercial market.
Table of Traditional African Instruments
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| Instrument | Type | Region/Culture | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Djembe | Percussion | West Africa | Goblet-shaped drum played with hands |
| Kora | Stringed | West Africa (Mande) | 21-string harp-lute |
| Balafon | Xylophone | West Africa | Wooden xylophone with gourd resonators |
| Talking Drum | Percussion | West Africa | Drum that mimics tonal languages |
| Ngoni | Stringed | West Africa | Lute-like instrument with a wooden frame |
| Mbira | Lamellophone | Southern Africa | Thumb piano with metal keys |
| Algaita | Wind | West Africa | Double reed wind instrument similar to an oboe |
| Orutu | Stringed | Western Kenya (Luo) | One-stringed vertical fiddle |
| Nyatiti | Stringed | Kenya (Luo) | Eight-stringed plucked bowl lyre |
| Valiha | Zither | Madagascar | Tube zither made from bamboo |
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