Drums used in African traditional music include tama talking drums, bougarabou and djembe in West Africa, water drums in Central and West Africa, and the different types of ngoma drums in Central and Southern Africa.
Membraphones are instruments that produce sound by a vibrating membrane. The most common type of membranophone, drums, are utilized as both melodic and rhythmic instruments and come in a variety of sizes.
Chordophones are instruments that produce sounds with vibrating strings, sometimes plucked, sometimes struck, sometimes with a bow. One of the simplest and the most widespread of these instruments is the musical bow. Types of the musical bow included the earth bow, the mouth bow, and the resonator bow.
Idiophones are instruments that produce sound by vibrating themselves, without the aid of a vibrating string, membrane or reed. These include the xylophone and many kinds of shaken, struck and scraped percussion instruments. Idiophones include both melodic and rhythm instruments, and the most abundant type of instrument found in Africa.
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
I really enjoyed reading your blog and learning about the different types of instruments played in Africa. Are the instruments featured in your blog all traditional?
ReplyDeleteI found the chordophones the most interesting. The instrument actually looks a lot like an archer’s bow! In the photo it looks like the man is using his teeth to play the chordophone. I wonder what it would look like to play it with a bow, and what the bow looks like compared to fiddle bow. I wonder, also, what the bow would be made of. The strings of a traditional Western fiddle bow are made from horse tail hairs…I wonder if the concept of a chordophone bow is similar and, if so, what the bow is composed of?
Something I tend to notice about the instruments used in Africa is that they are mainly manufactured out of natural materials. I think the sounds produced from instruments made from natural materials are very beautiful, and would love to learn how to play one of the ones featured in your blog.
Nicely put, Hannah. I, too, would love to play on some of these instruments. Please add references for where you found your information and photos!
ReplyDeletei wish i had the chance to learn how to play these instruments. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteWhat an intriguing topic. Music is so diverse every where that you go. Seeing all of these hand made instruments is quite wonderful. No two are the same, because each are built by the hands of very talented people! Wonderful idea
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