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| Kora |
The African Kora is a 21-string bridge-harp used most commonly in West Africa. It is a plucked string instrument. It is built from a large calabash (large hard-shelled globose fruit) cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator, and has a notched bridge.
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| Calabash |
The player uses only the thumb and index finger of both hands to pluck the strings (using the remaining fingers to secure the instrument by holding the hand posts on either side of the strings).
Traditional African koras feature 21 strings, eleven played by the left hand and ten by the right. Modern koras made in the Casamance region of southern Senegal sometimes feature additional bass strings, adding up to four strings to the traditional 21. Strings were traditionally made from thin strips of hide, for example antelope skin - now most strings are made from harp strings or nylon fishing line, sometimes plaited together to create thicker strings. By moving leather tuning rings up and down the neck, a kora player can retune the instrument into one of four seven-note scales. The tone produced is of a plucky timbre with a range of just over 3.5 octaves (AfricanMusic.org). These scales are close in tuning to western Major, Minor and Lydian modes.
Kora music is mostly passed down by ear, and its music was not written until the 20th century. Now, some of the Kora music is written in treble clef, following the Keur Moussa notation system, created in the 1970s by Brother Dominique Catta, the choirmaster of the Keur Moussa Monastery. The monastery is also known for reconstructing the kora to provide easier tuning system for the masses (Jacques Burtin). The seven low notes can be written in the bass clef, or can be replaced by Arabic or Roman numerals, then written on the treble clef.
Music of the African Kora is often played in homophony. Often times the right hand will play the melody in the higher register, and the left hand the accompaniment in the lower register.
Prior to the 20th century, the African Kora is often played by griots, nomadic musicians. Today, the African Kora is played in various occasions. In Europe, Lamine Konte, an African Kora musician from Senegal, fuses into Afro-Cuban rhythms; in the United States, Foday Musa Suso, an African Kora musician from Gambia, crosses his music with jazz performers and contemporary music composers (i.e. Phillip Glass) ((Jacques Burtin).
