Emma Barker Anja Stumpf In Africa, nearly everyone sings or plays an instrument. Music is an important part of everyday life. Used in social gatherings.

African Instruments

African InstrumentsEmma BarkerAnja StumpfIn Africa, nearly everyone sings or plays an instrument. Music is an important part of everyday life.Used in social gatherings such as:Healing practicesAt trialsWeddingsFuneralsVisits of important people

IntroductionPolitical, religious, and ceremonial2Instruments are typically made out of:WoodGourdsTurtle shells Animal horns and hides

Instruments may be made from recycled materials such as scrap metal from old cars or oil drums

MaterialsKalimbaTreble, Alto, Celeste, AfricanCommon in Sub-Saharan AfricaPlayed by holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with the thumbsMade from wood, bamboo, metal

One of the first prototypes of the modern piano

4Hybrid handcrafted instrument based on traditional xylophones from Mozambique and MalawiPiccolo, soprano, tenor, baritoneWooden bars struck with mallets Marimba

Designed in Zimbabwe in the 1960sSoprano plays melody and improvisesTenor rhythm, constant patternsBaritone bassline and cross rhythmsPiccolo improvise5Moropa, Ngoma, Djembe, water drumsOriginated from central and western AfricaMade from wood, clay pots, turtle shells , gourdsCan be 10 ft. tall or small enough to be held in one handDrums

Some ceremonial drums played only for the king or chiefUsed for communication over long distances up to 7 milesWater drums made from gourds turned upside down in buckets of water6Claves, tone blocks, shakers, box rattleFrom Cameroon and South AfricaMade out of reeds, wood, gourdsRattles and shakers are filled with pebbles, seeds, or beansPlayed by either striking or shaking

Hand Percussion

Shakers are based off of Latin American instruments7Nyanga pan pipes, Xhosa Uhadi bows, Kudu horns, Atenteben

Traditional Instruments

Pan pipes from Mozambique, played by blowing and must include intricate dance stepsBows are South AfricanHorns from Botswana and South Africa, played in pentatonic tonesAtenteben is a bamboo flute from Ghana8Xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels, bass chime barsOrff Instruments

Xylophones are all used for solo, group, and orchestra music, resonator, made from tempered sneezewood keys, handcrafted bodies, and a curved keyboardMetallophones have aluminum keysChime bars have a bigger sound because it resonates with one box per key9

"African Musical Instruments." African Musical Instruments. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.Courlander, Harold. "Musical Instruments of Haiti." The Musical Quarterly 27.3 (1941): 371-83. Web. Sept.-Oct. 2014.Forest, Wake. AFRICAN MUSIC AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.

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