BéréSanké Percussion, Kocassalé Dioubaté, Hand-made drums, Workshops, Performances
Hand-made African drums, instruments, music, workshops and performances.
Kora
The Kora is the West African lute or harp - a sacred instrument of the Mandingo tribe, traditionally played only by the Griot caste when recounting historical accounts and folktales.
The Kora is made of a hollowed half-gourd, covered with a cow, goat or sheep hide, which is attached to the gourd with decorative nails or tacks. A rounded piece of wood goes through the gourd and acts as the instrument neck, with 3 smaller rounded sticks of wood that go through the skin only and act as handles and crossbar. A hole in the gourd itself allows the sound to flow out.
Along the neck of the Kora are braided strips of hide that act as tuning rings, and each ring (called in Mandinka Konso) corresponds to one string (the professional Kora has 21). The ring itself is moved up or down the neck to tighten and tune the string.
The strings also run along the notches carved into a wooden bridge that stands upright on a wooden cushion covered with cloth (traditionally red), which sits in the centre of the hide. The strings are knotted along an iron ring at the base of the instrument.
Traditionally, the strings of the Kora would have been made with twisted strips of goatskin or sinew, but these days, different thicknesses of nylon fishing line are used instead. Several nylon strings twisted together create the thicker bass strings.
When playing the Kora, the index fingers and thumbs of both hands are used to pluck the strings.
In the last decade, a new tuning system for the Kora has emerged in and out of Africa, which involves wooden keys along the neck (rather than the braided strips of hide). This allows for more ease and control over the tuning, much like the tuning of a guitar.
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Kora 10" x 28" Traditional Tuning
$375.00
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Kora 18" x 44" Traditional Tuning
$525.00
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Kora 12" x 36" Key Tuning
$525.00  
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Kora 18" x 44" Key Tuning
$575.00
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