Kora (instrument) facts for kids
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| String instrument | |
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| Classification | West African stringed instrument with 21 strings |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 323-5 (Composite chordophone sounded by the bare fingers) |
| Developed | 16th century |
The kora is a 21-string harp-lute used mostly by peoples in West Africa. It is a Mandinka harp built from a small calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator with a long hardwood neck. The skin is supported by two handles that run under it. It has 21 strings, each playing a different note.
Traditional 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.
A vital accessory in the past was the nyenmyemo, a leaf-shaped plate of tin or brass with wire loops threaded around the edge. Clamped to the bridge, it produced sympathetic sounds, serving as an amplifier since the sound carried well in the open air. In today's environment players usually prefer or need an electric pickup.
Images for kids
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Kora (Bridge-Harp Or Plucked Harp-Lute) from St. Cecilia's Hall Museum, Edinburgh
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Master kora-maker Alieu Suso of the Gambia
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A kora player wearing a korte necklace, from the central northern Bandiagara Escarpment, Mopti Region, Mali. The kora neck and handles appear to have broken off. Late 1700s.
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Sambou, jali of Niantanso, Mali, with a Kamalengoni (a relation to the Kora) in 1872.
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Kora players in Sénégal, 1900. The koras are straight-necked, with handles, carrying cords, tacked skins and small, square soundholes.
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Jali Fily Sissokho playing a 22-string kora, tuned with konso string terminations and strung with nylon monofilament strings, 2008.
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Sona Jobarteh tuning a 22-string kora with open machine head tuners, 2017.
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Playing position of a kora, showing how the strings are notched into both sides of the square bridge
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The gravi-kora, an electric instrument, lacks the acoustic instrument's gourd-and-skin resonator.
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4 Koras showing 4 sides
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4 Koras (zoom in version)
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See also
In Spanish: Kora (instrumento) para niños
