different types of stringed instruments with pictures

When well-played, it takes on the role of the “fiddle” found in Irish or American country music. We were lucky enough to meet the Joginda Boys in 2011 in Siaya, where we witnessed Organda Joginda simultaneously playing “bass” with the Nyatiti, percussion with his leg “snares” and the kick drum with his big toe (wearing a metal ring) banging on the bottom of the Nyatiti. The rest of the band joined in clapping, dancing and providing wonderful backing vocals:Īfter the Nyatiti, the Orutu is the second most important instrument in Luo music (though we also encountered it in central Kenya, where it’s called the Wandindi). One of the most famous Nyatiti players of all time is Ayub Ogada, seen here playing “Kothbiro”: The Nyatiti is a stringed Luo instrument which, in the hands of the masters, serves as a bass, drum and rhythm guitar combined. The club included a percussion trio playing the Lungo and the Ndema, as well as two shakers and a Filimbi (a type of whistle). At the time Sita didn’t have much more than seven houses, two cows and lots of chickens, but it was home to the wonderful Nyerere wa Konde Music Club. We heard both the Lungo (broken glass moved around in a big bowl) and Ndema (two brass rings played in ringing and muted tones) back in 2011, when we ventured out to the coastal village of Sita near Malindi. You can read more about the trips on which we encountered these instruments, and some of the stories behind them, in our field reports. Since many of these instruments are all but unknown outside certain Kenyan ethnic groups, we wanted to share what we’ve learned about a few of the most interesting and unique. During our recording trips around Kenya – which have taken us over the years to the coast, the west and the central regions – we’ve come across a broad range of fascinating musical instruments played with impressive confidence and mastery by the communities that created them.

Different types of stringed instruments with pictures