Obokano
The obokano (also spelled obukano) is a large bass bowl lyre from Kenya. It is used by the Gusii ethnic group.
The instrument is made from a skin of a cow or goat and a bowl like structure curved out of a wood stump. It consists of eight strings whose tensions on the crossbar can be adjusted to produce different tones. It has been described as "the double-bass of East Africa."[1]
This is the largest such lyre in Kenya and instruments may be as large as six feet tall. It is used to accompany singing and dancing, Gusii music usually being vocal. When used solo, it is generally as an introduction to singing.[2] The instrument is usually reserved for male members of the Gusii.[3]
References
[edit]- ↑ Remnant, Mary (1978). "World Instruments". The Musical Times. 119 (1626): 680–681. doi:10.2307/959148. ISSN 0027-4666. JSTOR 959148.
- ↑ Varnum 1971, p. 243,246
- ↑ Varnum 1971, p. 247
Further reading
[edit]- Hyslop, Graham. "Some Musical Instruments of Kenya." African Arts, vol. 5, no. 4 (Summer 1972), pp. 48-55.
- Varnum, John P. (1971). "The Obokano of the Gusii: A Bowl Lyre of East Africa". Ethnomusicology. 15 (2): 242–248. doi:10.2307/850469. ISSN 0014-1836.
External links
[edit]
 | This Kenya related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
.png){kind=small} | This article relating to lyres is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |