Kora – musical instrument

The kora is a stringed instrument, like a combination between the lute and the harp, with a classical guitar-like sound quality, played throughout Senegal and elsewhere in West Africa. It is constructed from a hide-covered calabash gourd resonator and a long hardwood neck.

A kora typically has 21 strings, which are played by plucking with the fingers eleven played by the left hand and ten by the right. In ancient times the strings were traditionally made from thin strips of animal hide

Twenty-one leather or nylon strings are attached to the top of the neck with leather tuning rings. The strings pass over a notched bridge (10 strings on one side of the bridge, 11 on the other) and are anchored to the bottom of the neck with a metal ring.

The sound of a kora resembles that of a harp characteristic of flamenco and delta blues guitar techniques. The play the kora, the performer uses only the thumb and index finger of both hands to pluck the strings.

Historically its twenty-one strings were made from thin strips of finely twisted antelope hide. Since the early 1950s, nylon fishing line has been used instead because it resists changes in weather, does not easily break, and yields a good sound.

The Gambia River valley is one of the main centres for the playing of this instrument. The kora has been played for at least 200 years in West Africa. It is traditionally associated with minstrels, and played to accompany narrative songs.
Kora – musical instrument