Musical bows proliferate throughout the sub-Saharan Africa. From the Liberian Gbon-kpala to the uMakhweyana in the Cape these simple but varied instruments have formed a core part of the African oeuvre. Below are bows that have presently been transcribed by the IAM Project.
Ugubhu
Ugubhu bow is an unbraced gourd-bow that comes from the Zulu speaking people. The bow instrument is an “old traditional instrument that people were playing during the time of King Shaka” (Mandela; 2005). The instrument’s popularity waned in the early 20th century when Umakhweyane (braced-bows) became more popular. The famous Zulu Princess Magogo who used it to record traditional Zulu songs preserved the instrument’s legacy.
With the help of the Zulu Benedict Brother Clement Sithole reseacher Dave Dargie managed “to find three more Ugubhu players in Nongoma District in the early 80’s. Those were Mr and Mrs B. Mpanza and Mrs Natalina Mhlongo” (Dargie; 1986). Brother Clement still plays and teaches Ugubhu at UKZN on part-time basis.
The instrument is made of a long stick from the Uthathawe tree (acacia ataxacantha), a calabash, a string made from twisted cow-tail hairs, and sound is produced by striking the string with a beater” (Mandela; 2005). uHadi is a traditional Xhosa unbraced musical bow instrument. The wooden bow is strung with gut or wire and attached to iSelwa (calabash) which resonates and amplifies the sound. The bow is played with uMqungu (a beater) made from a thin stalk of grass which is beaten against the string. In the Eastern Cape of South Africa, uHadi is known to be an instrument that is commonly played by married women. Men and children, however, do occasionally play the instrument.
References:
Mandela, T., 2005. The Revival and Revitalization of Musical Bow practice in South Africa. Degree of Masters. Cape Town: University of Cape Town.
Dargie, D., 1986. Musical Bows in Southern Africa. Africa Insight, Vol 16 no 1, 1 – 11.
Uhadi
uHadi is a traditional Xhosa unbraced musical bow instrument. The wooden bow is strung with gut or wire and attached to iSelwa (calabash) which resonates and amplifies the sound. The bow is played with uMqungu (a beater) made from a “thin stalk of grass often plucked from the roof-thatch which is beaten against the string” (Dargie, 1986).
Uhadi playing position is like that of the Zulu Ugubhu, the bow stave is held in the right hand (or left if the player is left-handed), near the lower end of the stave, so that the opening in the gourd resonator faces the player’s breast” (Mandela, 2005).
Variations in pitch are produced by pinching the string, and variations in tone are made by shifting the gourd’s position on the chest.
References:
Dargie, D., 1986. Musical Bows in Southern Africa. Africa Insight, Vol 16 no 1, 1 – 11.
Mandela, T., 2005. The Revival and Revitalization of Musical Bow practice in South Africa. Degree of Masters. Cape Town: University of Cape Town.
uMakhweyane
uMakhweyane “has a gourd resonator mounted near the center of the stave. The string is metal, made of wire, and is divided into two sections by means of a wire loop, which is ‘anchored’ inside the gourd. This loop also goes around the main string.
The bow stave is held with fingers 3, 4 and 5 holding the stave and the index finger is free to stop the lower string segment, usually with the knuckle. Playing action involves sharp staccato-like strokes on the string segments” (Mandela, 2005).
The calabash creates a distinctive overtone structure that adds to the unique quality of the instrument’s sound.
uMakhweyane was originally made to be played by women, but is now accepted as an instrument for all people The same instrument can be found in Swaziland and is widely played by older women.
References: .
Mandela, T., 2005. The Revival and Revitalization of Musical Bow practice in South Africa. Degree of Masters. Cape Town: University of Cape Town.
Umqangala
“Umqangala is a 60cm mouth-resonated, finger-plucked bow made from hollow river-reed which is unflexible. It is strung with thin gut, tendon, or sometimes discarded fishing line”. (Johnston, 1980) Umqangala is made like the Xhosa uMrhubhe, with a short curved bow and unbraced string. The player beats it with a light reed, following the melody by resonating the overtones with the mouth. The string is touched with the thumb or a finger in order to obtain the higher fundamental (Dargie, 2007).
References:
Johnston, T.F., 1980. The Mqangala and Xipendana musical bows of the Shangana-Tsonga. Afrika und Übersee, 63, pp.2-1980.
Dargie, D., 2007. Umakhweyana: A musical bow and its contribution to Zulu Music. International Library of African Music, Vol. 8 no. 1, 60 – 81.
uMrhubhe
uMrhubhe is a stringed mouth-bow instrument that consists of a flexible (usually wooden) stick that is half a metre to three metres long. The stick is strung end to end with a taut metal or nylon cord that can be played with hands or a wooden stick. This bow, unlike the uHadi, requires the performers to use their mouth as a resonator. uMrhubhe has two fundamental notes that are produced by the string and harmonic partials which are produced by the mouth. The two notes are played as open (vuliwe , vu’ in isiXhosa); where performers do not shorten the string, and held (banjiwe, ‘ba’ in IsiXhosa), where performers press the string against the stick(Tracey, 2003).
References: Tracey, A., 2003. Indigenous Instruments. The Talking Drum, Issue no. 19, 8 – 10
Segankura / Segaba
‘This instrument normally consists of a stoutish stick perhaps six centimetres in diameter, hollowed out like a trough along most of its length, with a wire string attached. It is fitted with a tuning peg at one end and a tin can resonator at the other and it is played with a very short bow fitted with hair from a cow’s tail.’(Brearley: 1989).
‘The bow is held in the right hand, usually with the thumb on the hair or on the strip of hide, if fitted. Although the hair is slack, the player can tighten it whilst playing by applying pressure with his thumb.
‘The bow is moved in a circular fashion passing up and down the string as well as across it, touching the various nodes at which harmonics occur. The hair is held tight when touching these points, enabling the desired sounds to be heard clearly. Sometimes players will include some fundamental notes among the harmonics that make up their melodies, but mostly harmonics alone will be heard’ (Brearley: 1996).
References:
Brearley, J., 1989. Music and Musicians of the Kalahari.Botswana Notes and Records, 20, pp.77-90.
Brearley, J., 1996. The Segankuru–a” Bush Fiddle” or a Bowed Bow?: Some of its Exponents and their Songs. Botswana notes and records, 28, pp.121-144.
Xitende
The Xitende is a braced-bow instrument with a gourd resonator. ‘It’s tone is loud and deep and is produced by striking the two distinct halves of the string with a light stick or reed. Bouncing the reed produces fast repeated tones. The resonator is moved on and off the chest to vary the tone-color.
‘This rather large instrument (5′ to 6′ long) is played by wandering minstrels (xilombe) as an accompaniment to their own singing of news, complaints. The Tsonga xitende is cut from the maloha tree, and its copper wire (ritsaninga, “string”) is divided by a movable wire-loop to which is attached a calabash. The string sections are tuned a minor 3rd apart and struck with a maize stalk (rihlangi), with the player additionally opening and closing the calabash against his preferably bare chest’
‘Whereas the Tsonga, the Venda, and the Zambian Tonga generally employ a minor third tuning between the string sections, the Pedi use a major 2nd. This type of musical bow, requiring no mouth-resonation, leaves the player free to sing. The physical manipulation of the instrument is simple, which also leaves the player free to dance—gourd-bow players are generally extroverts who owe their positions as much to personality traits as to musical ability.’ (Johnston: 1985)
References:
Johnston, T.F., 1985. Meaning and function in Shangana-Tsonga musical instruments. Africa Insight, 15(4), pp.283-287.
Tshihwana bow
Tshihwana bow is a venda mouth resonated bow. ‘It is made from a piece of wood that tapers on either end, so that there is a thicker piece of wood in the centre of the bow’ (Levine, 2015).
To play the instrument the bow is held against the player’s mouth, the mouth itself is the resonator. The bow can be plucked with the fingers, or with a small ‘pick’ made of a thorn or a piece of wood
References:
Levine, L., 2005. The Drumcafe’s Traditional Music of South Africa. 1st ed. Johannesburg: Jacana Media
!xuma
!xuma is a carved wooden bow using the mouth as resonator, with the single hide or gut string divided unequally and held tense by a thong near, but not at, the mid-point, and played by rapid tapping with a twig or grass-stalk (Nurse, 1972).
The !xuma braced mouthbow is mainly found in different regions of Namibia like the Kavango and Okombahe and it has different names Kaworongongo and Noukhas. In South Africa similar bows is found amongst the Zulu people called Isiqomqomana and amongst the Xhosa it was called Ugwali which has since been extinct (Dargie, 1986).
References:
Nurse, G.T., 1972. Musical instrumentation among the San (Bushmen) of the Central Kalahari. African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music, 5(2), pp.23-27.
Dargie, D., 1986. Musical Bows in Southern Africa. Africa Insight, Vol 16 no 1, 1 – 11.
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