A sodina is a type of woodwind instrument often used in Malagasy music and belongs to the aerophone group of instruments. It is similar to a flute and is usually made from bamboo, lightwood, plastic, or reed. The size of a sodina depends on the region where it is played.
The kabosy is a wooden guitar shaped like a box that is often played in Madagascar’s music. It has four to six strings and is believed to have come from the Arabic oud through the gambus, an instrument used in Southeast Asia by people from Malay regions. The kabosy has unevenly spaced frets, many of which do not span the full length of the fretboard, and is usually tuned to an open chord.
The marovany (formerly spelled marouvane) is a suitcase-shaped, wooden musical instrument called a box zither from Madagascar. It is used in Malagasy music and has metal strings on both sides. The player uses both hands to pluck the strings quickly, switching back and forth.
The valiha is a stringed instrument from Madagascar made from a type of local bamboo. It is known as the “national instrument” of Madagascar. The word “valiha” can also describe other similar instruments that have different shapes and materials.
The sasando, also called sasandu from Sandu or Sanu, is a tube zither, a harp-like traditional string instrument from Rote Island in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The name “sasando” comes from the Rote dialect word “sasandu,” which means “vibrating” or “sounded instrument.” It is believed that the sasando was known to the people of Rote as early as the 7th century. The main part of the sasando is a bamboo tube that forms the frame of the instrument.
The kacapi is a traditional zither used by the Sundanese people in Indonesia. It is similar to other stringed instruments such as the Chinese guzheng, Japanese koto, Mongolian yatga, Korean gayageum, Vietnamese đàn tranh, and Kazakh jetigen. The kacapi is played as the main accompanying instrument in musical styles like tembang Sunda or Mamaos Cianjuran, in kacapi suling (a type of tembang Sunda without singing), in pantun storytelling, and as an additional instrument in gamelan degung performances.
Trough zithers are a group of African stringed instruments, or chordophones, that look like wooden bowls, pans, platters, or shallow gutters with strings stretched across the opening. These instruments are a type of zither and can produce quiet sounds, depending on how they are shaped. The sound is often made louder by adding a gourd resonator.
The pluriarc, also known as paata, mapu, luku, kissanga, and bow lute, is a stringed musical instrument from West Africa. It is a type of lute. The instrument has a hollow body and several curved, bendy necks made of reeds.
The pluriarc, also called paata, mapu, luku, kissanga, and bow lute, is a stringed musical instrument from West Africa. It is a type of lute. The instrument has a hollow body and several curved, flexible necks made of reeds.
The ground-bow, also called an earth-bow or ground harp, is a musical instrument with one string. It is shaped like a bow and is classified as a chordophone, which is a type of stringed instrument. It is used in cultures from equatorial and southern Africa and in other cultures with African roots.