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Ngoma drums
Ngoma drums
central Africa. The shape of the drums varies and their specific names, as well. Ngoma is used as a generic name for drums in general.[2]
Use in Uganda
The Baganda people of Uganda have a special relationship with ngoma drums, so much so that it is thought by many people that theirs is the country where this type of drum actually originated. The Baganda are fondly thought of as the children of Ngoma. The ngoma is used for communication and celebration and is also a symbol of authority. The Baganda emillly are made of wood, which is covered with cow skin on both ends, although you’ll also find tourist versions of these drums covered with zebra skins. Typically, they are played in groups of seven drums, each drum having its own voice and function within the ensemble. Another popular configuration is made with at least four drums. Each of these drums are treated as individuals, thus they each have a specific name. The largest drum is known as bakisimba and makes a loud bass sound. The empuunya is a little smaller and also produces a higher-pitched bass sound. The nankasa is a small drum played with sticks and produces a very high-pitched sound. Last, but not least is the engalabi. The engalabi most closely resembles the original ngoma and is taller and more cylindrical than all the other drums in this set. It also has skin on only one side. All of the other drums are covered with cow skin on the top and bottom using an intricate lacing system, whereas the engalabi has a lizard-skin head attached with small wooden pegs. This drum makes the highest pitched sound in the ensemble. All of the drums can be played with sticks or hands, except the Nankasa which is primarily played with sticks. The Children of Uganda, AIDS orphans from the Daughters of Charity Orphange, have been touring the world biennially since 1996 and are the most representative proponents of the music of Uganda, outside of the African continent. Their music and dance presentations reveal
Ngoma drum at German East Africa in 1906 Ngoma drums are musical instruments used by the Bantu peoples of central, eastern and southern Africa. The name is applied to different types of drums in different regions. Ngoma is sometimes spelled and pronounced "engoma" by non-Africans, but the "ng" should be pronounced as the ng in "singer", that is, as ’ŋgo ma or NGO-mah. This same style of drum is still being played in Southern Africa by the descendants of Queen Marimba today. She created many of Africa’s first instruments, such as the marimba (named after the queen herself), Karimba (which is known by many names, including kalimba), sansa, marimba, likembe, etc.) the world’s first portable keyboard, the makweyana (musical bow), which has now spread all over Africa and even the Americas, where it’s known as berimbau in Brazil) and of course the ngoma (the drum), thousands of years ago.[1] According to legend, the original ngoma was created from an old mortar that was worn all the way through by Queen Marimba’s cook. Queen Marimba took this mortar and attached an animal skin to the top of it, creating the world’s first drum. Queen Marimba’s direct descendants are the Wakamba or Akamba people of East Africa, who live in the Mwanza Region just south of Lake Victoria. Over the years, numerous groups inhabited this area and brought their culture with them, while also transporting the Wakamba culture throughout east and
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
the cultural traditions of their country, as well as the trials and travails of modern life in East Africa today. They play a variety of traditional instruments from Uganda, including ngoma, amadinda (marimba or xylophone), obuuti (sticks for amadinda and ngoma), akogo (marimba- or karimba-type instrument), adungu (bow harp or lute), edinqidi (tube fiddle), endere (pan pipe).
Ngoma drums
Transvaal, South Africa: International Library of African Music. • Tracey, Hugh. (1961). The evolution of African music and its function in the present day. Johannesburg: Institute for the Study of Man in Africa. • Tracey, Hugh. (1969). The Mbira class of African Instruments in Rhodesia (1932). African Music Society Journal, 4:3, 78-95.
References
• New York: John Day: "My People, My Africa", by Credo Vusa’mazulu Mutwa (1969) • Grove Press: "Indaba My Children: African Folktales", by Credo Vusa’mazulu Mutwa (1999) • University Musical Society’s Youth Education Program: "Children of Uganda Teacher Resource Guide" by Bree Juarez. Edited by Bree & Ben Johnson (2005) • Berliner, Paul. (1978). The Soul of Mbira: music and traditions of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Berkeley: University of California Press. • Howard, Joseph H. (1967). Drums in the Americas. New York: Oak Publications. • Mutwa, Credo Vusa’mazulu. (1969). My people : the incredible writings of Credo Vusa’mazulu Mutwa. Johannesburg : Blue Crane Books, 1969. • Tracey, Andrew. (1970). The Matepe Mbira Music of Rhodesia. Journal of the African Music Society, IV: 4, 37-61. • Tracey, Andrew. (1970). How to play the mbira (dza vadzimu). Roodepoort,
Recordings
• Columbia Records: Drums of Passion. Liner notes by Akinsola Akiwowo (1958).
External links
• [3] Find out how to get a high-end, custom Ngoma • [4] The Children of Uganda detailed study guide • amadinda a website that includes a tutorial on how to play bakisimba on drums from Uganda • africaonline a website containing comprehensive information about the African continent • [5] Amazon.com book review of Indaba My Children: African Folktales • [6] a page from Indaba My Children: African Folktales where the creation of ngoma is described • "The Queen’s Gift" by Bethan Lewis • [7] www.HandDrums.info Hand Drum Information Web Site
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngoma_drums" Categories: African drums, Hand drums This page was last modified on 20 May 2009, at 20:16 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) taxdeductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
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