Chordophone # Democratic Republic of the Congo Total: 16
 

Kundi

  • Type Harp
  • Origin Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Ethnicity Zande
  • Materials Leather, Metal, Paint, Wood
  • Measures 60×43 cm
  • Dating 1960-1975

To play it, the player holds the harp between his thighs with the neck pointing towards his body. The low strings are plucked with the thumbs and the high ones with the index finger.
Singers use it as accompaniment; many of these musicians are very respected being specialists in the art of composing songs of praise, of special importance for the village, or stories with heroic value. The player who prides himself always tunes his harp and tunes it again after each execution. The harp is tuned according to pentatonic scale.
These harps, especially in the past, were considered objects of prestige and symbols of a high social position.


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