The Kora

The kora is a 21 stringed harp/lute from West Africa. The materials used to
make the instrument are a gourd/calabash (cut in half), skin (usually cow
hide), fishing line and wood. The best description of its sound is a mix
between harp and flamenco guitar. One will find the instrument in countries
such as Gambia, Senegal, Mali and other areas of West Africa. Traditionally, there are twenty-one playing strings plucked by the thumb and forefinger of each hand. The remaining fingers grip the two vertical hand posts.

The instrument has been played for many hundreds of years by hereditary troubadour musicians from the Mandinka tribe, playing a repertoire of traditional songs and more recently from other tribes in the region. The last twenty years has seen this instrument brought from its traditional
musical setting into new fusion projects by traditional kora players (Toumani Djabate, Fode Masa Suso and Jali Musa Jawara) and by non-African players such as RAVI

The first known reference to the kora comes from Mungo Park in his 1799 book, Travels in Interior Districts of Africa. He describes it as "a large harp with 18 strings." Twenty-one anchor strings attach the playing strings to an iron ring bored through the base of the kora's hardwood neck. The
player tunes the kora by moving the leather rings to achieve the appropriate tension on each string, although more recently pegs are being used. Kora players use a variety of tunings. The Gambia has more kora players than Mali, Guinea and Senegal. In these countries they sometimes use the French spelling cora.

Ravi plays a 24 stringed kora, using guitar machine heads and with tunings he has developed over many years of experimentation

Ravi speaks about the kora:

"I first heard the kora on Stevie Wonder's "Secret life of plants"; the next time would have been on Herbie Hancock's "Future Shock". The first time I actualy saw one being played was at the WOMAD festival in Cleveden (Bristol), where the Gambia National Troupe were playing with four kora players. This was a wonderful first encounter, especially as there was a chance to participate in a workshop afterwards and see the kora up close. What then followed was a trip to Gambia, where I obtained my first kora from the old and legendary kora player, Jali Nayma Suso"

Purchasing a kora: if you are interested in obtaining a kora please contact: ravikora5@googlemail.com

Hear the Kora from "The African Kora" album:- On the Way

RAVI

Contact Ravi