Music in Madagascar is a blend of cultural influences that is evident in this particular form of art that is so very popular with the Malagasy people. The Music in Madagascar can be roughly divided into three main categories: the traditional, the contemporary, and popular music.
Traditional Instruments that are used in playing music in Madagascar
There are a number of instruments that are used to play music. There are also the different genres of music that is prevalent in the different parts of Madagascar. The musicians in rural Fianarantsoa district use different musical instruments. But both instruments and vocal styles, along with the style and purpose of music traditionally vary widely from one region to the other. The oldest musical traditions can be traced back to the Highland people including that of the Merina and Betsileo. Their ancestry can be traced back to the original Malayo-Polynesian settlers.
The traditional instruments that are used in playing the music in Madagascar include-
There is the valiha that is a bamboo tube zither very similar to those that are used traditionally in western Indonesia. The strings are raised from the fibers of the bamboo tube itself. There is a modern version too that exists but this form uses the bicycle brake cables for strings instead. This is to give the instrument a punchier sound. The sodina is a flute and this is also a typical instrument of the region. The sodina is usually used during the sodina performances. This was performed when Rakoto Frah passed away in 2001 and this prompted by national mourning. There is also the kabosy which is a four to six-stringed guitar that is commonly used in the Southern Highlands.
The marovany is another very popular instrument. It is a wooden box that has a set of metallic strings on both the sides. It produces a sound similar to that of the valiha and a metal or wood harmonicas.
There are few typically Southern instruments that include the jejy voatova. It is a stringed instrument that has a calabash resonator. It is quite similar to that of the West African kora.
The lokanga is a three-stringed fiddle that is popular among the Southern Antandroy and also Bara ethnic groups.
There is the coastal music too that has traditionally featured a unique blend of instruments. There are the drums that are almost ubiquitous besides certain traditional instruments like the valiha, kabosy and marovany.
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