Valiha
The valiha is a tube zither from Madagascar made from a species of local bamboo. It is played by plucking the strings, which may be made of metal or (originally) the bamboo skin which is pried up in long strands and propped up by small bridges made of pieces of dried gourd. The valiha is considered the national instrument of Madagascar.
The strings of the modern valiha are generally made of bicycle brake cable. The cables are unstrung into individual strands and each string of the instrument is made of only one or two strands of the cable, depending upon the preferences of the player.
One of the most celebrated valiha players of the twentieth century is Rakotozafy (born 1938). The majority of Rakotozafy's few recorded performances were made live at the central studio of Malagasy Radio. Sylvestre Randafison is another celebrated valiha artist considered a cultural icon in Madagascar.[1]
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
- A traditional Valiha in the Museum of Art and Archeology of the University of Antananarivo, Madagascar includes background information on the instrument
- A Valiha on-line course by Bana Rahalahy includes information on how to tune the instrument and provides lessons to learn to play it
 |
This Madagascar-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This article relating to string instruments is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
