ugubhu
Quick Summary
The ugubhu is a musical instrument from Africa, specifically a type of gourd bow used by the Zulu people. It is a chordophone, meaning it produces sound from strings.
The ugubhu is typically used for self-accompanied solo singing. The instrumental melody is influenced by the lyrics of the song, and in turn, the tuning of the bow dictates the vocal scale the singer uses. Harmonic tones are manipulated by moving the gourd resonator closer to or farther from the player's chest. This instrument is a traditional example of the intricate relationship between voice and instrument in African music.1
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African musicMusical bowsThe Zulu ugubhu is a typical example. Harmonic tones are selectively resonated by moving the mouth of the gourd closer to or farther from the player’s chest. The fundamental pitch of the string can be altered by finger stopping; with other types, like the Swazi makhweyane, a…
Read MoreThe Zulu ugubhu is a typical example. Harmonic tones are selectively resonated by moving the mouth of the gourd closer to or farther from the player’s chest. The fundamental pitch of the string can be altered by finger stopping; with other types, like the Swazi makhweyane, a…
Read More- African musicMusical instruments
…were often self-accompanied on the ugubhu gourd bow. In such bow songs, while the instrumental melody was influenced by the tone requirements of the song’s lyrics, the tuning of the bow determined the vocal scale to which the singer conformed. Today when Zulus use the modern Western guitar, precisely the…
Read More…were often self-accompanied on the ugubhu gourd bow. In such bow songs, while the instrumental melody was influenced by the tone requirements of the song’s lyrics, the tuning of the bow determined the vocal scale to which the singer conformed. Today when Zulus use the modern Western guitar, precisely the…
Read More