A chordophone refers to a musical instrument that is used for making sounds through a way of vibrating strings when stretched between two different points. In the four main divisions of the original Hornbostel-Sachs musical instrument schemes, chordophones and plucked lutes are some of the musical instruments that fall under such a classification. Chordophones can further be classified into two main categories which include instruments that have no resonator hence are said to be simple. This is one of the integral parts that are important in the classification, as well as those that have a resonator, also referred to as a composite. In the creation of sound, these instruments that use vibrating strings are further divided into five main classes consisting of the following basic types such as the lutes, lyres, musical bows, harps, and zithers. The definition of this classification, therefore, depends on the existing relationship between the resonator and the string. This paper discusses the roles of plucked lutes and chordophones, their different names and styles of play in the Sub Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.
The Role of Chordophones and Plucked Lutes in sub-Saharan Africa
In Africa, the musical instrument is not only used for music making, but also for both communications to spirit and man, translation and emission of the society's daily experiences and events. They, therefore, serve a variety of roles and objectives in the society in which they are being played since different societies have different tests of instruments according to their customs and traditions. These roles include either confinement to the ceremonial and religious events and occasions (Millward, p.239). In addition, others are used for the secular entertainment fashions depending on the diversity in culture and customs of different groups in the community.
Because of the tradition's values, there exists a number of restrictions when it comes to gender, age as well as the social status of the players of such musical instruments. Again, the instruments come in different ranges from large and big ones to small handheld objects which are very elaborate and in most cases constructed and crafted by use of the age-old methods of the past by use of natural materials. The most played instruments in sub-Saharan Africa include the xylophone, shakers, rattles, mbira and the drum (Nettl, et al, p.49). This also included the one string musical bow which was played in the past although it has nowadays been abandoned. This is the bow that was once responsible for most of the present vocal scales that are now available in African music.
In Africa, it is the migratory movement as well as the historical influences that have had a great impact in the definition of both the type of music instruments that are being played and the style of music that people in different regions play. This explains why in western and northern African countries there has been a notable influence of both the Arabic and Islamic traditions of music culture. These instruments in Africa are idiophones which are self-sounding and activated resonant solids which have a wider subdivision to include rattles, scrapers, bells, clappers, slit drums and bells. These are the easiest instruments to source, construct and play.
The African music is mostly derived from the religious perspective and experience since the belief of most of the people is that it is a requirement for the spiritual world to be more responsive to music experiences that greatly impact them. Playing and singing of particular songs according to gods is known to be objective, and therefore go ahead in expressing their dissatisfaction when such performances show some lack of animation. As a result, new songs get created as well as the themes that are meant to appease the gods (Demoucron, et al, p.94). These, therefore, give the assurance for contact between the people and their gods as well as other spirits.
Other instruments such as drums are used for traditional ceremonies like in the shrines for those communities that tightly hold to their traditions up to now. Although such ceremonies are known to consist of several diverse activities, it is the music that is performed and played during such occasions that make the gods happy and therefore are able to provide the society and the elders with what they ask for. Other people who are known for using such instruments in performing their ceremonies are the traditional medicine men and the witches (Millward, p.242). The reason is that these people are known for having powers which are provided by their gods. For them to be able to acquire such powers and provide a solution to their clients, they have to play some music to appease them where they use such music instruments which consist of the plucked lutes and chordophones.
In sub-Saharan Africa, there are different societies that put more emphasis on the behavioral as well as spiritual and behavioral aspects of the ancestors and elders when it comes to the performance of curative, rain, initiation and other rites of passage that are performed within different societies in sub-Saharan Africa. This is inclusive of the rites that are performed for the dead, while other community members focus on the philosophical aspects of the ancestor's concept (Millward, p.244). Other centralized states in the traditional set-up also employ rituals and music for political purposes like the passage of an important information whether during or before campaign times.
Due to the belief of a spiritual world having great sensitivity to music, there is a good control of the sacred music performances. In such occasions, the sub-Saharan Africa music instruments are used in such occasions of personal rituals and worship as well as during times when social aspects rather than the religious values are being emphasized. In funeral services and ceremonies, these songs and musical rhythms play big roles in the provision of formal and decent sendoff of the dead as a way of paying last respects to them and their family members in the society (Nettl, et al, p.73). In the community's fixed days of religious ceremonies such as worship, dramatic enactments or even for entertainment purposes, these musical instruments remain of much importance to society.
The sacred song repertoire is very important in such occasions in which instrumental pieces and sound events function as signals and codes for the indication of divine presence for undivided inviting attention in the society members. In the African traditional music, the drums that are played include the talking drums, djembe, and bougarabou in West Africa as well as other different types of Ngoma drums that are common in central and East Africa region. Others include the shakers and rattles such as the wood sticks, rain sticks, and the kosika. In addition, there are flutes and other stringed instruments that add flavor to African music.
The Role of Chordophones and Plucked Lutes in Latin America
Examples of chordophones that are used in Latin America include the lutes, guitars, harps and violins. Again in Latin America, there are the charango or charango depending on the diversity of the natives of the Latin America population. This is a small instrument that almost looks like the ukulele. This is a chordophone lute that traditionally is made of an armadillo shell for the back and wood for its sound box which in this instance appears to be at the top. Its invention came in the 18th century in Potosi city, which is part of the Viceroyalty Peru the present day Bolivia (Alvarez, p.136). The charango is an aerophone that is used in many countries in the Latin America as well as almost every culture within the world although with some modifications and purposes depending on the traditions, cultural values and customs of the subject community.
In Peru, Bolivia, Northern Argentina, Chile and Ecuador for instance, there is the flute. This is an instrument that has seven finger holes and was mainly played by the Aymaran and Incan people. In today’s world, such instruments are made using a variety of materials that include animal bones, aluminum, bamboo, cane and condor (Demoucron, et al, p.89). There are other instruments in Latin America that are made to create and produce sound through the vibration of such instruments although they are not drums. These are referred to as quena. They are made from different types of wood as well as organic materials. In most cases the idiophones are played by a way of shaking, hitting with nails or other heavy things. A good example of an idiophone in Latin America is the agogo, a melodic instrument that traces its origin in Africa. In South America, it is referred to as Agogo Maracas. These instruments were initially used in South American music including salsa.
Because of the high syncretic nature of Latin America, the music played here encompasses a wide and diverse variety of styles which include other influential genres like the bachata, merengue, samba, and the bossa nova. The Latin American music is said to be an amalgamation of diverse cultural influences due to the musical instruments that are employed especially from the Spanish where the Moor Empire had a key contribution in leaving their cultural imprint (Alvarez, p.139). These instruments ensure that the rich musical expressions which include the use of guitars, as well as different song types and verse structures of the Latinos, are expressed in their culture, traditions, and customs.
The plucked lutes, as well as the chordophones, help in bringing out the Latin vocals. This is because in most cases, Latin American songs are sung either in Spanish or Portuguese languages due to their spread in the Americas after Christopher Columbus conquest at between 1492 and 1500. The instruments are also important in the creation of mosaic musical styles that are common in the region (Bremaud, p.811). Such an instrument would be guiro that is used for the creation of rhythm in important genres of music such as salsa and cumbia. Also, by putting the language factor aside, it is good to first remember the indigenous people of this new era and the way they have had their music since long ago. Their production of percussions and other music instruments was mainly known for the traditional ceremonies, religious events as well as the provision of entertainment for the people of Latin America. Such an original expression therefore up to date persists in the Latin's traditional music which includes the Andean music of South America.
The Role of Chordophones and Plucked Lutes in South Asian music
In the south Asian music, there are four different categories of sounds that are heard. These names have for long been westernized although they are originally based on the categories of the ancient Indians which are membranophones, chordophones, aerophones, and the idiophones. In southern Asia in countries such as India, the chordophones are also referred to as Tata Vadya since the vibration of their strings is as a result of bowing, striking or even plucking. The classical music in southern Asia is made up of three main parts which consist of rhythm, melody, and drone (Miller, p.121). The creation of the melody is always through systems that are based on ragas. Ragas are melodic modes that are performed according to specific rules that regard phrasing due to their compositional structure to fit into different times and durations of the year at which they are performed.
In the stage, the performers in a live event always have a specified arrangement with the soloist always sitting in the center with the drummer on his left side. The melody instruments, as well as the singers, keep to the right side of the stage. The drone player sits at the far right with all other musicians coming afterward to sit at the far end in their back. While playing either the chordophone, the musicians do not always sit on their chairs but on cushions and mats in the floor (Miller, Terry, and Shahriari, p.158). In Asian music and especially in India, the music is not in any way formally notated. It is therefore traditionally learned and taught through the oral methods. Regardless of this, there are systems that are used as a way of indicating the pitches in such melodies based on the names for the scale of degrees more like the western systems referred as solfege such systems are of much importance in indicating the pitch so that the chordophones and the plucked lutes can keep with the beat and rhythm of the song that is being played.
Some of the chordophones and plucked lutes in the south Asian community play a crucial role since they are in most cases used during special events and occasions depending on the traditions of a given society. The most common musical instruments in southern Asia play almost the same roles in passing the message to different people in both the times of happiness as well as those of grief. These include in weddings and when the members of a family are bereaved of their family members. This is the most heard and widely used instrument in South Asian music (Demoucron, et al, p.88). Although different masters of some instruments achieve international renown, singing is one of the common practices across all the genres and styles since in most cases all the instrumentalists also have the knowledge and capability of singing.
Again, there is the Khim which refers to a hammered dulcimer that is played mainly in Thailand and Cambodia. This is made mainly of wood which assumes a trapezoidal shape in which brass strings are attached across the entire instrument. The vibration of its strings to create a rhythm is through plucking in which a sound is produced according to the nature of the song and the purpose to which the instrument is being played for. In it, there are 14 groups of the strings in which each group consists of 3 strings to make a total of 42 strings.
Another instrument is the angklung. This is made of about two to four bamboo tubes that are entirely attached to bamboo sticks that make the frame. For them tubes to have a resonant pitch when struck, they are curved and then tuned into octaves. The frame base is therefore held on a single hand while the other hand plucks the instrument to produce the required sound. This instrument is most popular across Southeast Asia although it traces its origin in Banten and West Java provinces in Indonesia (Nettl, et al, p.47). This is as well the case with Cambodia, whereby their musical ensemble remains to be pinpeat, which is an orchestra that is usually accompanied the royal’s ceremonious music as well as the music played both in temples and courts.
Conclusion
It is worth noting that in the three geographical areas in which each of them enjoys their own culture, customs and traditions, plucked lutes and chordophones are of much importance since long ago. This is because most of these musical instruments especially the stringed ones developed during those ancient times in which they were used by the different cultures for different purposes. It has been shown above that in Sub Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, these musical instruments which included guitars, flutes and drums and many more were either used during special ceremonies, events and occasions to pass a special message depending on the nature of the ceremony. Such ceremonies included the traditional dancing competitions, rituals, and rites of passage, funerals, and marriages as well as for entertainment purposes. These musical instruments are therefore very important because they show much when it comes to the journey people have had to have the modern advanced and electronic devices which borrow a lot from the traditionally used plucked lutes and chordophones.