Three different sizes of adungu in a Baptist church in Adjumani Settlement in northwestern Uganda.
The
Adungu
, also called the
Endongo
or
Ennanga
or Bow harp in English, is a
stringed musical instrument
of the
Acholi people
of Northern Uganda
[1]
and the
Alur people
of northwestern
Uganda
. It is an
arched harp
of varying dimensions, ranging from seven to ten strings or more.
[2]
The physical form of the a'dungu
African harp
derives from uniquely African origins.
[3]
The instrument is made of a hollowed-out slab of wood, which is covered by two pieces of leather, woven together in the center. The upper piece of leather functions as a
soundboard
, and a wooden rib supports it, serving also as a structure to secure the strings to the soundboard. A curved wooden neck, containing a tuning peg for each note, is inserted into the end of the instrument's body. The strings run diagonally from the tuning pegs in the neck to the rib in the center of the body.
[
citation needed
]
The musical form commonly known as
adungu music
today, is tuned to the
diatonic major scale
of classic European music and bears the influence of the British presence in Uganda.
[3]
Traditionally the Adungu is tuned to a
pentatonic scale
within both the Acholi and Alur cultures. The a'dungu may be played alone, in an ensemble, or as vocal accompaniment. The instrument appears in various sizes that can be loosely categorized into soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.
[
citation needed
]
A'dungus are often played in quartets or quintets. The strings of the bass a'dungu are tuned only to the pitches of the
tonic triad
, and more notes can be played by placing the finger on a string any distance from the neck to raise the pitch. The tenor, alto, and soprano a'dungus are tuned to the pitches of a diatonic major scale. The bass and tenor instruments are played on the ground, while the alto and soprano are played held against the chest.
[
citation needed
]
Tuning is not standardized, and players will usually tune by ear to each other shortly before a performance. The a'dungus are not in a particular key, and the
tonality
can be adapted to the preferences of the performers.
[
citation needed
]
The a'dungu is generally not used
melodically
, and instead outlines
chords
. Generally, a single note is played at a time on the bass and tenor instruments, while the alto and soprano a'dungus are used to play
triads
. In performance, complex
arpeggiation
gives simple tonal chord progressions an energetic, sometimes
syncopated
rhythmic drive.
Modern performers adept with the adungu include the native Ugandan musician
James Makubuya
[4]
[5]
and the American artist
Crystal Bright
.
[6]
References
[
edit
]
|
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322.1: Open
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322.2: Frame
| 322.21: w/o tuning
|
- 322.211 Diatonic
- 322.212 Chromatic
|
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322.22: w/ tuning
|
- 322.221 Lever
- 322.222
Pedal
|
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|
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Other
| |
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