A chordophone common in various regions of Uganda and, with some differences, all over Africa. This is a very simple instrument, consisting of a small wooden cylindrical soundbox, with a short neck attached and the tension pegs of the strings are fixed at the end. The oldest version of this instrument has an ornamental horsehair plume; the soundbox is covered with snake skin; inside the box thin wooden nails fix the skin to the instrument. The string was originally made of plant fibres. The instrument in the photograph comes from the area of settlement of the BAGNYORO population. The NZIGHI NZIGHI is played with a curved wooden bow, which has stretched on it a bunch of thin fibres forming a single thick string. To obtain the sound, it is necessary to pass pitch, wax or fat, over the string of the bow. The sound that is obtained movingg the index or middle finger of the free hand along the string whilst the other hand ruibs the bow, is fairly stridulent and obsessive. The very name of the instrument, in its commonest version, is onomatopoeic and recalls its sound: try repeating rhythmically "endingidi ndingidi..."

How to play it

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