 |
|
|
Sikus 
The
sikus is a wind instrument made of several reeds of different lenghts. It's similar to the Pan Pipes, whose name comes from a greek myth according to which Pan, god of flocks
and pastures, turned a nymph named syrinx into some reeds he used to build his
flutes. It's one of the oldest musical instruments known. In Argentina's northwest and
Bolivia, in the region known as the Altiplano Andino, orchestras composed by
different kinds of sikus are commonly found in any religious or folk festivity
|
|
|
Quena
Wind instrument from the Andean zone. Built from a reed, it's the main melodic
instrument in the music from the Andean Altiplano (Perú, Bolivia, Argentina's
northwest). While originally diatonic, modern players further developed the instruments'
technique, making it possible for this ancient instrument to be used in more complex
harmonic environments. The bass version of the quena is known as the quenacho. |
|
Charango
Stringed instrument from the Andean Altiplano. It features five pairs of strings tuned G C E A E. The charango provides the harmonic and rhythmic support in the Altiplano's music, in much the same way as the guitar does in the rest of Argentina. Its body, nowadays made of wood, was originally made with the shell of the mulita, or mule armadillo.
|
|
|
Cuatro
Stringed instrument from Venezuela. It resembles a miniature guitar, and features four strings tuned A D F# B (this string in the same octave as the fourth string A), hence the name cuatro ("four", in spanish). |
|
Bombo
The most widely used percussion instrument in Argentina's folk music. It is made of wood, with two drumheads made of cow hide, and played with two wooden sticks, one with its end wrapped ih leather.
|
|
|
Cajón
Percussion instrument, originally from Spain, used in Peruvian music. It's like a large box, and the performer sits on it and beats it with his hands. It's very similar to the cajón found in flamenco music. In the image, depicted with a pair of canastas. |
|
 Udu
Clay instrument from Nigeria, where it's also called kim kim. Used for ritual performances, some people believe the sound of the udu to be the voices of their ancestors. It is played by beating it with the flat palm of the hands. It has a side hole that produces a deep reverberating sound, and the clay body makes a high dry sound. It's somewhat reminiscent to the Indian tabla. In Brazil it's called pote.
|
|
|
Mandolin
Instrument from the lute family, which appear in the Mesopotamia around 2000 BC. A painting by Agnelo Gaddi (1369- 1396) shows an angel playing a miniature lute called the mandora. The Arabs called it Dambura, which in Latin changed to Mandora, then, in Italian, Mandola. The smaller version of the mandola was called mandolin. It features four courses tuned, from low to high, G-D-A-E. |
|
|
