Valiha
Encyclopedia
The valiha is a tube zither
from Madagascar
made from a species of local bamboo
. It is played by plucking the strings, which may be made of metal or (originally) the bamboo skin which is pried up in long strands and propped up by small bridges made of pieces of dried gourd. The valiha is considered the national instrument of Madagascar.
The strings of the modern valiha are generally made of bicycle brake cable
. The cables are unstrung into individual strands and each string of the instrument is made of only one or two strands of the cable, depending upon the preferences of the player.
One of the most celebrated valiha players of the twentieth century is Rakotozafy (born 1938). The majority of Rakotozafy's few recorded performances were made live at the central studio of Malagasy Radio. Sylvestre Randafison is another celebrated valiha artist considered a cultural icon in Madagascar.
Zither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
from Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
made from a species of local bamboo
Valiha diffusa
Valiha diffusa is a bamboo species in the genus Valiha found in Madagascar.Valiha diffusa is a locally useful wild source of construction material. The Madagascan valiha is a stringed tube zither traditionally made from the bamboo....
. It is played by plucking the strings, which may be made of metal or (originally) the bamboo skin which is pried up in long strands and propped up by small bridges made of pieces of dried gourd. The valiha is considered the national instrument of Madagascar.
The strings of the modern valiha are generally made of bicycle brake cable
Bowden cable
A Bowden cable is a type of flexible cable used to transmit mechanical force or energy by the movement of an inner cable relative to a hollow outer cable housing...
. The cables are unstrung into individual strands and each string of the instrument is made of only one or two strands of the cable, depending upon the preferences of the player.
One of the most celebrated valiha players of the twentieth century is Rakotozafy (born 1938). The majority of Rakotozafy's few recorded performances were made live at the central studio of Malagasy Radio. Sylvestre Randafison is another celebrated valiha artist considered a cultural icon in Madagascar.
External links
- A traditional Valiha in the Museum of Art and Archeology of the University of Antananarivo, Madagascar includes background information on the instrument
- A Valiha on-line course by Bana Rahalahy includes information on how to tune the instrument and provides lessons to learn to play it