The ''obokano'' (also spelled ''obukano'') is a large bass bowl
lyre
The lyre () is a stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the lute-family of instruments. In organology, a lyre is considered a yoke lute, since it is a lute in which the strings are attached to a yoke ...
from
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
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, capital = Nairobi
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, largest_city = Nairobi
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. It is used by the
Gusii ethnic group.
The instrument is made from a skin of a cow or goat and a bowl like structure curved out of a wood stump. It consists of eight strings whose tensions on the crossbar can be adjusted to produce different tones. It has been described as "the double-bass of East Africa."
References
Further reading
*Hyslop, Graham. "Some Musical Instruments of Kenya." ''African Arts'', vol. 5, no. 4 (Summer 1972), pp. 48-55.
*Varnum, John P. "The Obokano of the Gusii: A Bowl Lyre of East Africa." ''Ethnomusicology'', vol. 15, no. 2. (May 1971), pp. 242-248.
External links
''Obokano'' audio sample''Obokano'' video''Obokano'' video
Lyres
Kenyan musical instruments
{{Lyre-stub