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A raft zither is a group of single-cord
A raft zither is a group of single-cord tube zither
The tube zither is a stringed musical instrument in which a tube functions both as an instrument's neck and its soundbox. As the neck, it holds strings taut and allows them to vibrate. As a soundbox or it modifies the sound and transfers it to ...
s, connected together to form a "raft". Tube zithers use a tube as a platform to hold a string (either tied onto the tube or cut out of the tube itself), raised with bridges
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whic ...
.
The flat surface of the raft is the base for the strings, and the multiple instruments form a single instrument with many notes. Each tube zither in the raft zither has a different note, and the idiochord An idiochord ( la, idio – "self", chord – "string", also known as a drum zither) is a musical instrument in which the "string" of the instrument is made from the same material as its resonating body. Such instruments may be found in the Indian O ...
instruments become a single heterochord instrument. The raft zither is also related to the board zither, which uses a board as the base for its many strings.
One example of a raft zither is the Totombito zither, from Congo. Other African examples may be found in Nigeria and East Africa.
In Nepal, the Dhimal people make tube zithers of bouquet grass, and connect them into a raft zither called a tunjaai. In the Nepali instrument, the tubes have two strings, top and bottom, and the instrument is hung on a shoulder, with both hands of the musician working to play at the same time with a plectrum.
References
{{reflist Chordophones