Nyatiti
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The nyatiti is a five to eight-stringed plucked bowl
yoke lute Yoke lutes, commonly called lyres, are a class of string instruments, subfamily of lutes, indicated with the code 321.2 in the Hornbostel–Sachs classification. Description Yoke lutes are defined as instruments with one or more strings, arrange ...
from
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
. It is a classical instrument played by the
Luo Luo may refer to: Luo peoples and languages *Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa **Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. *** Luoland, th ...
people of Western
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
, specifically in the
Siaya Siaya is a town in Siaya County of Kenya. It is the capital of Siaya County. It is located northwest of Kisumu, the provincial capital. The urban center had a population of 33,153 in 2019. Siaya municipality has five wards: Mjini, Siaya Central, ...
region south of
Kisumu Kisumu ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Kenya by population, third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal city of Mombasa (census 2019). It is the third-largest city after Kampala and Mwanza in the Lake Victor ...
. It is about two to three feet long with a bowl-shaped, carved wood resonator covered in cow skin. Historically, strings were fashioned from cattle tendons, but modern players almost exclusively use nylon and plastic fishing line of various sizes, a move which changed the sound of the nyatiti drastically. The nyatiti as played in Kenya usually has eight strings. Though the register will vary to match a comfortable singing range of the player, a typical tuning will be, from top to bottom, B-A-G#-E-E-D-B-A, where the outside strings are the same note at the same pitch, and the middle two are an octave apart. Many modern players use individual tunings to match their particular musical style. The most common playing style uses the thumb and middle finger of both hands, alternating between the two to create a rhythmic and circular musical pattern. If played in a traditional style, the performer sits on a short, shin level chair called the ''orindi''. The player wears a wrought iron ring called the ''oduong'o'' around the big toe of the right foot and the ''gara'', a set of metal bells also on the right leg. With the ''gara'' and the ''oduong'o'', the player maintains a constant beat, banging the iron ring on the bottom bar of the nyatiti. The nyatiti is usually played alone. Some players have, in the past, been accompanied by a number of male back-up singers (chorus). Though not common, the nyatiti can be accompanied by any number of traditional instruments, including a curved horn called the ''oporo'' or ''tung, a single-string violin-like instrument called the ''orutu'', and percussion. Modern day players will often integrate the instrument in with Western-style guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. Traditionally, players wear a headdress called ''Kondo'', which is fashioned out of goat fur. Dancers sometimes accompany the nyatiti player and wear brightly colored skirts called ''Owalo''. Younger players often forgo the traditional dress, opting for clothes typical of present-day performances. Some maintain that music from the nyatiti inspired what became benga music.


Notable nyatiti players

*
Ayub Ogada Job Seda (1956 – 1 February 2019), better known as Ayub Ogada, was a Kenyan singer. He was a singer favoring the nyatiti (an eight-stringed lyre with its origins credited to the Luo, a tribe in Nyanza Kenya) as his characteristic instrument. ...
* Eriko "Anyango" Mukoyama * Charlotte_Hill_O'Neal (Mama C) * Rapasa Nyatrapasa Otieno * Obondi Diel Matara * Dr. Pete Larson * Thadayo Mtumra * William Ogutu * Amolo Kongo *
Andrew Bird Andrew Wegman Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American indie rock multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Since 1996, he has released 16 studio albums, as well as several live albums and EPs, spanning various genres including swing musi ...
, who played it in the song "Nyatiti" in 'Useless Creatures' * Daniel Onyango * James Obwanda * Kake Wakake *
Lucas Odote Lucas or LUCAS may refer to: People * Lucas (surname) * Lucas (given name) Arts and entertainment * Luca Family Singers, also known as "lucas ligner en torsk" * ''Lucas'' (album) (2007), an album by Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities * ''L ...
* Oduor Nyagweno * Okumu K'orengo * Ogola Opot * Ogwang "Lelo" K'Okoth * Isaac Anyanga *
Joseph Nyamungu Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
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Jennifer Atieno Sanna (aka Ati Sanna) Jennifer or Jenifer may refer to: People *Jennifer (given name) * Jenifer (singer), French pop singer * Jennifer Warnes, American singer who formerly used the stage name Jennifer * Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer * Daniel Jenifer Film and tele ...
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Faith Oduor Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...
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Demba Ochenga Demba may refer to: Places *Demba, Democratic Republic of the Congo * Demba Kunda * Madina Demba Forest Park * Stade Demba Diop People *Njogu Demba-Nyrén Njogu Demba-Nyrén (born 26 June 1979 in Bakau) is a Gambian footballer who has represente ...


References

Lyres Kenyan musical instruments {{lyre-stub