KENYATTA UNIVERSITY

A Discussion of music instruments and their

distribution in East Africa.

Preamble
This task seeks to discuss the music instruments of East Africa. It also seeks to explain the
factors that led into their distribution. The instruments in this task have been classified according
to Sachs- Hornbostel system which was devised by Eric Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs.
This system places the musical instruments into four broad categories according to the nature of
the sound-producing material: an air column, string, membrane or the body of the instrument.
This system was borrowed from a system devised by Victor- Charles Mahillon, the curator of
musical instruments at Brussels conservatory. The four broad categories of instruments as set by
Sachs and Hornbostel and used in this work include: Chordophones, Idiophones,
Membranophones and Aerophones.

Factors Leading to Distribution of Music Instruments in East Africa

According to Nketia 1974, the distribution of musical instruments in Africa in general is
governed may be limited or made available by the environmental factors, to the nature of
occupation a society engages or historical factors. He continues to state that there are nomadic
societies that have no drums, they instead display their rhythmic interests in hand clapping,
complex body movements, rhythmic stamping and even using vocal grunts.

On the same note on environmental factors he gives an instance of the striking difference
between the musical resources between savannah dwellers and those living in the forest most
particularly on the type of membranophones developed, type of skin used to cover the
membranes and the like.
Cultural interaction is a factor contributing to existence of some musical instruments in particular
cultures. Some instruments tend to be concentrated in areas where there is strong cultural
interaction.

Distribution of Music Instruments in East Africa

Thanks to a collaboration between world map, Suzanne Blier (Havard Proffessor) and Singing
wells, a map illustrating the distribution of musical instruments in East Africa was developed and
synchronized with the world map. This can vividly show us the pictorial representation of the
nature landscape of musical instruments in East Africa as presented below:

Figure 1The distribution of the Thumb piano (idiophone) in East Africa.

Figure 2The distribution of stringed Instruments in East Africa
Figure 3 Distribution of wind instruments (aerophones) East Africa.
Figure 4 Distribution of the ankle bells (idiophones) in East Africa
Figure 5 Distribution of melodic percussive instruments in East Africa.
Figure 6 Distribution of the Percussive instruments in East Africa (includes membranophones).

Conclusion.
The distribution and diversity of musical instruments in East Africa as potrayed is very wide.
The factors that influence their distribution include cultural interaction, social organization,
occupational, environmental factors as stated earlier.
 References
Nketia, J. K. (1974). The Music of Africa. United States: W.W. Norton & Company.

Research, W. (2016, October 13). The Tribal and Musical Structure of East Africa - Worldmap
Research. Retrieved from Singing Wells: http://www.singingwells.org/the-
singingwells.org/the-singing-wells-music-map/