The Krar is a Lyre from the African country of Ethiopia. The strings are strummed rhythmically, usually with a plectrum, while the other hand damps all the strings that are not required to sound. Lyres are popular East African folk instruments ; this one is played in special religious ceremonies.
Family |
Strings |
Pitch range |
Variable, according to the number of strings. |
Material |
Skin-covered wooden resonator, with a frame decorated with cloth, beads, and mirrors. |
Size |
About 39 in (1 m) long. |
Origins |
Instruments like the krar are played all over East Africa. They derive from the ancient Greek lyre, which traveled up the Nile from Egypt to Sudan. |
Classification |
Chordophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of strings. |
And also... |
Occasionally tortoiseshell or even aluminum cooking-pots ate utilized to create the resonator of the krar. |