Tuning of two kondi and one kongoma

Ethnomusicological sound recording made by Cootje van Oven. (Relative) Tuning of two kondi and one kongoma. The photograph features a kondi being played, though this is not the instrument featured in the recording. The kondi is a metal box (sometimes with part of the metal replaced by wood) which has a number of metal tongues fixed on top of it (the longest in the centre, then tapering off regularly on both sides). The box also has an extension, facing away from the player, through which small metal wires are threaded. The player takes the box between his body and his hands (it often has sound holes in the three sides that are not resting against his body), plucks the tongues which are pointing away from him with his thumbs, and shakes the box up and down to obtain a rattle from the wires threaded through the extension and from some pebbles inside the box. The tongues are actually flattened-out umbrella stays. These two kondi each have 9 tongues. The kongoma is a (much bigger) wooden box with a sound hole over which a few metal blades are fixed. The blades are plucked with the fingers of one hand while the side or front (in this case the side) of the box is hit with the other hand, with a tin, or (as in this case) with a stone. Kongoma blades are usually hacksaw blades. This kongoma has 3 blades.

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Further Information

• Type: Sound Recording, Musical instruments
• Object: Tuning of two kondi and one kongoma
• Materials: No Data / Other
• Culture Group: Other
• Dimensions: No Data
• Production Date: 1965.12.25
• Associated Places: Makeni, Bombali District [Place Recorded]
• Associated People: Cootje van Oven [Sound Recordist]; Herb Clark [Sound Recordist]
• Museum: Cootje Van Oven Collection
• Accession Number: CVO:122

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