Harp-lute (kora) made by Idrissa Coulibay, Mali (Bamako), 2019

Harp-lute (kora) made by Idrissa Coulibay, Mali (Bamako), 2019 (2019.1823)
Traditional West African song called “Alla-Lakait”
Performed by Yacouba Diabaté

[@jeffsurtees847]

This guy is the Jeff Beck of the Kora, an instrument I only heard of 10 minutes ago. Excellent.

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

👍👌👏 Simply fantastic! I own a playable Kora since many years. Unfortunately I'm not able to play it. Thanks a lot for uploading and sharing this wonderful piece of music. Best regards, luck and health.

[@miriammariano3424]

❤❤❤show❤❤ Um grande abraço desde o Brasil 🇧🇷

[@quantumresonance8201]

Prolific! I love 💘 my culture!

[@bobrizzo5131]

Fantastic! So beautiful......

[@bmbm1378]

My favourite instrument relaxes me when I feel anxious

[@musicmanson]

The instrument is NOT a “harp-lute”. It is a KORA. A very important instrument in many West African nations. This instrument is played by a jali, who keeps the stories of the ancestors of these people. The people of the African Diaspora have suffered through ENOUGH colonization. So PLEASE respect the instrument and call it by its proper name! #kora #sayitsname

[@brandonterzic]

Brother, all due respect, but attacking the language used in posting this incredibly beautiful performance is trivial and well, it's just tired bro. West African culture is just as powerful as any of its European counterparts and the tradition of the Griot is unparalleled in the realm of music. Do you think any griot musician, like this gentleman playing here, who has such a profound understanding of fractal geometry and is able to express the ancestral spirit, gives a a second thought let alone a damn about the English translation of an instrument name? The attitude you are displaying with this type of logic is still placing the White/European culture at the center. It's not. Africa is the spiritual center of the earth.

[@meddlesomemusic]

@@brandonterzic right on

[@yeetman4953]

@@brandonterzic fractal geometry?

[@brandonterzic]

@@yeetman4953 hahah... thats the best way I could describe the way they feel and divide time. Its breathtaking

[@randyrhoads6357]

@@brandonterzic What makes Africa the spiritual center of the Earth? Sounds awfully bombastic and self centered. It's low minded thinking to, just because you were incarnated into it, think that the spiritual dynamics of your geographical region are any greater or more important than any other place.

[@AbsoluteAbsurd]

So beautiful!

[@nate7817]

knew this from TTNG

[@crystalc1ear]

Very nice

[@sophia.ssp99]

It plays like a harp

[@fullmetalprism5249]

It pre dates the harp so the harp plays like the Kora

[@bobodeyuca]

@@fullmetalprism5249 Could you quote a source on that? I'm not saying you're wrong, but all I could find is this, the wikipedia article about the kora says, "In the 1300s, the traveller Ibn Battuta mentioned that the women who accompanied Dugha to perform were carrying bows that they plucked. He did not mention the number of strings, but this clearly shows the existence of harp instruments in 14th century Mali and could be the earliest written reference to the kora." Harps have been around since around 2500BC in ancient Egypt, but as far as I can find, the kora as it is here with 21 strings has only been around since around the 16th century, which would make the harp literally thousands of years older than the kora.

[@dezh6345]

@@bobodeyuca As far as I can tell, the harp did come first. Not that there can't be older versions of the Kora, but as far as I can tell, none have been found. And yes, the harp has origins in Egypt. An interesting note about the Kora, the modern day banjo has roots there, where racist white performers would appropriate and standardize the Kora, and use them in minstrel shows to make fun of black people. But the instrument would be popular, and unironically appreciated. Eventually, after appropriating black spirituals and not giving credit to black artists, country music would become popular in the South, and its black roots would be forgotten and suppressed.

[@eagleeye5943]

@@bobodeyuca *the Kora dates from the 13th century

[@bobodeyuca]

@@eagleeye5943 ohh really? I didn't know, the Wikipedia page claims the origin to be in the 16th century, but obviously wikipedia is not a super reliable source.

[@acousticrache3663]

What is the tuning scale of this piece please? :)

[@maval4537]

When I was 12, I immediately fell in love with this instrument.....

[@tbnrcoding4404]

Cool

[@kristallyzation]

I just discovered what this instrument is and I cannot hear it without crying. I love it so much!

[@therndabt]

Glad you like it, check out it’s masters like Toumani Diabate, Sona Jobarteh, Ismael Lo, Sidiki Diabate, Youssou Ndour and more..

[@AbsoluteAbsurd]

I found it through TTNG :)

[@ayannaandkizzyvgo6610]

This Mandingo instrument called Kora

[@jaovao]

@@therndabt just to rectify Sona Jobarteh is not a master. She is a good modern african singer. She learns every note and can’t really improvise in a similar way as the masters are doing. She is even telling that in some interviews. Please be aware that those real masters are crazy in improvisations. I’m a an african professional musician playing lots of traditional instruments and modern instruments telling you that. ✌🏾 & ❤️ & 😊

[@GreigJahtoe]

@@therndabt add mafu conteh to that list. I think he is an up and coming next great kora player. #mafuplaystonight

[@nesm2831]

This made me cry tears of joy to hear today, a beautiful instrument played by a beautiful man.

[@tisk9079]

there are few instrument sounds i love and this gets added in my list. Is blissful to hear

[@_Be_Still]

Check the "gyil" too. You will love it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqPNYaFqotGEn5Y

[@troberts1]

Beautiful. I just learned about this instrument, came here to listen and realized I'd actually heard it before on an album of harp music recorded at an international harp festival.

[@jasonbarnes957]

Probably one of the most beautiful musical instruments on earth apart from the human voice.

[@rjmoney9]

mesmerizing to watch the technique one of the most beautiful sounding instruments I have ever heard, wow

[@muziclover5106]

Who is here after ar rahman sir's introduction of this instrument in SSCOC

[@123testhandle]

Yes😂

[@VijayaLakshmi-us8cl]

Meee😂

[@zenzone8126]

sublime is the kora and the griots so deep. africa so much more than the west would have you believe

[@pointlessflippers6621]

I learned what this was after hearing a TSA story, and now I'm really sad to see a broken one after seeing and hearing this..

[@matthewnungesser5638]

Wow! Absolutely beautiful. First time hearing of this instrument, and I'm blown away!

[@frankbrown617]

Peace God! Thanks for the experience.

[@ACG721]

Original soul music….

[@somaganguly955]

What an artist & his boundless art ! Drew me spellbound!

[@halukkurtoglu126]

This instrument is from heaven, thank you for playing it so amazing with lots of soul

[@aranyaofficial7082]

The melody is very similar to Raga Yaman in our Indian classical music... Splendid!!!!

[@great7939]

Very ancien instrument of west africa. Was used to relate the history of the differents empires and their kings and queens for many centuries.

[@ivanl.1881]

Comment for the algorithm.

[@chipledhungaman]

Theres a shop in Brighton where they make and sell these instruments

[@meddlesomemusic]

So beautiful! How are the strings tuned to pitch?

[@mfaboston]

The pitch of each string can be adjusted by moving leather bands on the neck either up (higher tension) or down (lower tension). The kora can also be made using tuning machines (tuning pegs fitted with a gear mechanism).

[@meddlesomemusic]

@@mfaboston thanks for the response It must take two people just to bring one string up to pitch!

[@carinaDinoBird]

Yeah it’s kinda like a guitar. Nice huh?😁😍🪕

[@ilikematches2]

Absolutely beautiful! My first time hearing the instrument, and I'm completely blown away!

[@r.m.strong]

I dont like this .... I Love this!

[@MenukaPuri-y1i]

so blissful to hear

[@978JJ]

This guy came to my school!? Poor guy nobody was respectful enough to listen, I tried but everybody was so loud

[@tomphillips6743]

Very pretty!

[@FòShōHEALth]

Harp is why EyE Feel the word “HEARt” has HEAR in it. Thank You

[@mafuconteh]

Lovely 😛

[@ashimarahaman3164]

May I get the lyrics of this song? What's the meaning of "Alla-lakait" ?

[@austinsatterfield6792]

This would be a perfect instrument in a modern reggae setting. I need this so bad

[@marieclairearnould3273]

Appel à la détente et méditation. On se relaxe vraiment. Très agréable. On voyage volontiers. M Claire France sud

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Lovely song :) & Beautifully played :)

[@kagisomotlhaapula6751]

Beautiful and soothing. Please link me with a gospel musician who plays this kora instrument

[@quantumresonance8201]

That used to be classical music for the royals in West Africa among Mandinko people. I've land my history this way from the griots. Search for lalo kebba drame

[@kagisomotlhaapula6751]

@@quantumresonance8201 Interesting, thank you for the details

[@r.m.strong]

In a world with such music, it resounds everywhere, every culture , music ! So perfect, beautiful . Art , dance , music , nature.. why is there so much hate ? When the world is so filled with wonder and beauty? For all my time , this has never made sense to me .

[@ingorichter649]

From example to example I like to state now: This kind of harp needs to be add to each symphony orchestra to enrich the harp fraction were needed and suitable. Here on KZbin are sound examples with both harps together: Concert harp and kora. Amazing, very very amazing and angelic sound, thanks 🎵

[@akra1332]

My first time hearing an African string instrument 😅😅

[@swiftsetrider4543]

I know! This has got to be the most underrated instrument ever.

[@colinbaker7614]

Seriously…this is so mind blowing…. You might disagree with me but this reminds me a lot of British isles folk music.

[@sibupopularvideos3012]

what a beautiful sound💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

[@core-nw2gj]

i love the sound of the thick white string whenever he plucked it

[@lucieroy7126]

wow thank you so much appreciate wonderful when you coming in montreal amen namaste

[@brigeen1]

wow, amazingly beautiful.

[@sharondonahue5293]

Lovely musical interlude

[@GrandolpMedia]

Beautiful

[@aydaraydar2328]

Fantastic

[@albertolamatasancho7874]

@@aydaraydar2328 MUY BIEN TOCA

[@didinsaepudin3087]

The sound sleeping of healing...

[@danyelnicholas]

Fantastic, thank you!

[@13mollydog]

The book H(A)PPY bought me here

[@kevinhanley1679]

Beautiful instrument

[@sigmamale7241]

Wow...Sounds fantastic!

[@djrobflow]

Beautiful 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@budoxe]

Still awesome

[@yuvaladereth6067]

מקסים! נתקלתי במוזיקאי שניגן על הכלי הזה ברחוב ומיד הלכתי לבדוק לילמוד ולהקשיב לו בעוד מקומות. פשוט נפלא!

[@swiftsetrider4543]

נכון! זה חייב להיות אחד מכלי הנגינה המקסימים ביותר שיש, וגם הכי אנדר-רייטד נראה לי

[@isaaccastillo8628]

אני מדמיין את דוד המלך מנגן בנבל האפריקאי הזה ושר לאלוהים

[@yeolainemasutha5942]

this sounds so lovely.

[@heather-vs9qe]

So talented 🤩

[@ninabove2826]

superb merci merci

[@szymonpiniewski2137]

wow ok mooo

[@johnnyasv8772]

nice

[@c.e.schlink9933]

Unreal!

[@BeaMea3]

White people have harps and guitars and we have Kora. ♥️

[@jacobbass6437]

I’m having troubles finding some context on this piece. What’s the context of this piece? On what kind of occasions would it be performed? What was the social importance of this piece.

[@gaymalewitch]

Wow. Just wow. Gorgeous.