Musical Bow

West African

Not on view

The Musical bow, a wood rod fitted with a string and tapped with a stick, is one of the oldest instrument types. The sounds of the vegetal, metal or cord string may be enhanced by a gourd resonator held against the chest or resonated in the mouth. It is widely distributed and African versions were brought to the Americas by enslaved peoples who in Brazil used it (berimbau) to perform capoeira, a martial art dance.

Musical Bow, Wood, gourd, hemp, West African

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