Raft zither with reed soundboard, 2 wooden bridges and 11 bound strings stretched across the top [RTS 21/9/2005].

Collection type: Object
Description: Raft zither with reed soundboard, 2 wooden bridges and 11 bound strings stretched across the top [RTS 21/9/2005].
Long description: Raft zither, consisting of a stringbearer made from 27 sections of thick yellow reed, cut off between the nodes and laid side by side to form a rectangular soundbox (Pantone 7509C), with smaller reeds used to fill the gaps between. These have been fastened together near either end with pairs of wooden twigs, stripped of their bark and laid at right angles to the surface, which is sandwiched between them; the whole is then lashed together using brown fibre strips that form a thick, decorative binding across the top (Pantone 7505C). These twigs extend out beyond the edges of this soundbox. Two pinkish brown wooden bridges have been placed across the width of the soundbox, parallel to the ends (Pantone 728C); these are held in place by the tension from the strings. There are 11 of these, formed from the epidermis of the reeds that make up the stringbearer, stripped away from the surface some 60 to 80 mm from the reed ends, and pulled taut acros the bridges. These strings are bound tightly to the reed bodies at either end, using narrow strips of orangey brown plant fibre, to prevent further splitting (Pantone 729C). The centre of each string has been similarly bound, but using narrower strips. The instrument would be played by plucking these strings between the bridges with the fingers. On the underside of the soundboard, the epidermis has been stripped from 16 of its constituent reeds, and 3 wooden cross bars have been fitted beneath these, using the resulting tension to help keep the soundboard body together. The stripped epidermis on this side of the instrument has not been bound at its base. Finally, there is a single strip of fibre or bark, tied to the central cross bar; this could be the remains of a broken carrying loop. Otherwise, the zither is complete, although two of the strings have broken. It has a weight of 207 grams. The soundboard is 500 mm long and 203 mm wide; the maximum width of the instrument is 271 mm; the bridges are 202 mm long, 10 mm wide and 15 mm high, and have a gap of 227 mm between them; the pieces of wood used to secure the reed elements together have a width of 5 mm and are 3 mm thick; the strings are 3 mm wide, where unbound, and 3.5 mm wide across the bound centres [RTS 21/9/2005].
Geographical reference: Nigeria
Africa > Western Africa > Nigeria
Person: Field collector Reginald W. Davies; PRM source Gwenllyan Kathleen Butler Davies; PRM source Edward Best
Date / Period: Date made: Before 1924
Date collected: 1924
Acquisition information: Donated: 12/1976
Materials and processes: Material Reed Plant, Material Plant Fibre, Material Wood Plant, Process Split, Process Bound, Process Tied, Process Carved, Process Wicker Woven
Dimensions: Length: max 500 mm, Width 203 mm board, Width: max 271 mm including cross bars, Weight 207 g
Object numbers: Accession number: 1977.11.1

Search terms: Music, Musical Instrument, Zither