Washint
Washint is an end-blown wooden flute originally used in Ethiopia. Traditionally, Amharic musicians would pass on their oral history through song accompanied by the washint as well as the krar, a six stringed lyre, and the masenqo, a one string fiddle.[1]
Woodwind instrument | |
---|---|
Classification | aerophone |
Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 421.111.12 (end blown flute) |
Playing range | |
unknown, usually players take 20 to 30 washints with them for performing |
Construction and design
The washint can be constructed using wood, bamboo, or other cane. Varieties exists in different lengths and relative fingerhole placement, and a performer might use several different flutes over the course of a performance to accommodate different song types.[2] It generally has four finger-holes, which allows the player to create a pentatonic scale.[3]
See also
- Ney, a flute of similar construction found in Middle Eastern Music
- Ney (Turkish), a Turkish flute of similar construction
- Kaval, a similar wind instrument found in Azerbaijan, Turkey, Macedonia and Bulgaria
- Music of Ethiopia - historical overview of music tradition of Ethiopia
- Krar, five or six-stranded bowl-shaped lyre used in Ethiopia and Eritrea
- Masenqo, single-stranded bowed lute in Ethiopian-Eritrean tradition.
References
- Nidel, Richard (2005). World Music: The Basics. Routlidge Taylor & Francis Group, NY.
- Kimberlin, Cynthia Tse (1974). "Ethiopian and Tribal Music". Ethnomusicology. 18 (1): 178. doi:10.2307/850080. JSTOR 850080.
- Sárosi, B. (1967). "The Music of Ethiopian Peoples". Studia Musicologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. 9: 14. doi:10.2307/901579. JSTOR 901579.
External links
Audio examples and pictures
- Washint tune played before entranced crowd (on EthioTube site part of YouTube)
- Boy mimicking Washint sound (on YouTube)
- Washint played by non Ethiopian (on YouTube)
- Ethiopian instruments images on the sidebar
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