TUNING THE KORA: THEN AND NOW
There are three main modern tunings of the kora. They can be compared most synonymously with the western major, minor and lydian modes. But it was not always like this. Historically, tuning the kora was an arduous task considered to be almost as difficult as learning to play it, especially for outsiders. The reason for this is two-fold: 1) African tuning used to be very different from Western equal temperament, and 2) the traditional tuning mechanism on the physical instrument itself was not as precise as other methods that are available today.
Whereas western tuning, since the time of Bach, has been a system of equal temperament--that is the division of 12 equal semitones comprising an octave--African tunings have varied from culture to culture based on any number of different scales and temperaments. Most commonly some form of equiheptatonic temperament is employed. But, as colonialization spread across Africa traditional tunings combined with tunings from nearby cultures and ultimately with western tuning. Now tuning is a hodge-podge of the traditional and the equally tempered. And sometimes tunings are adjusted slightly for the specific performance. For instance if a local Jali is recanting a story to his village he may use a slightly different pitch center from what he would use if he were acting as a player in a herbie hancock recording.
Here is a basic tuning guide:
Whereas western tuning, since the time of Bach, has been a system of equal temperament--that is the division of 12 equal semitones comprising an octave--African tunings have varied from culture to culture based on any number of different scales and temperaments. Most commonly some form of equiheptatonic temperament is employed. But, as colonialization spread across Africa traditional tunings combined with tunings from nearby cultures and ultimately with western tuning. Now tuning is a hodge-podge of the traditional and the equally tempered. And sometimes tunings are adjusted slightly for the specific performance. For instance if a local Jali is recanting a story to his village he may use a slightly different pitch center from what he would use if he were acting as a player in a herbie hancock recording.
Here is a basic tuning guide:
The traditional tuning mechanism for the kora is a series of leather rings bound tightly around the neck to which the strings are fashioned. The player pulls the rings up and down the neck to the desired pitch/tautness of the string. But in more recent years, construction has been modified with the advents of various kinds of tuning pegs which hold pitch better than the original rings. Guitar and zither pegs have become the most prevalent method, but piano pegs have also been employed. Of course, some Jalis prefer the traditional method but it tends to depend on repertoire (as mentioned in the previous page).
Here is a good A/B of the traditional method and the modern method, respectively.
Here is a good A/B of the traditional method and the modern method, respectively.
This is video of the Toumani Diabaté playing the kora in a modern, purely instrumental setting. His kora also makes use of the modern technology, and his playing style is tempered to match with Ali Farka Touré's dually inspired blend of African music and its American cousin, the delta blues.