Masenqo

Mesenqo
	A traditional Ethiopian masinko or chira-wata
String instrument
Classification	chordophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	321.311; (spike bowed lute)
Related instruments
	gusle (Balkans); igil (Tuvan); krar (Horn of Africa);

The Masenqo (Amharic: ማሲንቆ; Tigrinya: ጭራ-ዋጣ (ዋጣ) is a single-stringed bowed lute commonly found in the musical traditions of Ethiopia.^[1] As with the kirar, this instrument is used by Ethiopian minstrels called azmaris ("singer" in Amharic) .^[2] Although it functions in a purely accompaniment capacity in songs, the masenqo requires considerable virtuosity,^[1] as azmaris accompany themselves while singing.

Construction and design[]

The square or diamond-shaped resonator is made of four small wooden boards glued together, then covered with a stretched parchment or rawhide. The single string is typically made of horse hair, and passes over a bridge. The instrument is tuned by means of a large tuning peg to fit the range of the singer's voice.^[3] It may be bowed by either the right or left hand, and the non-bow hand sits lightly on top of the upper part of the string.

References[]

^ ^a ^b Shelemay, Kay Kaufman (2001). "Ethiopia". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. viii (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan. pp. 355–356.
^ Kebede, Ashenafi (January 1975). "The "Azmari", Poet-Musician of Ethiopia". The Musical Quarterly. 61 (1): 47. doi:10.1093/mq/lxi.1.47.
^ Teferra, Timkehet (2009). "The One-Stringed Fiddle Masinqo: Its Function and Role in Contemporary Ethiopian Music and its Future". Horizon Ethiopia. Retrieved 12 Sep 2011.

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[Grove-1] Shelemay, Kay Kaufman (2001). "Ethiopia". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. viii (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan. pp. 355–356.

[2] Kebede, Ashenafi (January 1975). "The "Azmari", Poet-Musician of Ethiopia". The Musical Quarterly. 61 (1): 47. doi:10.1093/mq/lxi.1.47.

[3] Teferra, Timkehet (2009). "The One-Stringed Fiddle Masinqo: Its Function and Role in Contemporary Ethiopian Music and its Future". Horizon Ethiopia. Retrieved 12 Sep 2011.

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v t Musical strings, wires, and instruments
List ( Hornbostel–Sachs numbers)
Bow Bridge Third bridge Chordophone Course Drone Enharmonic Fingerboard Fret Fundamental/Harmonics/Overtones/String harmonic Longitudinal wave Long-string instrument Melde's experiment Mersenne's laws Monochord Music On A Long Thin Wire Node Nut Re-entry Scale length Soundboard Standing wave String vibration Transverse wave Tuning peg
Monochords and musical bows	Ahardin Berimbau Bladder fiddle Boom-ba Đàn bầu Diddley bow Duxianqin Ektara Ground bow Ichigenkin Japanese fiddle Jaw harp Genggong Gogona Khomuz Kubing Morsing Mukkuri Langeleik Lesiba Masenqo Onavillu Psalmodicon Tromba marina Tumbi Umuduri Unitar Washtub bass

String instrument
A traditional Ethiopian masinko or chira-wata
Classification	chordophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	321.311 (spike bowed lute)
Related instruments
gusle (Balkans) igil (Tuvan) krar (Horn of Africa)

Masenqo

Construction and design[]

See also[]

References[]