What is a kora made from?

Hi there,

If you have ever wondered what a kora is actually made from then read on...

The biggest part of the kora is the calabash soundbox. A calabash is a fruit and can vary in size from a plum to a large watermelon. For the kora, the calabash is cut in half, the insides are cut out and the shell is dried. There’s a hole cut into the calabash which lets the sound out.

The skin is made from a cow-hide, dried and stretched over the edges of the calabash shell and then nailed in place. The nails are also used for decorations.

The strings are held in place by a wooden bridge. The strings themselves are now generally made of nylon, often fishing twine. he strings on the kora are laid out so that a continuous scale is produced by alternating from strings on one side of the bridge to the other, which allows for rapid ascending and descending passages within the music. It is one of the only instruments in the world to have two parallel sets of strings either side of the bridge.

The long neck of the kora is made out of a hard wood, often mahogany. Up the neck are the tuning cords, made of leather, which hold the strings in place at one end. These leather cords are used to tune each string. Moving the cords up the neck tightens the string and makes the pitch of the string higher.

Kind of makes me wonder what a kalabash might taste like...that's one huge fruit!

If you are considering buying a kora - why not have a look at the Kora King's hand crafted koras

Until next time, cheers!!