HANDBOOK OF THE COLLECTION OF MUSICAL INSTBUJVfENTS 73 



This was attached loosely, and the vibrating length of the string 

 was regulated by slipping the gourd along the rod. The gourd 

 resonator of the musical bow was pressed against the player's abdo- 

 men. The string was struck with a small bamboo and the tone 

 varied by moving the fingers along the string and by inclining the 

 gourd at different angles, varying the open space between the player's 

 body and the open edge of the gourd. These instruments vary in 

 length from 1 to 7 or more feet, and the strings, which are one to six 

 in number, could be played either open or stopped. The sound was 

 produced in various ways, the strings being picked by the fingers 

 or a plectrum, rubbed, or struck with a beater. 



No. 94661 has one string of twisted cord and a gourd resonator 

 which is tied to the bow and pressed against the naked body of the 

 player, as shown in Plate 31. It was struck with a stick having a 

 ball at the end, this ball consisting of a plant substance tied in a 

 cloth and having loose seeds that rattle when the stick is shaken. 

 The material used as a string is a vine or root, and a roll of this is 

 shown 95163 (pi. 30g). The roll contains two coils, one finer than 

 the other and each about 60 feet long. There is something appeal- 

 ing in the thought of the native musician who put a supply of extra 

 strings with his instrument. On 151140 (pi. 30c) is seen about two- 

 thirds of a spherical gourd as a bell-shaped resonator, loosely tied 

 to the bow. No. 167477 is similar and has a string of rolled raw- 

 hide, and 95926 has a string of vegetable fiber in two strands twisted 

 together. The resonator of each is made from a gourd shell. W. L. 

 Abbott, who collected the specimens, says : " The bow is strung taut 

 and held in the left hand with the hollow of the gourd pressed 

 against the player's chest. The string is struck with a small stick 

 held in the player's right hand." A section of a long gourd serves 

 as a resonator on 167515, being fastened to the bow at one side near 

 the middle. It is struck with a bamboo rod. 



A musical bow with four strings and a bridge is seen as 95159 

 from the Gaboon River in West Africa. This type is called a muet. 

 The bow is made from the stalk of a palm leaf. Four strings of 

 different lengths are cut from the cuticle of the palm leaf, one end 

 of each being left attached. They are stretched across an upright 

 wooden bridge and held by vertical notches about half an inch apart. 

 The strings were tuned by moving back and forth two braided bands 

 which were placed at the ends of the bow. Mr. Hawley says that the 

 strings on the long end are tuned D, G, A, B. Half of a gourd shell 

 is tied to the back of the bow opposite the bridge as a resonator. 

 The strings were picked with the fingers. As an accompaniment to 

 this stringed instrument the natives played a percussion instrument 

 consisting of a piece of bamboo about 40 inches long. This was 

 laid across the knees of two performers seated on stools and each 



