Kalindula is a kind of

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...

which gives its name to a style of

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Funk ...

in southern-central

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It originated in the late 20th century and is popular in

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...

and is also found in

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northe ...

and

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. Some people claim it originated in the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

but this cannot be fully supported by the evidence. It combines features of 20th century popular music with rhythmic and metric elements. The kalindula musical style is characterized by an up-tempo rhythm and, in addition to the kalindula bass guitar, one or more hand-crafted guitars which are called 'banjos' (pronounced locally as 'bahn-jo'). Homemade

drum set A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumstic ...

s are also used in some kalindula bands. Kalindula bands in urban areas often incorporate

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

s, electric bass and modern drum sets into their ensembles. In the Southern Province of Zambia, kalindula bands compete to participate in the annual Tonga Music Festival sponsored by Chikuni Radio station. Winning groups are offered recording contracts by the radio station and their tapes are sold in markets throughout the province. Current favorites in the Southern Province are Green Mamba and Mashombe Blue Jeans. Amayenge, winners of the 2005 Ngoma Music Award, are another well-known and long-established group, together with Distro Kuomboka band, winners of several regional and national awards as 'Best Band', who dominate the Kalindula scene on the Copperbelt.

External links

Chikuni Radio

Kalindula Music Videos

Other information

Zambian musical instruments Malawian music Zimbabwean musical instruments Bass guitars

See also

External links

Other information