NGOMBI
The ngombi is probably the most beautiful of the Baka's instruments. "Ngombi" is to a certain extent a generic term. For example they will call a guitar a "ngombi". The full name for the instrument I am about to describe is the "ngombi na pekeh" or the "ngombi made from the raphia palm" which indeed it is.
The ngombi can be anything from about one and a half to three metres long. They have four strings with a bridge in the centre making 8 separate notes. It is played on the lap, one hand plucking the strings to the left of the bridge, the other plucking the strings to the right
LISTEN to the ngombi
from album Heart of the Forest
The
music is usually repetetive patterns that accompany singing. When played
at night accompanied by the songs of the insects and the Baka's gentle
voices it is a very hypnotic magical instrument. It is very similar to
the "mvet" or "midnight harp" that is found in the
forests further north in Cameroon. The strings of both the ngombi and
the mvet are traditionally made from fibres that are found in the stem
of the rafia palm used to make the body, but today often they use wire strings
which they unravel from their snare cable. This gives the instrument
a different tone and the strings last longer.
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