Pluck the strings of the Mandinka harp, or sweep your finger across them for a waterfall of notes. Loop a kumbengo, the ostinato of the thumbs, and improvise on top: every string belongs to the scale, so nothing sounds wrong. Then learn to play the kumbengo yourself as the next strings light up.
The kora is played with the thumb and index finger of each hand. This page keeps its two rows of strings and the way they share the scale.
Eleven strings for the left hand and ten for the right sit on either side of the bridge. Above the bass, the notes of the scale alternate from one side to the other, so a run climbs by alternating hands, the way kora players ripple through their scales.
Drag across the strings and each one you cross rings out. On a phone or tablet, use several fingers at once, as players use both thumbs and index fingers.
Koras are retuned by sliding leather rings along the neck. Silaba gives the major scale; sauta raises the fourth, turning both B flat strings into B. Choose the lowest string on E, F, F sharp or G to fit a singer.
Kora players keep an ostinato going with their thumbs, the kumbengo, and break into fast improvised runs, the birimintingo. Loop one of three original kumbengo and improvise over it: every string fits the scale.
Press Play the kumbengo: a knock on the calabash keeps the beat, the next strings glow in green, and each string you pluck flashes on the pattern, green in time, red if not, with a counter.
The middle row of letters plays the left-hand strings, the top row the right-hand strings. Show the string names, the notes or the keys on the strings at any time.
Pluck a few strings, then drag across the right-hand strings for a glissando.
Press Loop the kumbengo: River crossing starts turning.
Play runs over it on any strings; alternate left and right to climb the scale.
Press Play the kumbengo and pluck the glowing strings on the beat; slow the tempo down while you learn.
| Type | Kora (21-string harp-lute of the Mandinka), playable on this page, free |
|---|---|
| Strings | Left hand L1 to L11, right hand R1 to R10, common silaba layout, F2 to A5 on an F kora |
| Tunings | Silaba (major scale), sauta (raised fourth); lowest string E, F, F sharp or G |
| Sound | Nylon strings synthesized in the browser (Karplus-Strong), skin and calabash resonance, room reverb |
| Kumbengo | River crossing, Evening market, Long road: GOONS originals, to loop or to play, 50 to 140 BPM |
| Controls | Mouse, multi-touch and glissando by dragging; keyboard rows A to apostrophe and Q to P |
| Requirements | Any modern browser with Web Audio - Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari |
The kora is the harp-lute of the Mandinka people, played in Mali, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Burkina Faso. A large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin forms its body; a long hardwood neck carries the strings over a tall notched bridge. The strings were once thin strips of hide and are now mostly nylon. It is the instrument of the jali, the hereditary musicians, historians and storytellers often called griots.
Only the thumb and index finger of each hand pluck the strings; the other fingers hold the two handles. A skilled player keeps the kumbengo going while weaving improvised birimintingo runs and singing. The first European description of the kora appears in the travels of Mungo Park, published in 1799, and Mandinka oral tradition places its origins in the time of the Kaabu kingdom. The kumbengo on this page are GOONS originals, not transcriptions of traditional pieces.
Play the wooden keys of the balafon, the other instrument of the jali, the mbira of Zimbabwe, or the djembe, and find every instrument on the world music studio map.
Yes. The kora at the top of this page is free, with no account and nothing to install. Its strings are synthesized in your browser with the Web Audio API, without any sound file.
Eleven strings for the left hand, ten for the right. The four lowest are on the left; above them, the notes of the scale alternate between the right and left sides. On an F kora in silaba they run from F2 to A5. Players arrange and tune their strings in slightly different ways; this page follows a common layout.
Silaba tunes the kora to a major scale; sauta raises its fourth degree by a semitone, so on an F kora both B flat strings become B naturals. Players also retune the whole instrument higher or lower, which the lowest string menu does here.
The kumbengo is the ostinato a kora player keeps going, mostly with the thumbs; the birimintingo are the fast improvised runs played over it. Loop a kumbengo and play your own runs on top.
No. River crossing, Evening market and Long road are GOONS originals in the spirit of kora ostinatos. Traditional repertoire such as Kelefa Ba or Jarabi is best learned from the jali who carry it.
The kora is free, with no account. GOONS Studio adds a looper, synths, drum machines and a sequencer that play together - free for 7 days, no card required.
Free on this page, no account. Play the online balafon →