View source for Kora (instrument)

{{short description|Stringed instrument from West Africa}}
{{Alternative text missing}}
{{Infobox Instrument
| name           = Kora
| image          = Kora DSC 0355.JPG
| image_capt     = A traditional Kora, a West African stringed instrument, featuring a large, rounded body made from a calabash gourd covered with cowhide, a long hardwood neck, and 21 strings stretched along a tall bridge. The Kora resembles a cross between a harp and a lute, often decorated with intricate carvings or beadwork
| background     = string
| classification = Malian [[stringed instrument]] with 21 strings
| developed      = 16th century
| hornbostel_sachs = [[Hornbostel-Sachs#Harp lutes (323)|323-5]]
| hornbostel_sachs_desc = Acoustic instruments which have a resonator as an integral part of the instrument, in which the plane of the strings lies at right angles to the sound-table; a line joining the lower ends of the strings would be perpendicular to the neck. These have notched bridges. Sounded by the [[pizzicato|bare fingers]]
| range          = [[File:Traditional Range of the Kora.png|thumb|100px|left|Traditional range of the kora]]
| related        = [[harp]], [[gravi-kora]], [[seperewa]], [[simbing]], [[Ngoni (instrument)|ngoni]], [[Bolon (musical instrument)|bolon]]
| musicians      = [[Toumani Diabaté]], [[Jaliba Kuyateh]], [[Ballaké Sissoko]], [[Sona Jobarteh]], [[Foday Musa Suso]], [[Seckou Keita]], [[Toubab Krewe]], [[Jacques Burtin]], [[Bai Konte|Alhaji Bai Konte and sons Dembo and Sherrifo]], [[Mory Kante]], Sidiki Jobarteh, Alahji Malamini Jobarteh father of Tatadinding, Pabobo Dembo, Landing Jobarteh, Lalo keba Drameh Jobarteh, Moussa Kouyate, Jali Morikeba Kouyate, Sona Jobarteh.
| sound sample   = 
}}

The '''kora''' ([[Manding languages]]: {{lang|bm|ߞߐߙߊ|italics=no}} ''kɔra''<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Les Recherches linguistiques de l'école N'ko|author1=Faya Ismael Tolno|url=http://kanjamadi.com/dalukende19.pdf|magazine=Dalou Kende|language=fr|issue=19|page=7|date=September 2011|publisher=Kanjamadi|access-date=17 December 2020|archive-date=31 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831170043/http://kanjamadi.com/dalukende19.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>) is a [[stringed instrument]] used extensively in West Africa.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.asza.com/ikora.shtml |title=Kora |access-date=2007-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708025617/http://www.asza.com/ikora.shtml |archive-date=2007-07-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A kora typically has 21 strings, which are played by plucking with the fingers. It has features of the [[lute]] and [[harp]].

==Description==
The kora is built from a gourd, cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator with a long hardwood neck. The skin is supported by two handles that run underneath it. It has 21 strings, each of which plays a different note. These strings are supported by a notched, double free-standing [[Bridge (instrument)|bridge]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Loquenz |first1=Harald |url=http://www.kora-music.com/e/bauweise.htm |website=West African Kora Music and Jaliya Culture |access-date=21 June 2021 |title="Construction of the Instrument" |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201311/http://www.kora-music.com/e/bauweise.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The kora doesn't fit into any one [[Musical instrument classification|category of musical instrument]], but rather several, and must be classified as a "double-bridge-harp-lute." The strings run in two divided ranks, characteristic of a [[Multi-course harp|double harp]]. They do not end in a soundboard but are instead held in notches on a bridge, classifying it as a bridge harp. The strings originate from a string arm or neck and cross a bridge directly supported by a resonating chamber, also making it a lute.

The sound of a kora resembles that of a harp, though when played in the traditional style it bears resemblance to a guitar played using the [[flamenco]] or [[Delta blues]] technique of plucking polyrhythmic patterns with both hands (using the remaining fingers to secure the instrument by holding the hand posts on either side of the strings). [[Ostinato]] riffs ("kumbengo") and improvised [[solo (music)|solo runs]] ("birimintingo") are played at the same time by skilled players.

Kora players have traditionally come from [[Griot|jali]] families (also from the [[Mandinka people|Mandinka]] tribes) who are traditional historians, genealogists and storytellers who pass their skills on to their descendants. Though played in [[Guinea]], [[Guinea-Bissau]], [[Mali]] and [[Senegal]], the instrument was first discovered in [[the Gambia]]. While those from neighbouring Guinea were known to carry the lute, Senegalese Griots were known as carriers of a [[hand drum]] known as the 'sabar'. Most West African musicians [[Griot#Terms "griot" and "jhali"|prefer the term "jali" to "griot,"]]{{Broken anchor|date=2025-07-26|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Griot#Terms "griot" and "jhali"|reason= }} which is the French word. "Jali" means something similar to a "bard" or oral historian.

Traditional koras feature strings, eleven played by the left hand and ten by the right. Modern koras made in the [[Casamance]] region of southern [[Senegal]] sometimes feature additional bass strings, adding up to four strings to the traditional 21.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kora-music.ml/the-kora-instrument/|title=The Kora Instrument – Kora Music|website=www.kora-music.ml|access-date=2020-04-06|archive-date=2020-08-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813180255/https://www.kora-music.ml/the-kora-instrument/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Strings were traditionally made from thin strips of hide, such as cow or antelope skin. Today, most strings are made from harp strings or nylon fishing line,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Calderwood |first1=Eric |title=The Kora: A Primer |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/08/the-kora-a-primer.html |website=pastemagazine.com |language=en |date=August 18, 2009 |access-date=August 10, 2019 |archive-date=August 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810035820/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/08/the-kora-a-primer.html |url-status=live }}</ref> sometimes plaited together to create thicker strings.

A vital accessory in the past was the nyenmyemo, a leaf-shaped plate of tin or brass with wire loops threaded around the edge. Clamped to the bridge,<ref name=oxford/>{{dubious|reason=it looks like it's on the end of the neck to me|date=August 2019}} or the top end of the neck<ref>{{cite web |title=Other Musical Instruments – Kora Music |url=https://www.kora-music.ml/other-musical-instruments/ |website=www.kora-music.ml |access-date=2019-08-10 |archive-date=2019-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810035242/https://www.kora-music.ml/other-musical-instruments/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> it produced sympathetic sounds, serving as an amplifier since the [[Impedance matching#Acoustics|sound carried well into]] the open air. In today's environment, players usually prefer or need an [[Pickup (music technology)|electronic pickup]].<ref name="oxford">[http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/15371?q=kora&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit] {{dead link|date=November 2018}}</ref>

By moving the [[Tuning mechanisms for stringed instruments#Konso|konso]] (a system of leather tuning rings) up and down the neck, a kora player can retune the instrument into one of four seven-note scales. These scales are close in tuning to western [[Major scale|major]], [[Minor scale|minor]] and [[Lydian mode|Lydian]] modes.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.coraconnection.com/pages/TuningKora.html |title=Tuning the Kora |access-date=2006-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061006044154/http://www.coraconnection.com/pages/TuningKora.html |archive-date=2006-10-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thekoraworkshop.co.uk/kora-tuning-help-silaba.html |title=Tuning the Kora |access-date=2009-05-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111203752/http://www.thekoraworkshop.co.uk/kora-tuning-help-silaba.html |archive-date=2009-11-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Kora (Bridge-Harp Or Plucked Harp-Lute) (cropped).png|alt=Kora (Bridge-Harp Or Plucked Harp-Lute) from St. Cecilia's Hall Museum, Edinburgh|thumb|Kora (Bridge-Harp Or Plucked Harp-Lute) from [[St Cecilia's Hall|St. Cecilia's Hall]] Museum, Edinburgh]]
===Possible Antecedents===
In the 1300s, the traveller [[Ibn Battuta]] mentioned that the women who accompanied Dugha to perform were carrying bows that they plucked. He did not mention the number of strings, but this clearly shows the existence of harp instruments in 14th century Mali and could be the earliest written reference to the kora. The kora is designed like a bow with a gourd, similarly to Ibn Battuta's description, but Battuta did not go into enough detail about the instruments for them to be identifiable. 

===Legendary Origin===
[[Mandinka people|Mandinka]] oral tradition preserves several legends of the origin of the kora, but all of them claim that the instrument originated in [[Kaabu]]. In the stories, the famous [[Djeli|Jali]] Mady Wouling [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4qSOfgrccc&t=1s Cissoko] purchased the instrument from a [[djinn]] or spirit.<ref>{{cite web |title=Origines de la Kora |url=http://chantshistoiremande.free.fr/Html/origines1.php#bas1 |access-date=7 October 2024 |website=Chants et Histoires du Mande |language=French}}</ref> and was the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ak4c065qUs&t=6s first person to play the kora], the first song played was kelefaba.

===Modern history===
The earliest European reference to the kora in Western literature is in ''Travels in Interior Districts of Africa'' (1799) by the [[Scotland|Scotsman]]        
[[Mungo Park (explorer)|Mungo Park]]. 

The kora is mentioned in the [[Senegal]]ese national anthem "[[Pincez tous vos koras, frappez les balafons]]."

In the late 20th century, a 25-string model of the kora was developed, though it has been adopted by only a few players, primarily in the region of [[Casamance]], in southern Senegal. Some kora players such as [[Seckou Keita]] have double necked koras, allowing them to switch from one tuning to another within seconds, giving them increased flexibility.

The French Benedictine monks of the [[Keur Moussa Abbey]] in Senegal (who possibly were the first to introduce guitar machine heads instead of leather rings in the late seventies) conceived a method based on scores to teach the instrument. Brother Dominique Catta, choirmaster of the Keur Moussa Abbey,<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.abbaye-keur-moussa.org/|title=Abbaye de Keur Moussa au senegal et en france 72|first=Edem Oklouvi|last=okejust-communications-72.fr|website=Abbaye-keur-moussa.org|access-date=3 November 2018|archive-date=31 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031174000/http://www.abbaye-keur-moussa.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> was the first Western composer who wrote for the kora (solo pieces as well as duets with Western instruments).<ref>''Lumière Radieuse - Keur Moussa'', Art et Musique, 2007; ''Sénégal, Messe & Chants Au Monastère De Keur Moussa'', [[Arion (record label)|Arion]], 2010.</ref>

An electric instrument modeled on the kora (but made primarily of metal) called the [[gravikord]] was invented in the late 20th century by instrument builder and musician Robert Grawi. It has 24 strings and is tuned and played differently than the kora. Another instrument, the [[gravi-kora]], a 21-stringed electro-acoustic instrument, was later developed by Robert Grawi especially for kora players who wanted a modern instrument. Its playing and tuning are the same as the traditional kora.<ref>The gravi-kora in the Gravikord web site : http://www.gravikord.com/instrument.html#gravikord {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207045944/http://www.gravikord.com/instrument.html#gravikord |date=2011-02-07 }}</ref> The gravi-kora has been adopted by kora players such as Daniel Berkman,<ref>''Calabash Moon'', Magnatune, 2005 ; ''Heartstrings'', Magnatune, 2009. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRdNBQCjQq8 Video (Daniel Berkman on Gravikord, 1998) ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303084343/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRdNBQCjQq8 |date=2011-03-03 }}</ref> [[Jacques Burtin]],<ref>''Le Chant de la Forêt (The Song of the Forest)'', suite for kora, gravi-kora, flute and viola, Bayard Musique, 2008. [http://vimeo.com/16879519 Video (Gravi-kora improvisation by Jacques Burtin, 2010) ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114070153/http://vimeo.com/16879519 |date=2012-11-14 }}</ref> and [[Foday Musa Suso]], who featured it in recordings with jazz innovator [[Herbie Hancock]],<ref>''Village Life'', Columbia, 1985 ; ''Jazz Africa'', Polydor, 1987.</ref> with his band ''Mandingo'', and on Suso's ''New World Power'' album.<ref>''New World Power'', produced by Bill Laswell and Foday Musa Suso, Island Records, 1990.</ref>

==Tuning==
Nowadays, koras are increasingly made with guitar machine heads instead of the traditional konso (leather rings). The advantage is that they are much easier to tune. The disadvantage is that this design limits the [[Range (music)|tuning range]] of the instrument because string lengths are more fixed and lighter strings are needed to lift it much more than a tone. Learning to tune a traditional kora is arguably as difficult as learning to play it, and many tourists who are entranced by the sound while in West Africa buy koras and then find themselves unable to keep it in tune once they are home, relegating it to the status of ornament.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}} Koras can be converted to replace the leather rings with machine heads. Wooden pegs and harp pegs are also used, but both can still cause tuning problems in damper climates unless made with great skill.  

==Images==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Brooklyn Museum 61.2 Figure of a Seated Musician Koro Player (2).jpg|alt=A wooden sculpture of a man seated on a low stool, playing a kora which rests on and slightly between his knees. The figure is stylized, with an elaborate hairstyle, the kora body slightly boxy.|A kora player wearing a korte necklace, from the central northern [[Bandiagara Escarpment]], [[Mopti Region]], [[Mali]]. The kora neck and handles appear to have broken off. Late 1700s.
File:Griot de Niantanso-1872.jpg|Sambou, jali of [[Niantanso]], [[Mali]], with a [[Ngoni (instrument)|Kamalengoni]] (a relation to the Kora) in 1872.
File:Bijoutier et joueurs de kora.jpg|Kora players in [[Sénégal]], 1900. The koras are straight-necked, with handles, carrying cords, tacked skins and small, square soundholes.
File:Kora-Player2.jpg|Jali Fily Sissokho playing a 22-string kora, tuned with [[tuning mechanisms for stringed instruments#Konso|konso]] string terminations and strung with [[nylon strings|nylon monofilament strings]], 2008.
File:Aid for Trade Global Review 2017 – Day 1 Sona Jobarteh tuning kora.jpg|[[Sona Jobarteh]] tuning a 22-string kora with open [[machine head]] tuners, 2017.
File:Strings of a 21 string Kora harp-lute, Rome - 3497.jpg|Playing position of a kora, showing how the strings are notched into both sides of the square bridge
File:Gravi-kora 2 (Photo Jacques Burtin).JPG|The [[gravi-kora]], an [[electric instrument]], lacks the [[acoustic instrument]]'s gourd-and-skin [[resonator]].
File:Sri Lankan composer Dinesh Subasinghe playing the kora Lute in Tone Poem program.jpg|[[Dinesh Subasinghe]] Performing a Kora Lute.
File:4 Koras showing 4 sides.jpg|4 Koras showing 4 sides
File:4 Koras.jpg|4 Koras (zoom in version)
[[File:Gravi-kora 2 (Photo Jacques Burtin).JPG|thumb|right|The Gravi-kora]]
</gallery>

== Scores ==

[[Image:Kora Sheet Music (Jacques Burtin).tiff|thumb|right|Kora sheet music (fragment of the score of ''One Thousand Sources'', for solo kora, by Jacques Burtin).]]

As part of the [[oral tradition]] of West Africa, music for the kora was not written until the 20th century. [[Ethnomusicologist]]s were the only ones to record some traditional airs in the normal grand staff method, using the [[G clef]] and the [[F clef]].

Today, kora scores are written on a single G clef, following the Keur Moussa notation system. This notation system was created for the kora in the late 1970s by Brother [[Dominique Catta]], a monk of the Keur Moussa Monastery (Senegal). The seven low notes that should be written on the F clef are replaced by [[Arabic numerals|Arabic]] or [[Roman numerals]] and written on the G clef.

While jali still compose in the traditional way (without writing scores), some Western musicians began to write [[partiture]]s for the kora and adopted the Keur Moussa notation system at the beginning of the 1980s. More than 200 scores have already been written for kora solo or kora and Western instruments. Two notable Western composers for the kora are Brother [[Dominique Catta]]<ref>Selected scores of Brother Dominique Catta : ''Banehu Len'', Suite n°1 for koras, 1983 ; ''Fleuves d'Eau Vive'', Suite n°2 for koras and [[chant]], 1986; ''Du Désert, d'ici et d'ailleurs'', Airs de kora, 1988 ; ''Banehu Len II'', Suite n°3 for kora and [[flute]], 1990 ; ''Psautier rythmé de Keur Moussa'', 150 Psalms with kora accompaniment, 1996 (all scores published by the Keur Moussa Monastery). The influential ''Méthode progressive pour airs de kora'' (Progressive Method for kora learning), by Brother Dominique Catta, was published in 1987 by the Monastery Keur Moussa.</ref> and [[Jacques Burtin]]<ref>Selected scores of Jacques Burtin : ''Une Rosée de Lumière'', Nine pieces for kora, Monastère de Keur Moussa, 1988; ''Le Chant intérieur / The Inner Song'', Pieces and suites for kora, Editions Studio SM, [[Paris, France|Paris]], 1996 ; ''Joies soudaines'', Works for kora 1988-2010, Marie-Chantal Froment Editor, [[Le Mans, France|Le Mans]], 2010</ref> ([[France]]), who wrote most of these scores, though composers like [[Carole Ouellet]]<ref>Four scores of Carole Ouellet have been published in ''Du Désert, d'ici et d'ailleurs'' (Monastère de Keur Moussa, 1988). Her other compositions have been recorded along with Brother Catta's works. See discography.</ref> ([[Canada]]), Brother [[Grégoire Philippe]]<ref>''Quand renaît le matin'', Prelude for 3 koras and a kora player, by Brother Grégoire Philippe, has been published in 1991 by the Monastery of Keur Moussa.</ref> (Monastère de Keur Moussa) and Sister Claire Marie Ledoux<ref>Sister Claire Marie Ledoux composed pieces for solo kora and songs accompanied by the kora. They can be heard in the CD ''Une Rosée de Lumière - [[St. Francis of Assisi|Saint François]] et [[St. Claire of Assisi|Sainte Claire d'Assise]]'', by Jacques Burtin and Sister Claire Marie Ledoux, Studio SM, 1997.</ref> (France) have also contributed with their own original works.

[[Derek Gripper]] ([[Cape Town, South Africa]]) has transcribed a number of West African kora compositions by Toumani Diabaté and others for performance on western-style [[classical guitar]], and has performed some of these transcriptions on two recordings and in concert from 2012 through 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.derekgripper.com/ |website=Derekgripper.com |title=Derek Gripper: Solo Acoustic Guitarist - African and Contemporary - Composer and Performer |date=2017 |access-date=24 September 2017 |archive-date=14 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014232129/http://www.derekgripper.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Selected discography ==
===African composers (oral tradition)===
* ''Mali: cordes anciennes'' ("Mali: Ancient Strings"), Sidiki Diabaté, Batourou Sekou Kouyaté and Djelimadi Sissoko, Buda Music, 2000. First published in 1970, this CD was the first album totally devoted to the kora. Sidiki Diabaté was the father of [[Toumani Diabaté]] and [[Mamadou Sidiki Diabaté]], and Djelimadi Sissoko was the father of [[Ballaké Sissoko]]. Toumani and Ballaké recorded ''[[New Ancient Strings]] - Nouvelles Cordes Anciennes'' in 1999 (Hannibal), as a tribute to their fathers.
* ''Gambie : l'art de la kora'', Jali Nyama Suso, edited by Roderic Knight, Ocora, 1996. First published in 1972, this CD is also a historical recording.
* ''Kora Melodies from the Republic of The Gambia, West Africa'', [[Alhaji Bai Konte]], Recorded and produced by Marc D. Pevar; photography and notes by Marc and Susan Pever. [[Rounder Records]] 5001.
* ''Jali Kunda - Griots of West Africa & Beyond'', Ellipsis Arts, 1996. A book and a CD edited by [[Foday Musa Suso]], produced by [[Bill Laswell]]. Photographs by Daniel Lainé. A journey through traditional kora music and three original meetings: kora and piano ("Spring Waterfall" by Foday Musa Suso and [[Philip Glass]]); kora and synthesizers ("Lanmbasy Dub'", with Bill Laswell, bass, and [[Jeff Bova]], synthesizers); kora and [[saxophone]] ("Samma", a duet with jazz saxophonist [[Pharoah Sanders]]).
* ''The Mandé Variations'', Toumani Diabaté, World Circuit, 2008. Twenty years after his first CD, ''Kaira'' (Hannibal, 1988) - the first CD ever recorded with solo kora pieces without any song, Toumani Diabate alternates traditional pieces on a kora with leather rings and his own creations with a special tuning on a kora with wooden pegs.

===Western composers (written music)===
* ''Quand renaît le matin'', [[Abbaye de Keur Moussa]], Art et Musique, 2007. First published in 1991, this album gathers pieces composed and performed by Brother Dominique Catta and Carole Ouellet: solo kora pieces, songs with kora accompaniment and a Concerto for flute and three koras. There is also a piece composed by Brother Grégoire for three koras differently tuned and played by one musician.
* ''Le Jour des Merveilles'', [[Jacques Burtin]], 3-CD Box Set, Bayard Musique, 2009. Pieces for solo kora, duets with cello, viola, guitar and koto, suites for flute, guitar and three koras.

==Notable players==
{{Cleanup list|date=December 2011}}
{{Primary sources|find=Kora |find2=musicians|date=January 2011|section}}
{{main|:Category:Kora (instrument) players}}
[[Image:Gambia kora havard.jpg|thumb|250px|Master kora-maker Alieu Suso of [[the Gambia]]]]

* [[Toumani Diabaté]] ([[Mali]])<ref>Toumani Diabate web site {{cite web |url=http://www.toumani-diabate.com/ |title=Toumani Diabaté - griot - maître de kora - Bamako - Mali |access-date=31 January 2011 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207212146/http://toumani-diabate.com/ |archive-date=7 February 2011 }} - [http://vimeo.com/channels/kora#10038625 Video (Toumani Diabate playing ''Cantelowes'' at El Real Acazar, Sevilla, Spain)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114071905/http://vimeo.com/channels/kora#10038625 |date=2012-11-14 }}</ref>
* [[Soriba Kouyate]] ([[Senegal]])
* [https://suntoususso.bandcamp.com/releases Suntou Susso] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220824155943/https://suntoususso.bandcamp.com/releases |date=2022-08-24 }} (Gambia/UK)
* [[Sidiki Diabaté]] (Mali)
* [[Mamadou Sidiki Diabaté]] (Mali)
* [[Foday Musa Suso]] (Gambia, [[United States]]), recorded with [[Herbie Hancock]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20200615041721/https://www.yerkolorca.com/en Yerko Lorca] (Spain)
* [[Jali Nyama Suso]] (Gambia)
* [[Jalli Lamin Kuyateh]] (Gambia/The Netherlands)
* [[Ablaye Cissoko]] ([[Senegal]])<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.myspace.com/cissokogoetze |title=Ablaye Cissoko & Volker Goetze on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads |access-date=2009-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724201909/http://www.myspace.com/cissokogoetze |archive-date=2010-07-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.griotmovie.com/|title=GRIOT|website=Griotmovie.com|access-date=3 November 2018|archive-date=8 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108222316/http://www.griotmovie.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Tasana Camara]] (Guinea)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tasanacamara.blogharbor.com/|title=Full Service WordPress Web Hosting - PressHarbor|website=Tasanacamara.blogharbor.com|access-date=3 November 2018|archive-date=27 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927045833/http://tasanacamara.blogharbor.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Mamadou Diabaté]] (Mali)
* [[Djeli Moussa Diawara]] also known as Jali Musa Jawara (Guinea, now playing a 32-stringed Kora)
* [[Tunde Jegede]] ([[Nigeria]]/[[United Kingdom]])
* [[Sona Jobarteh]] (Gambia/United Kingdom, female kora player)
* [[David Gilden]] ([[Texas]]/[[United States]])
* [[Seckou Keita]] (United Kingdom)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seckoukeita.com/|title=Home|website=Seckoukeita.com|access-date=3 November 2018|archive-date=22 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522205849/http://www.seckoukeita.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [http://www.guylene.com Guylene Solon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608142919/https://www.guylene.com/ |date=2019-06-08 }} (Haiti/United States, female kora player)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guylene.com/|title=Home|website=guylene.com|access-date=3 November 2018|archive-date=8 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608142919/https://www.guylene.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Prince Diabate
* [[Adam Doughty]] (United Kingdom) <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thekoraworkshop.co.uk/adam_doughty.html |title=Adam Doughty |access-date=2014-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427010124/http://www.thekoraworkshop.co.uk/adam_doughty.html |archive-date=2014-04-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Bai Konte]] (Gambia)
* [[Dembo Konte and Kausu Kuyateh|Dembo Konte]] (Gambia)
* [[Kandia Kouyaté]] (Mali)
* [[Kadialy Kouyaté]] ( Senegal, United Kingdom) 
* [[Moussa Kouyate]] (Mali)
* [[N'Faly Kouyate]] (Guinea)
* [[Jaliba Kuyateh]] (Gambia)
* [[Jacques Burtin]] ([[France]])<ref>Jacques Burtin web site [http://www.jacquesburtin.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100906022427/http://www.jacquesburtin.com/|date=2010-09-06}} - [http://vimeo.com/7204318 Video (Jacques Burtin playing ''Ballade de l'île d'Yeu'')] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114071908/http://vimeo.com/7204318|date=2012-11-14}}</ref>
* [[William Parker (musician)|William Parker]] (United States)
* [[Toubab Krewe|Justin Perkins]] (United States)
* [[Lamin Saho]] (Gambia)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.laminsaho.tk/|title=Welcome to nginx!|website=Laminsaho.tk|access-date=3 November 2018|archive-date=12 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912105237/http://laminsaho.tk/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Ballaké Sissoko]] (Mali)
* [[Papa Susso]] (Gambia)
* [[Alhaji Bai Konte]] (Gambia)
* Momi Maiga (Senegal)
* Marleen Stempel (Germany)

==See also==
*[[Banjo]]
*[[Griot]]
*[[Gravi-kora]]
*[[Mandinka people]]
*[[Music of Africa]]
*[[Polyrhythm]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Eric Charry, ''Mande Music : Traditional and Modern Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa'', University of Chicago Press, 2000.
* Ousmane Sow Huchard, ''La kora : objet-témoin de la civilisation manding : essai d'analyse organologique d'une harpe-luth africaine'', Presses universitaires de Dakar, Dakar, 2000.

==External links==
{{External links|section|date=November 2018}}
{{Commons category|Kora}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100104173041/http://coraconnection.com/ Cora Connection]
* [http://www.kora-music.com/ Kora Music] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130063652/http://kora-music.com/ |date=2009-01-30 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110724214502/http://www.abbaye-keur-moussa.org/musique/instruments/kora.php History of the 'Keur Moussa' kora ]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100216145303/http://www.jacquesburtin.com/koraFr.htm A history of the Kora, with an overview of its current practices, by Jacques Burtin] {{In lang|fr}}
* [http://www.DennisHavlena.com/ Web-page of Dennis Havlena] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820040235/http://dennishavlena.com/ |date=2022-08-20 }}—Contains a number of construction articles for koras and accessories

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kora (Instrument)}}
[[Category:Harp lutes]]
[[Category:Harps]]
[[Category:String instruments]]
[[Category:West African musical instruments]]