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Folk and World Music Instruments

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Oblente: standing drum. The master drum of the Ga people of Ghana.

Obonu: royal drums of Ghana.

Obrenten: Ga master drum (Ghana).

Ocarina - a popular vessel flute usually made of clay or terracotta. It is found in many different cultures.

Odaiko – large Japanese drum.

Odono: small talking drum (Ghana).

Oge - Ghanaian royal drum.

Oghene - oval shaped iron gong (Nigeria).

Ogirigbo - an Igede wooden slit-drum made from a hollowed log. It is a talking instrument with two lips that are beaten to reproduce the Igede language (Nigeria).

Ogung: set of four gongs from Sumatra.

Oja - Nigerian three holed wooden whistle.

Ojamba: tall, thin drum (Ghana).

Ojeh: an Igede metal gong that is beaten rhythmically with a stick (Nigeria).  

Okarina - Croatian ocarina.

Oko: A gourd trumpet from the Igede people (Nigeria).

Okónkolo: the smallest of the Cuban batá drums. It plays a rhythmic pattern that changes when indicated by the iyá drum.

Okpirih – an Igede wooden drum with a tenor voice, forms a set with Egbong and Ubah (Nigeria)

Omele - see Batá drums.

Ookawa - See Ootsuzumi.

Ootsuzumi - small Japanese hand drum. 

Opikeh: a side-blown Igede talking instrument made from antelope horn. Traditionally used as a battle-signaling instrument, it now serves as an ensemble instrument (Nigeria).

Organetto - 1- Italian accordion. 2 - a light portable precursor of the organ, from Medieval Italy. It has a button keyboard and only one note can be played at a time.

Organistrum: a large size 12th century medieval instrument from Europe that was usually played by two musicians. It is known as the predecessor of the hurdy gurdy and there are records of it found on the reliefs of European cathedrals in France, Spain, Scotland, Germany and the Czech Republic. Luthiers from Galicia (Spain) recreated some in the 1980s.

Osana - small support drum played with sticks (Ghana).

Osoide adaka: box drum (Ghana).

Ota-ubah: A clay pot used by the Igede people (Nigeria). It has a narrow open neck and a hole cut in its side. It is beaten with two hands. They are usually played in sets of three.

Otsuzumi - Japanese drum. 

Oud- See ud .

Oúti - Middle Eastern lute.

Ovcharska svirka - Bulgarian shepherd's pipe, a smaller version of the kaval.

Oyo – a woven cane basket with gourd bottom filled with pebbles (Nigeria).

Last Updated Thursday, April 03 2003 @ 12:49 PM EST|10,800 Hits