Gonje Songs

Adolphus Micah performs the three songs presented here. The first is a Christmas song, the second, a song in praise of the chief, and the third, a war song. The gonje is well suited for vocal accompaniment, with its wide dynamic range and its adjustable pitch. Players often make use of harmonics to imitate the controlled "cracking" of the voice, a widespread African vocal technique. One-stringed bowed lutes similar to the gonje are found throughout Africa.