Beyond the Guitar: String Instruments from Around the Globe

This infographic, made by contributor Katie Murphy, outlines a few string instruments originating from Spain, Great Britain, China, India, South America and West Africa. There are so many different type of instruments from around the world that most people will never come into contact with. It is up to you, as a music enthusiast, to seek out multicultural musical experiences. Hopefully this illustration will help to expand your string instrument horizons.

If you want to check out a few modern popular artists that use unique and/or string instruments, here are a few that I would suggest:

• Andy Mckee – “Into the Ocean”

• String Cheese Incident– “Colorado Bluebird Sky”: SCI is a homegrown Colorado band formed in 1993 whose original compositions encompass elements of bluegrass, rock, funk, jazz, rock and psychedelia.

• Leftover Salmon– “Looking back over the past 25 years of rootsy, string-based music, the impact of Leftover Salmon is impossible to deny. Formed in Boulder at the end of 1989, the Colorado slamgrass pioneers took their form of aggressive bluegrass to rock and roll bars at a time when it wasn’t so common, helping Salmon become a pillar of the jam band scene and unwitting architects of the jamgrass genre.” [1]
  • Leftover Salmon’s line-up consists of some of Colorado’s best musicians including: Vince Herman (vocals, acoustic guitar, washboard); Drew Emmitt (vocals, acoustic and electric mandolin, electric guitar, fiddle); Andy Thorn (vocals, acoustic and electric banjo); Greg Garrison (vocals, acoustic and electric bass); Alwyn Robinson (drums); Bill Payne (vocals, keyboards).

• Bela Fleck and the Flecktones– These dedicated musicians have been playing together for 25 years. Their self-titled album, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, produced in 1990, is an oldie but a goodie.
  • “Over the years there have been several changes but the constant has been Victor Lemonte Wooten on bass, Future Man (Victor Wooten’s brother, Roy) on drumitar, and myself (Bela Fleck) on banjo. The combo of the 3 of us, usually (but not always) including a powerful 4th musical energy makes it ‘the Flecktones’, at least to me.” [2]

• Toubab Krewe– “A vibrant Asheville, NC-based instrumental powerhouse that creates a sonic Pangaea that lustily swirls together rock, African traditions, jam sensibilities, international folk strains and more.” [3]
  • Toubab’s multicultural style is inspired by their international musical journeys and includes instruments such as: the Kora, Kamelngoni, guitar, fiddle, Djembe, and Congas.

• Medeski, Martin and Wood– “The trio’s amalgam of jazz, funk, “avant-noise” and a million other musical currents and impulses is nearly impossible to classify, which is just how they like it.” [4]
  • Their album, Out Louder, produced with world-renowned jazz guitarist, John Scofield, is one of my favorites.