The kora is a plucked chordophone of the harp family from West Africa. The instrument consists of a half calabash covered with cow skin as a body and a neck with holding the tuning mechanisms. The 21 strings run freely from the brigde to the neck. Recent kora designs from Senegal may feature up to 4 additional bass strings. The kora player faces his instrument and plucks 11 strings with his left hand and 10 with his right, not unlike a harpist. Four standart tunings exist for the kora. Some players such use instruments with two necks to be able to switch between tunings while playing. The kora is very popular in Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso. Well known kora masters are Alieu Susom Foday Musa Suso, Seckou Keitam Toumani Diabaté and Ablaye Cissoko, among many others. The kora has inspired an electric instrument designed by Robert Grawi, called the gravikord.
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