The Delta Snake Review: Musical Gear Review and Music Article Archive: Review: The National Instruments Of Madagascar

The National instrument of Madagascar

About a month ago, I stopped by an antique store to check out its book section and spotted a Madagascar Valiah on a table with other items.

The Valiah is considered the national instrument of that African island and is generally described as a zither built around a bamboo tube (see the attached picture). However, it's played like a harp or lyre, so calling it a zither isn't accurate (to me, anyway).

I could tell it was an economy model, but it was intact and playable, and I was always in the market for one, so after some haggling became the harp's new owner.

These things are pretty cool looking, so somebody probably would have bought it for a display, but I feel that even the cheapest instrument deserves to be played, not hung on a wall.

I'll need to replace the little bridge pieces with better quality wood, at least banjo grade, but other than that, it's ready to go.

I recently uploaded a video short for "Madagascar Summer," it's one of three African numbers that Handa-McGraw International has recorded.

The Madagascar number is one of the most personal because African music drew me back into playing music after spending most of the 80s and 90s writing.

I took a chance on a record by a Madagascar artist named D'Gary and was impressed with his guitar playing. Oddly enough, the first instruments in my new collection were percussion, but I got an old friend, Mark McGraw, to work up a guitar part that was in D'Gary's style and became the Madagascar Summer instrumental.

Justin Vali was another artist from that island, and his specialty was the Valiah and the larger rectangle-shaped Box Harp. I've always liked the various styles of harp music, so his music was an instant hit with me.

That's why I immediately recognized the Valiah in the store (but acted dumb; otherwise, the price would have been less flexible) and made it a point to get it.

I'll probably never see Madagascar, but musically, I've visited it several times, and I'm sure my new Valiah will take me back there again.

- Al Handa

The Quitturz by Al Handa