Ethiopia and Eritrea
Ethiopian

Wood, hide, fiber strings
ca. Early 20th century
Height: 29 inches, Width: 22 inches
Chordophone – Lyre

While rarely seen outside the region, this five-string bowl-shaped lyre is one of the most commonly used folk lyres in Ethiopia (northeastern Africa) and Eritrea. It is tuned to the pentatonic scale.  The Krar consists of a wooden frame of 3 branches and a hand-carved wooden bow. The branches have been striped and stained, and are now showing a worn patina from much use and handling. One branch rests horizontally across the top to form a cross bar, while two longer pieces of wood branch extends down at an inward angle, into the sound box to form the sides of the frame. The sound box or resonator bowl is covered with a piece of dark brown textured hide. The top of the hide is perforated for the wood branches to pass through. In the back additional skin/hide lashings are threaded through to tie the cover in place and to keep the hide taut over a hand-carved wooden bowl. The 5 strings, extend from the center of the cross bar down to the farther edge of the sound box top, where they pass through the hide surface and are tied to the two wooden branches that meet inside. A removable bridge is placed on the sound box cover, elevating the strings so that they are suspended and free to vibrate from the cross bar to the bridge.

When played it is held like a guitar at a somewhat horizontal angle and the performer plucks the strings from both sides.