Ethos and pathos of the musical tones of the Kundung (xylophone) of the Berom people of Plateau State

Abstract

Nigeria is a multicultural society with a diversified linguistic and cultural structure with over 500 languages spoken. Each of the spoken languages has something unique to contribute to humanity, ranging from crafts to the arts and so on. Music, being the most practiced act in the lives of Africans, is ingrained and practiced by every culture in Africa. Although each culture has its own unique ways and singing styles, even within the same cultural circle, with dialectical variances, there are differences in their musical modes of singing and media of performance and sometimes the pitch structures being used in their musical practices. This research investigated the traditional scales being used by the Berom in their music but its focus is on the Kundung (a xylophone). Relying on critical observation, experiments, and measurements, it employed a mixed-research method that was both qualitative and quantitative. It explored the science of the musical instrument, its pitch structure, and the scale patterns used in its construction. The article also compared the Kundung with the piano in terms of tones and scale similarities. The researcher noticed that the tones in the Kundung and those found on the piano are comparable in pitch, but not identical, necessitating the production of musical tones that will sound distinct from those of the Kundung. The Kundung is a musical instrument that follows the Berom musical idiom and is built on a whole-tone scale with a maximum of five separate melodic tones. The rationale for this is simply a natural experiment that allows the researcher to compare the Kundung from two different manufacturers to a Western piano.