Washint (Amharic: ዋሽንት) is an end-blown wooden flute originally used in Ethiopia. Traditionally, Amharic musicians would pass on their oral history through song accompanied by the washint as well as the krar, which is a six stringed lyre, and the masenqo, a one string fiddle.[1]

Washint
Woodwind instrument
Classification aerophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification421.111.12
(end blown flute)
Playing range
unknown, usually players take 20 to 30 washints with them for performing

Occurrence

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Along with the Krar and the Masenqo, the Washint flute is one of the three most widespread traditional musical instruments in Ethiopia.

The washint is a favorite among the shepherds and cowherders.[2]

Construction and design

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The washint can be constructed using bamboo, wood or other cane, and increasingly flutes of metal and plastic tubes can be seen.[3] Varieties exists in different lengths and relative fingerhole placement, and a performer might use several different flutes over the course of a performance to accommodate different song types.[4] It generally has four finger-holes, which allows the player to create a pentatonic scale.[5]

See also

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  • Ney, a flute of similar construction found in Middle Eastern Music
  • Ney (Turkish), a Turkish flute of similar construction
  • Kaval, a similar wind instrument found in Azerbaijan, Turkey, Macedonia and Bulgaria
  • Music of Ethiopia - historical overview of music tradition of Ethiopia
  • Krar, five or six-stranded bowl-shaped lyre used in Ethiopia and Eritrea
  • Masenqo, single-stranded bowed lute in Ethiopian-Eritrean tradition.

References

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  1. ^ Nidel, Richard (2005). World Music: The Basics. Routlidge Taylor & Francis Group, NY.
  2. ^ May, Elizabeth (1983). Musics of many cultures : an introduction. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 239. OCLC 10960729.
  3. ^ Timkehet Teffera Mekonnen (2020). "Shungul, Sorror, Washing, Woissa, Zumbara". www.academia.edu.
  4. ^ Kimberlin, Cynthia Tse (1974). "Ethiopian and Tribal Music". Ethnomusicology. 18 (1): 178. doi:10.2307/850080. JSTOR 850080.
  5. ^ Sárosi, B. (1967). "The Music of Ethiopian Peoples". Studia Musicologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. 9 (1/2): 14. doi:10.2307/901579. JSTOR 901579.
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Audio examples and pictures

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