Robert Johnson died young. This artist, on the other hand was involved in the accidental death of his son and finished out his life in prison. Like Johnson, he was considered one of the best players on his instrument, in this case a variation on the national stringed instrument known as the valiha. He created a version of this zither-like stringed instrument with a box roughly the shape of a suitcase, mounting sets of strings on opposite sides. His performances had a spectacular sound, highly influential to guitarists all over the world and also inspirational to designers of unique stringed instruments such as Jon Rose and Elliot Sharp, both of whom have created box-like instruments with multiple sets of strings. Rakotozafy's instrument featured a total of 24 strings in the two sets, each set tuned to a different scale. His design, handmade from sheet metal, included a small bamboo log which served as a base for his marovany, as well as part of the instrument itself, providing even more resonation.
6 сен 2024
