African Musical Instruments (AMI)

Founded in the 1030s, African Music Instruments (AMI) initially started manufacturing the kalimba instrument. The instrument was made by renowned musicologist Hugh Tracey in the 1930's. Today, AMI still manufactures a large range of kalimbas, but has expanded in manufacturing other African music instruments. It has an extensive range of xylophones, drums, hand percussion instruments and many other indigenous African instruments.

The AMI website has descriptions of other instruments they produce such as nyanga pan pipes, a set of four instruments. It was named by the Nyungwe people from the Tete district in Mozambique. There is the Xhosa Uhadi bow, a traditional instrument from Eastern Cape, South Africa. A scale is built up from the harmonic series resulting from the overtones of the two fundamental notes played on the single string of the instrument. Kudu horns are a set of six horns that represent a number of African musical traditions. Akadinda is an instrument played throughout central Africa in many different traditions.