Bana Rahalahy

Maro biby sarobidy
ao Gasikara ao
Zava-maniry tsy fahita firy
ao Gasikara ao
Madagascar sur ta terre
des animaux rares
Madagascar sur ta terre
des plantes rares
Pour combien de temps encore?

FIHAVANANA eran-tany no hiraintsika androany
"Le Fihavanana à l'échelle planétaire pour un monde apaisé"

Hanta

NY KABOSY

The KABOSY is the typical native Malagasy instrument.
Usually it is of rectangular shape. It can be used as
an accompaniment and as a soloist instrument too.

The strings of the kabôsy

For a kabosy in G, you can use :
   for the 1st string a guitar string E
   for the 2nd string a guitar string A
   for the 3rd and 4th strings : guitar strings B
   for the 5th and 6th strings : guitar strings E

Experiment with strings until you obtain the tone quality you want.

Tuning The kabôsy

I recommend to use a tuner for tuning the Kabosy.

Let's now see the chords in the Principal Major and minor Keys

Diagrams of Chords

How to read a diagram

Example: in the first example in the diagram above, the 1st and 2nd
strings are open. The 3rd and 4th strings are stopped by the 2nd (middle) finger above
the 1st fret and the 5th and 6th strings stopped by the 3rd (ring) finger just
above the 2nd fret.

The chords in the principal Major and minor keys

The chords G and Em

The chords C and Am

The chords D and Bm

The strokes

The common stroke

This is the basis of all the other strokes. You need to master it before
trying more complicated ones.
At the upper edge of the sound hole :
1- Drag squarely the fore finger of the right hand lightly down across all
the strings, using the nail.
2- Drag up the fore finger of the right hand lightly across all the strings,
using the ball.

Think all the times of relaxing your hand and make the stroke with the wrist
free in its motion.

The next lessons will contain :