UBO; Igbo Musical Instrument (Thumb Piano)

In this video, Ike Chime samples out the Ubo, a version of thumb piano from the Igbo people of Nigeria.

Apart from percussion instruments, Africa is blessed with various types of melodious string instruments.
They come in different shapes and forms. Some of them are: 

• Kora, the twenty one strings lute harp. 
• Gnawa, an amazing trough string instrument with an amazing trance effect. 
• Likembe, a version of thumb piano found in central Africa. 
• Mbira, also a thumb piano commonly found in Zimbabwe. 
• Gwoje, a horsetail fiddle common among the Hausa of Northern Nigeria. 
• Une, a one string instrument made of stripes from banana stem found among the Igbo of Nigeria. 
• Kalimba, thumb piano in Tanzania.

Most of these instruments are played by minstrels unaccompanied, or are used in accompaniment with other instruments in an orchestra.

 In many parts of Africa, These instruments are made by master craftsmen, and may also run in a family, just like playing them could.

These are crafts that are either passed down from one generation to another, or learnt through a long lasting apprenticeship with a master.