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perpendicular in the same direction. Strumming and plucking are the two basic techniques applied and these are done by the thumbs and forefingers with some occasional assistance from the middle fingers. The seperewa player can even dance while he is playing or make some dramatic movements.
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Seperewa can be played in different positions. The player can play while sitting down with the instrument resting on his lap, with the neck of the instrument standing upright. He may also play while standing, the instrument held firmly in the groin to gain enough support, the neck facing
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Modern seperewa typically have anywhere between 10 and 14 strings, set onto a standing bridge, and are connected to the neck of the instrument by winding them around it directly. They are recognisable by their square wooden box resonator, which differ from the calabash resonators of
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and molo calabash-lute types instead. The harp-lute tradition since then was preserved predominantly among Akan groups in what became southern Ghana, with the only exception being the koriduo 6 string harp of the Dagari and
Sisaala groups of northwestern Ghana.
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caused a replica of it to be made in his memory. The instrument was wrapped in gold leaf, and placed among the paraphernalia of the Golden Stool, which Osei Tutu established as "the soul" of the Asante nation with the help of his counsellor, the great priest
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British colonization in the later 19th century saw the instrument decline in use as the guitar was introduced, and new chords and musical patterns from Europe entered Akan areas.
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tradition followed by northern
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was introduced by
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into its musical repertoire. Various harp-lutes similar to the sanku were once exclusively played in
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By the early 20th century, as the Akan kingdoms became incorporated into the
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and today is still inhabited by several Manden groups; the
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and was used either used by itself or along with song.
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The seperewa was used to entertain kings, similar to a
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455:Musical Instrument Museums Online (MIMO)
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320:Mali Empire
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517:Categories
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386:Gold Coast
360:Opoku Ware
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58:"Seperewa"
451:"Simbing"
356:Osei Tutu
197:Musicians
189:, aloko,
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471:Archived
405:See also
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122:Seperewa
99:May 2014
336:Wangara
312:Bonoman
288:Manding
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240:Sisaala
236:Dagaare
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308:Mande
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