Sona Jobarteh is the first female virtuoso player of the kora, a traditional African instrument. Now one of the world’s foremost kora players, her mastery is made more remarkable when considering how complex the instrument is.

When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What's going on? Anita Collins explains the fireworks that go off in mus...

21 string Gambian traditional instrument

You’ll be happy to know that the Appalachian dulcimer is relatively easy to play. It isn’t a masters-only instrument, despite its complicated-looking design. Indeed, it’s often regarded in the musical world as one of the easiest stringed instruments to le...

The Appalachian (Mountain) dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the lute family, typically with three or four strings, originally played in the Appalachian region of the United States. The body extends the length of the fingerboard, and its fretting...