Arc Musical: the ancestral song

The fundamental need for a griot is also to tell each other through the instrument called Arc Musical.

Arc Musical, ancestral instrument widespread in Africa, Asia, Americas and Oceania, represents one of the roots of the rope tools. His story sinks in prehistory, as evidenced by the Magdalenian engraving in the Trois Frères cave in Ariège (10,000 BC) . In West Africa, especially in Ivory Coast, he assumes a profound cultural role linked to myths and social practices.

Origins and mythology of the Arc Musical

At the bété della Costa d'Avoro, a foundative myth narrates Dizô Zoukou who, following the desire for a liana, created the first
musical arc to "lift the sublime party".
This tool, called Dodo , was played by the hunters to attract the graces of the spirits .
Today, despite the risk of disappearance, it is taught to IDsac (National Institute of the Arts), contributing to its preservation.

Construction and structure of Arc Musical

Made with a flexible branch of acid Hymenocardia (~ 1.5 m long) and a vegetable liana rope, the Arc requires specific skills. The rope is linked to the curved ends of the branch, while a stick-stone allows you to change the voltage and the height of the sound. The final drying guarantees resistance, with a final tool of about 76 cm . Executive technique
The sound was born from the percussion of the rope with a bambou wand, while the mouth acts as a dynamic resonator. The executor (called Arquiste ):

1. Place the Labra near the Vibrant rope
2. Modula the buccal opening (from 1 to 5 cm)
3. Use language and jaw movements to select harmonics

Sonographical analyzes reveal 8-12 partial between 100-1000 Hz, organized on a pentatonic scale. The language, portraying itself towards the pharynx, creates resonant cavities that emphasize specific frequencies:

• Serious (140 Hz): retracted language, oval cavity
• Medium (350 Hz): semi-high language
• Acuti (650 Hz): wide open mouth, tongue towards the palate

Technical innovations

The stick-taston , applied on the rope, abbreviates the vibrant length by raising the sound of a tone. This system, combined with buccal modulation, allows up to 6 distinct heights.
Endoscopic analyzes show that epiglottids and vocal cords remain inert, unlike the dilaphic song where they are fundamental .

Cultural comparisons

While in Zimbabwe it is played by keeping the arch between the lips, the N'Gbaka (Central Africa) and the Bété favor the external percussion.
Ivorian technique stands out for:

• Combined use of wand and oral resonator
• Absence of vocalization (unlike harmonious singing)
• Rhythmic-melodic structure based on cyclical pattern

Contemporary meaning

As a ritual instrument, the arc musical has become an artistic vehicle in the hands of musicians such as Angeline Yegnan-Touré. His practice requires skill in checking simultaneously:

• Back pressure pressure
• Positioning of the stick-taston
• Micro-adaptations of the oral cavity

This synergy transforms a simple hunting arch into a portable orchestra, capable of "making the rope speak through the dance of mouth 1 . Although relegated to ethnographic curiosity often, its acoustic complexity claims with modern rope tools, demonstrating how material limitations can generate unique expressive sophisticatedness.

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