The article "West African Harps" can be found in the Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society, 1994, volume 20.

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West African harps are spike harps, wherein the neck is spiked all the way through the resonator. Using the resonator as a distinguishing feature there are two main kind of W. A. harps: those with clabash (gourd) resonators, which are primarily found in the savannah region, and those with wooden box resonators, primarily found farther south in the forest regions.

Using the social function of a harp as a distinguishing feature, three kinds of calabash resonator harps may be distinguished:

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