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Playable heritage gameGoje One-String Fiddle
Also known as Goge · goje
The goje, or goge, is a one-string bowed fiddle of the Hausa lands of northern Nigeria and Niger. A gourd body covered with skin carries a single horsehair string, and the bow slides along it as the fingers stop the string at different points.
How to play
- The top row has six lanes, from the open string to the high stop; the lower row has two drum sounds.
- Notes travel toward a line at the bottom; strike the lane just as a note arrives.
- Start with the slow melody, then play the fiddle line between the low and high drum strokes.
- The quick runs finish the set: slide through the stops and keep the pulse.
Rules at a glance
- One string gives every note: each stop shortens it to a higher pitch, from the open string up to the high stop.
- A stroke within a hair of the note is perfect, a near one is good, and a missed one scores nothing.
- An extra stroke while a song is running costs a few points.
- Each song plays twice; three stars need roughly nine notes in ten on time.
- Bowing glides and slides between notes are not shown; each stop sounds at a fixed pitch.
About the tradition
The goje is played by Hausa musicians in Nigeria and Niger, often to accompany singers who recount family histories and local news. Players make the instrument from a gourd, skin and horsehair and keep their own style of playing.
Origins
A living tradition passed from person to person; it is not tied to a single dated origin. It belongs to the cultural world of Africa: Sahel, West and Central.
Credits
- Tradition: Hausa goje playing; melodies written for this game
- Photo of goje players from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Photo: Gogeafrica, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
- Text: CC BY-SA 4.0, World Heritage Games.
Sources
Get the app
Goje One-String Fiddle is one of 11 instruments in the String Music of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Live on Google Play. Submitted to the App Store; in review, and the store link appears here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.
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