Valiha

Overview

The valiha is the national instrument of Madagascar — a tube zither built from a single section of bamboo, with a circle of strings running along the outside of the tube parallel to its length. The strings were traditionally cut from the outer skin of the bamboo itself and lifted away from the body by small wooden bridges; modern instruments use steel strings, often repurposed from bicycle brake cables.

The instrument is one of the most intriguing in any musical tradition because of its design lineage. Tube zithers of this type are common in Southeast Asia — among the Toraja of Sulawesi, the Igorot of Luzon and the people of mainland Indochina — and very rare in continental Africa. The valiha’s presence on Madagascar therefore preserves a piece of Austronesian musical culture carried across the Indian Ocean by the island’s first settlers around 1500 years ago.

Origin & History

Madagascar was settled by Austronesian-speaking peoples from the islands of present-day Indonesia between roughly 350 and 550 CE, with later African and Arab influence shaping the population over the following thousand years. The valiha is one of the clearest material traces of that initial Austronesian settlement: the design has no obvious African parallel and very close Indonesian and Filipino cousins.

By the 19th century the valiha was firmly established across most of Madagascar in many regional variants, with sizes and string counts differing between the highland Merina populations and the coastal Sakalava and Antandroy peoples. The Metropolitan Museum’s collection holds a related Malagasy box-zither — the marovany (MET object 501169), a late-19th-century Malagasy bamboo and wood instrument — which represents a parallel local development of the same basic idea: a zither in which all strings sit close to a resonator.

Through the 20th century the valiha has gained an international concert profile, particularly through the work of Justin Vali, who has toured widely and recorded with international jazz and world-music collaborators.

Construction & Materials

The Hornbostel-Sachs system places the valiha in 312.11 (idiochord tube zithers), one of the world’s most distinctive instrument categories. The body is a single tube of bamboo, typically 60-90 cm long and around 8-10 cm in diameter. The strings — anywhere from 15 to 22 — are arranged in a complete circle around the outside of the tube, raised away from the bamboo by small movable bridges that also serve as the tuning mechanism.

In the traditional idiochord form (now mostly historical), the strings were thin slivers of bamboo cut directly from the outside of the tube and lifted away from it but still attached at both ends. Modern instruments are heterochord: the strings are separately added, usually steel wire, attached to wooden pegs at each end. The tube body is often pierced with sound holes to improve projection.

How It’s Played

The player holds the valiha vertically against the chest, supported by the left hand at the lower end and the right hand at the upper end. Both hands pluck the strings with the fingertips, often using all ten fingers in rapid arpeggios that travel around the circle of strings. The technique is closer to harp playing than to lute or guitar playing — every string is open, no string is stopped.

Tunings vary by region and by player. Most valiha tunings are diatonic — built around a seven-note scale — but the specific intervals and string layouts differ widely. Some players use complex non-octave tunings developed for specific traditional pieces.

Cultural Significance

The valiha is recognised as the national instrument of Madagascar and appears on Malagasy banknotes. It is closely associated with the hira gasy sung-poetry tradition of the central highlands, with the salegy dance music of the northwest coast (where it is amplified and integrated with electric guitar), and with countless village and ceremonial settings throughout the island.

The instrument’s symbolic weight extends beyond music. As one of the few clear cultural artefacts that ties Madagascar to its Austronesian origins, the valiha is also a marker of the island’s complex multi-origin identity — Austronesian, African, Arab and (more recently) European elements all woven together in modern Malagasy culture.

Notable Examples & Recordings

The MET’s marovany (object 501169) documents a parallel late-19th-century Malagasy zither tradition. For listening, recordings by Justin Vali (especially The Truth) and by Sylvestre Randafison cover the central traditional and modern repertoires. The Madagascan compilation albums released by the Globe Style and Air Mail labels in the 1990s introduced the instrument to international audiences. Contemporary work by Rajery and the Justin Vali Trio brings the valiha into cross-cultural collaboration.

Related Instruments

• Marovany – the wooden box-zither variant of the same Malagasy tradition
• Sasando – the closely related Indonesian (Rote Island) tube zither
• Kolitong – the Filipino (Igorot) tube zither
• Đàn Goong – the Vietnamese highland tube zither
• Kora – the West African harp-lute, a different family but a useful African comparison

Where to Hear It

Live valiha performance is part of nearly every traditional music event on Madagascar, from the hira gasy poetry-song competitions in the highlands to the salegy dance halls of the coast. International touring by Justin Vali, Rajery and others brings the instrument to European and North American audiences, particularly through the WOMAD and WOMEX networks. The Wikimedia Commons category collects images and audio.

• Wikipedia: Valiha
• The MET: Marovany (object 501169)
• Wikimedia Commons: Valiha

Learning Resources

Serious study is most easily pursued in Madagascar, particularly through the workshops led by Justin Vali and Rajery in Antananarivo. Outside the island, instruction is offered through occasional residencies at world-music programmes in Europe and North America. Method books are scarce in any language; recordings remain the primary external resource for self-study. Modern instruments can be purchased through specialised African-music suppliers in France, the UK and the US.

Frequently Asked Questions

What family is the valiha in?
It is an idiochord tube zither, classed as 312.11 in the Hornbostel-Sachs system — a category that is rare worldwide and most concentrated in Southeast Asia and Madagascar.

Where did the valiha originate?
The design is Austronesian and reached Madagascar with the island’s first settlers from the islands of present-day Indonesia around 1500 years ago.

How many strings does a valiha have?
Anywhere from 15 to 22, depending on the regional variant and the player’s preference. Strings are arranged in a complete circle around the bamboo tube.

Are valiha in museums?
A closely related Malagasy box-zither, the marovany (MET object 501169), is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Valihas themselves are held in the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris and several Malagasy museums.

What is the difference between a valiha and a marovany?
The valiha is built from a single bamboo tube with strings around its circumference. The marovany is a flat wooden box with strings on two opposite faces. Both are Malagasy zithers, both are played similarly, and both share roots in the same Austronesian musical tradition.

Is the valiha difficult to learn?
Producing a clear sound is straightforward because every string is open. Mastering the rapid two-handed arpeggios and the regional traditional repertoire takes serious study with a teacher in the tradition.