West African guitar

Latest about West African guitar

Left–Paul McCartney performing live onstage with Wings, playing Rickenbacker 4001S bass guitar; Right–Fela Kuti circa 1970s/80s
Paul McCartney on the life-changing moment he saw Fela Kuti live while smoking with Ginger Baker

By Janelle Borg Published

McCartney recalls how a series of unfortunate events led to a friendship with Nigerian legend, Fela Kuti

Bassists
Fatoumata Diawara with her signature Epiphone SG
Grammy-nominated Malian changemaker Fatoumata Diawara reveals her biggest guitar hero

By Janelle Borg Published

Diawara recently made history herself by becoming the first woman of color to collaborate with Epiphone on a signature guitar

Guitarists
Ebo Taylor performs on stage during day three of the Womad Festival 2011 at Charlton Park on July 31, 2011 near Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England
Ebo Taylor, celebrated Ghanaian guitarist and highlife pioneer, dies at 90

By Janelle Borg Published

Across numerous albums and collaborations, Taylor cemented his position as one of the foremost proponents of highlife, afrobeat and West African music

Guitarists
Fatoumata Diawara with her signature Epiphone SG
Fatoumata Diawara makes history with her new Epiphone signature guitar

By Janelle Borg Published

The visually striking signature SG is Diawara through and through, with nods to Epiphone’s Muse SG, push/pull coil-splitting for genre-blending tonal versatility, and a body graphic uniquely inspired by her heritage

Electric Guitars
Mdou Moctar performs on the Hydro Quebec stage at Place D'Youville during Day 4 of the 52nd Festival D'été Quebec (FEQ2019) on July 7, 2019 in Quebec City, Canada
Why Mdou Moctar loves two-year-old strings – and what makes the Roland Cube his favorite amp

By Janelle Borg Published

The gear (or lack of) behind Mdou Moctar's searing signature sound on Funeral For Justice, which fuses Saharan rock music with Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen flair

Guitar Strings
British-Gambian musician, singer, and griot Sona Jobarteh performs on the 21-string West-African Mandingo harp-lute in New York
West African grooves: energize your guitar playing with new rhythmic colors and concepts

By George Howlett Published

Learn the fundamentals of African guitar approaches with this in-depth lesson

Lessons