Xhosa Music
Music by the Xhosa people has long been a major part of the music of South Africa, especially in the field of jazz. There are many Xhosa clans, each with its own style of drumming and dialect. Xhosa music is characteristically expressive and communicative. It includes rhythmical expression of words and sounds, as well as physical movement employed when clapping, dancing, or playing a musical instrument. Xhosa overtone singing is based on Xhosa bow instruments such as the umrhube and uhadi, which are its two fundamental sounds. Xhosa traditional musicians imitate the sounds of their musical bows using their voices through the maneuvering of their tongues and shaping of the mouth cavity. They produce overtones by raising the tongue, creating a resonance chamber. Overtone singing is only practiced by women. Xhosa drums include the ikawu and the ingqongqo.