Topic: Botswana Guitar Compilation

[TenBrook]

Hi all,
Several years ago I stumbled on the below clip of a man from Botswana named Ronnie Moipolai playing an amazing song in a very unique style. At the time all I could think was what a shame it was that someone with such talent couldn't be heard on record. Now, thankfully, someone has rectified the situation and put out an album featuring Ronnie and other musicians from Botswana.

There's a fairly cheap mp3 option at Amazon and less cheap vinyl version as well:
https://www.amazon.com/Im-Not-Here-Hunt-Rabbits/dp/B079PDFH4G

Here's the clip of Ronnie performing that struck me years ago (it may well have already been shared here at some point in time but here it is again):


And here's a nice piece on the collection from NPR:
https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2018/04/26/605694303/where-did-the-unique-style-of-botswanas-guitarists-come-from-nobody-seems-to-kno

[Johnm]

Thanks for the update on that Botswana Guitar collection, Lew.  There is a thread on Botswana Ronnie's playing in the Country Blues Licks and Lessons board, at:  https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=7640.msg61301#msg61301 .  After watching all of the videos that had been posted on the internet at that time, I determined he was playing out of Vestapol tuning, but in 5-string versions of that tuning, most often with the fifth string missing.  And there is at least one of the videos in which he is playing in Vestapol, but in the key of the IV chord, relative to the tuning.  You can go to the link for a more thorough discussion of his playing.
All best,
Johnm

[TenBrook]

Thanks for the info John, I'll check out the other thread.

[lindy]

This player and this one-stringed instrument, called a segaba, is on the album that TenBrook mentioned.

[TenBrook]

Thanks Lindy, I love the sound of the segaba.

Here's a link to a short (5 min) film featuring some of the musicians on the album as well as others.