Maskandi is a form of Zulu folk music, originally associated with migrant workers, that is evolving with South African society. Often characterised by a picking guitar style which draws on a variety of historical influences it also has an important social function with players being given sanction to publicly criticise powerful people. Origins The music originated in "female gourd-resonated monochord songs that were transferred and given an acoustic life on guitar". The roots of what is today called maskandi have been traced back to non-guitar based forms of music in the 1920s, with the shift to guitar beginning in Rhodesia in the 1930s with a group of musicians inspired by the music in Western films. It was then developed by migrant workers in South Africa. Gender It has been described it as "The music played by the man on the move, the modern minstrel, today’s troubadour. It is the music of the man walking the long miles to court a bride, or to meet with his Chief; a means of transport. It is the music of the man who sings of his real life experiences, his daily joys and sorrows, his observations of the world. It’s the music of the man who’s got the Zulu blues." Nowadays it is no longer just the exclusive domain of men and women, most notably the late Busi Mhlongo, have become prominent figures within the genre. Instrumentation and traditions Maskandi is typically played on cheap, portable instruments, or modern instruments tuned or produced to imitate the polyphonic sounds of the old instruments. Traditionally, a Maskandi musician had one song, a long one that evolved as the story of the musician's life grew. Nowadays albums may contain the usual 10-14 tracks, some of which though may still be over the three-minute mark. Although there are several variations of Maskandi, the instrumental ensemble typically remains the same in all variations. This is deliberately done to keep the unique sound. When listening to Maskandi, these are the typical instruments to be heard: Concertina, "Inkostin'" or "Inkostina" (Typically a 20 button Anglo concertina, tuned to G/C and played Maskandi style). A common misconception some people make is to identify a concertina as an accordion. An accordion is mostly found in Sotho music, and is much larger in size that a Concertina. The tone produced by the Concertina is also much brighter and higher pitched. Acoustic Guitar, "Isginci". In