The Mandinka balafon, also called the bala or the balphone, is a kind of idiophone (an instrument which creates sound by vibrating). In the West, instruments like this are called xylophones.

What does balafon mean in music?

noun. /ˈbæləfɒn/ /ˈbæləfɑːn/ ​a large type of xylophone (= a musical instrument with rows of wooden bars that you hit) that is used in West African musicTopics Musicc2.

What kind of music is balafon used in?

The balafon has seen a resurgence since the 1980s in the growth of African Roots Music and World Music. Most famous of these exponents is the Rail Band, led by Salif Keita. Even when not still played, its distinctive sound and traditional style has been exported to western instruments.

What is the balafon in African music?

The African balafon is the traditional xylophone of the Mande people in West Africa. The original name of the percussion instrument is bala, while the term "balafon" actually means "playing the bala instrument". Every Mande balafon that exists today originates from one particular instrument, the Sosso Bala.

What is a balafon sound like?

The balafon is amplified by small gourds underneath the keys, with small layers of film covering holes to create a unique buzzing sound. Some people say it sounds like an electric keyboard!

Balafon style "Sénoufo" - Adama Diabaté - BaraGnouma

What is a balafon used for?

The balafon, as well as the kora, was used to create music in praise of the kings and for ceremonies of importance.

Who plays the balafon?

On a recent Monday, Balla Kouyaté plays the balafon in his mother-in-law's living room in Quincy. We met here because there was construction in his nearby Medford home. Kouyaté has been in the United States for about 20 years since emigrating from Bamako, the capital of Mali.

Where did the balafon come from?

Origins of the Balafon

The Balafon is believed to have been developed in the 12^th century in the Southern Africa region during the rise of the Mali Empire. It has entertained crowds throughout the history of Southern and West Africa, growing in popularity across the African continent.

What are slit drums made of?

A slit drum or slit gong is a hollow percussion instrument. In spite of the name, it is not a true drum but an idiophone, usually carved or constructed from bamboo or wood into a box with one or more slits in the top.

What are Jamaican drums called?

What are Jamaican Steel Drums? Also known as steel pans, Jamaican steel drums are percussion instruments that follow a chromatic pitch ranging from G1 toF6. The musician who plays it is called a pannist, and a group of pannists is referred to as a steel band.

How is a Balafon used by griots?

The Balafon is one of the important instruments played by the Griots. ... It was once an instrument only played for kings. It was fixed into the ground over holes to help the sound reverberate. It is made portable now through the use of gourds (pictured) which serve as the resonators.

What is an African griot?

griot, Mande jeli or jali, Wolof gewel, West African troubadour-historian. The griot profession is hereditary and has long been a part of West African culture. ... In addition to serving as the primary storytellers of their people, griots have also served as advisers and diplomats.

What are Kumbengo and Birimintingo?

Birimintingo. The soloistic style of instrumental performance used on instruments like the kora, bala, and koni in Mande jeliya music. Only $47.88/year. Kumbengo. The accompaniment style of instrumental performance used on instruments like the kora, bala, and koni in Mande jeliya music.

What do you call a hand piano or thumb piano used by Africans?

Mbira, also called mbila sansa, kilembe, likembe, timbrh, or thumb piano, plucked idiophone (instrument whose sounding parts are resonant solids belonging to the body of the instrument itself)—or more specifically, a lamellaphone—that is unique to Africa and widely distributed throughout the continent.

Where do the Mande live?

The Mande are located primarily on the savanna plateau of the western Sudan, although small groups of Mande origin, whose members no longer exhibit Mande cultural traits, are found scattered elsewhere, as in the tropical rain forests of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Côte d'Ivoire.

What is an African instrument?

African musical instruments include a wide range of drums, slit gongs, rattles and double bells, different types of harps, and harp-like instruments such as the Kora and the ngoni, as well as fiddles, many kinds of xylophone and lamellophone such as the mbira, and different types of wind instrument like flutes and ...

Where is the mbira instrument from?

The Mbira or African thumb piano (other identifying names include: kalimba - contemporary term; the most popular term is either sansa, or mbira) is a percussive instrument originating from Africa. The instrument, also used in Cuban music, is generally held with both hands and played with the thumbs.

What is body percussion called?

Traditionally the four main body percussion sounds (in order from lowest pitch to highest in pitch) are: stomp (stamping), patsch (patting the thighs with hands), clapping, clicking.

What instruments were used in West Africa?

• Marimba, S and E Africa.
• Balo or Balafon, W Africa.
• Baan, Burkina Faso.
• Amadinda or Akadinda log xylophone, Uganda.

How is music used in African culture?

Music is a form of communication and it plays a functional role in African society. Songs accompany marriage, birth, rites of passage, hunting and even political activities. Music is often used in different African cultures to ward off evil spirits and to pay respects to good spirits, the dead and ancestors.

Are there still griots today?

There are still many modern day griots in Africa, especially in Western African countries like Mali, Senegal, and Guinea. ... Most griots today are traveling griots. They move from town to town performing at special occasions like weddings.

What is the most famous griot story?

One of the most celebrated epics is about Sunjata, "the lion thief who takes his inheritance," the founder of the Mali Empire. There is no single version of this story. Some historians believe that if all of the different chapters that people tell were combined into a single tale, it would take several days to recite!

What is a modern day griot?

Since the 13th century, when Griots originated from the West African Mande empire of Mali, they remain today as storytellers, musicians, praise singers and oral historians of their communities. Theirs is a service based on preserving the genealogies, historical narratives, and oral traditions of their people.

Why did Soumaoro spare Sundiata Keita?

Sumanguru, ruler of the neighbouring state of Kaniaga, overran Kangaba at the beginning of the 13th century and murdered all of Sundiata's brothers. According to tradition, Sundiata was spared because he was a sickly boy who already appeared to be near death.