balafon

E350747

The balafon is a traditional West African wooden xylophone with gourd resonators, widely used in Mandinka and other Mande musical traditions.

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All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
balafon canonical 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf idiophone
musical instrument
traditional African instrument
xylophone
culturalRole court music instrument
griot instrument
symbol of Mande identity
etymology term used in several Mande languages
hasComponent frame
gourd resonators
membrane covers on resonators
suspension cords
wooden keys
hasMaterial wood
hasPlayingTechnique interlocking patterns
ostinato patterns
two-handed
hasTypicalRange diatonic
pentatonic
playedWith mallets
rubber-headed sticks
region Burkina Faso
The Gambia
surface form: Gambia

Guinea
Côte d'Ivoire
surface form: Ivory Coast

Mali
Senegal
West Africa
relatedTo gyil
marimba
xylophone
soundProduction struck idiophone
tuning fixed tuning
UNESCOStatus part of Mande cultural heritage
usedBy Bambara people
Bobo people NERFINISHED
Burkinabé ethnic groups
Guinean ethnic groups
Malian ethnic groups
Mandinka people
Mossi people
Senufo people
usedIn Mande music
Mandinka music
West African traditional music
ceremonial music
dance accompaniment
griot performance
storytelling

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.