What is the balafon similar to?
The balafon, similar in appreance to a Europran Xylophone, dates back to the courts of the Mandinka Empire and is still a popular West African instrument today.
What material is balafon?
The Balafon is made using various types of wood. Bene wood and bamboo are some of the most popular materials, as they are known to be highly durable and flexible. The wood is shaved down to the right key size and then dried over a slow burning fire.
Is the balafon tuned?
The balafon is a true work of art and an integral member of the idiophone family of tuned percussion instruments which includes the xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, and vibraphone. The balafon’s beautiful sound is produced by striking the tuned keys with two padded sticks.
What does balafon mean in Africa?
Definition of balafon : a West African xylophone with gourd resonators.
How is a balafon tuned?
Balafon keys are traditionally made from kosso rosewood, dried slowly over a low flame, and then tuned by shaving off bits of wood from the underside of the keys. Wood is taken off the middle to flatten the key or the end to sharpen it.
What are the notes on a balafon?
The balafon usually has 17–21 keys, tuned to a tetratonic, pentatonic or heptatonic scale, depending on the culture of the musician. The balafon is generally capable of producing 18 to 21 notes, though some are built to produce many fewer notes (16, 12, 8 or even 6 and 7).
How is the balafon different from the marimba?
Obviously, I had difficulties to adapt physically to the technical difference between the balafon and the marimba; the marimba is a double row, well-tempered 12-tone keyboard, whereas the balafon is a pentatonic single row keyboard.
What sound does a balafon make?
buzzing sound
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!
What was the first ever instrument?
The discovery pushes back humanity’s musical roots. A vulture-bone flute discovered in a European cave is likely the world’s oldest recognizable musical instrument and pushes back humanity’s musical roots, a new study says.
How much does marimba cost?
A good marimba will typically cost you as much as a decent piano. List prices for marimbas start at around $2500 and go all the way up to $15000 and higher. The “street price” (the price one would actually pay) is usually quite a bit less if you can find a dealer that offers a good discount.
What do you play the balafon with?
While the instrument you see in the video is a kind of wooden xylophone, it’s actually a West African percussion idiophone called a balafon and originates in Mali. Used to play melodic tunes, the balafon features 16 to 27 tuned wooden keys played with with two rubber or padded mallets.
Did the violin come from Africa?
While the violin family (including the cello, fiddle, viola, etc.) isn’t originally from Africa, there are similar instruments in the continent that have been there since the 5th century in certain regions.
How much is a 4.3-octave marimba?
Compare to Similar Best Sellers
| This item: Adams Soloist Series Padauk 4.3-octave Marimba $ 3,362 .99 | Marimba One 4.3-octave Educational Marimba $ 3,699 .00 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Marimba | Marimba with Resonators |
| Range | 4.3 octaves (A2-C7) | 4.3-octave |
| Pitch | A=442Hz | A=442Hz |
| Bars | 1.57″-2.28″ | – |