Description: The balofon is currently present and very vibrant pecussive music of West Africa. The Balofone, is classifed as a "tuned percussion instrument". In which the keys are traditionally and in Africa hand carved of iron-wood or other related hardwoods. They are often tuned to the pentatonic scale "5 note scale". The balophone is the direct dicendant of the moderrn day xylophone (tuned in the 7-note or heptatonic). As for the traditional West African balophone when the students under go training. Its been observed that the training is

The Construction: The West African Balophones are often made from hardwoods (mahogany to ironwood often) and the keys are tuned. In which the tuning process for the keys. Durring construction the balophone is constructed with 17 to 21 keys and is for the majority tuned in pentatonic keys. Each gourd or calabash has a carved whole in which has the fibres of a spider egg sack. Sometimes the balaphone are quite ornate although many are made plane. This does not have any effect regards to the quality of the balaphone. The mallets that came with my balophone are also representative of the ones which come with many others. The mallets are hand carved and also the mallet end is carved from vulcanized rubber from automotive tires.

Styles of music played on balaphone: In Guinea the modern music played for the Balophone by such great acts are "Bembaya Jazz National", to Guinean-Canadian "Alpha YaYa Diallo" plays guitar and and many others often encoraptre the cyclic rhythym and melodic lines traditionally played on balophone though implimented quite widely in modern West African music. This is reflected in Guinea, Mali (by the Mandinke people) and also in Cote De Ivory.

Types of Balofon: The balofon is currently present and very vibrant West African musical cultures from Guinea to Ivory Coast and some neighboring countries. Here it will be listed the types of balophone and which geographic, ethnic and musical area where they are present.

Decendants of the balophone: The decendants range from the well known xylophone in which is predominent from pop, jazz, classical and other musics. Also the Marimba found in Mexico and rest of Latin-America are decendants of ths instruments.

The Sosso balaphone: This is basically historical reference throug stories told by the Griots (who are narrators of historical stories passed down from father to son). Tell the story of an instrument once played. However many of the Jali musicains today still transmit the information regards the balophone (see the web site Coraconnections.com article balophone).

Citations: Asza.com > balaphone http://www.asza.com/ibalofon.shtml; Coraconnections.com / balophone http://www.coraconnection.com/pages/balaphone.html;