Our musical instruments

The CE1 (2nd grade) has achieved a catalog of Burkina Faso musical instruments available in our school.

balafon

Scientific name : 
xylophone with several resonators

Class : 
idiophone

Employed materials : 
wood, gourds, strings, leather stripes,  plastic film 

Size : 
Length : 65 cm
Long width : 40 cm
Short width : 20 cm 

Description: 

It is made of twelve wooden bars.  There are twelve gourds serving as resonators under these bars, one for each bar. Each gourd has a hole covered by a thin membrane cut from a plastic bag. This membrane vibrates when the bar is struck. This produces a small beelike sound. Each balafon bar gives a precise tone. They are displayed from the most low-pitched to the most high-pitched tone. The wooden bars are struck with mallets.

longan

Scientific name :

Drum with variable tightness

Class :

membranophone

Employed materials :

Wood, leather, leather ropes 

Size :
Length : 37 cm
Diameter : 20 cm 

Description : 
It looks like an hourglass with a membrane on the top and on the bottom ends. The two leather membranes are linked with ropes of the same material. 

The top end membrane is struck with a small walking stick shaped stick. The drum is held more or less tightly under the arm to modify the sound by squeezing the ropes which stretch the membrane.

Please have a look at the French page until the whole translation is available.


tianhoun

wassamba

Scientific name : 
Sistrum

Class : 
Idiophone

Employed materials : 
« L » shaped wooden stick, round pieces of calabash

Size : 
Length : 35 cm
Width : 20 cm

Description : 
The 12 round pieces of calabash are displayed from the smallest to the biggest. They are disposed by pairs, the inside face next to the other in order to sound well. A wooden pin, tied with a leather rope, prevents the pieces of calabash to fall.

The instrument sounds when it is shaked.

yabara

Djembe