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12-tone balafon from Ghana, pentatonic (F major), 80×45×40 cm, comes with 2 sticks and fabric cover!
12-tone balafon from Ghana, pentatonic (F major), 80×45×40 cm, comes with 2 sticks and fabric cover!
Regular price
€289,00 EUR
Regular price
€389,00 EUR
Sale price
€289,00 EUR
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About the product:
→ 12-note balafon - 12 notes tuned to a traditional African pentatonic scale equivalent to F/F major
🌍 Origin: Ghana
📐 Dimensions: ± 85 x 45 x 40 centimeters
⚖️ Weight: ± 6 kilograms
🧬 Material: Mansonia wood, known for its resonance and durability. The gourds serve as resonance bodies.
🎶 Sound type: Excellent resonance, medium to bass.
📦 Packaging: Sold with 2 baguettes and traditional fabric cover
🎁 Ideal for giving as a gift or treating yourself!
📋 Fact sheet:
| Category | Information |
|---|
| Origin | West Africa (mainly Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast). Inscribed in 2012 by UNESCO on the list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. |
| Family of instruments | Idiophone (melodic percussion instrument). |
| Description | Traditional African xylophone consisting of tuned wooden bars, placed on a wooden frame with gourd resonators. |
| Number of blades | Variable: from 8 to 21 blades depending on the region and tradition. |
| Materials | - Blades: hardwood (usually padouk or mahogany) - Resonators: dried gourds with a spider web or thin plastic film membrane to create a buzzing sound. |
| Tuning | Traditionally pentatonic (5 notes), but can be diatonic or chromatic according to modern models. |
| Sound | Warm, woody, rhythmic, accompanied by a characteristic buzzing sound (thanks to the membranes). |
| Game | Played with two mallets (sticks filled with rubber or gum). Sometimes in a duet or orchestra. |
| Cultural role | - Accompanies songs, dances, rituals, weddings, parties. - Symbol of transmission and community bond. |
| Modern use | Used in world music, jazz, contemporary music, and integrated into fusion ensembles. |
| Differences with the xylophone | Older, traditional, hand-made, with gourds as a sound box, while the modern xylophone is made of wood or metal without gourds. |
| Handcrafted | Each balafon is unique, tuned by the ear of the master instrument maker, often passed down from generation to generation. |
| Interview | Protect from humidity and temperature variations, check the membranes of the gourds regularly. |
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