MUSIC

The many different types of instruments found in Senegal reflect the diversity of ethnic groups forming the population and also give a hint of the rich cultural heritage behind each musical manifestation. All the instruments, whether string, percussion or wind, are made from indigenous materials such as gourds (calabash), animal skins, millet stalks, horn, etc. Griots not only play the instruments and sing the songs but they also make their instruments. There is a mystical aspect about music as well: a musical instrument is thought of as something alive which produces its own language: a language of sounds. This is why the skin of the goat (the most talkative of animals) is used almost exclusively in making drums or lutes. Lizard or snake skin may be used on certain instruments and occasionally the thin skin of the calf's belly is used for certain drums. Some instruments are used seasonally, (i.e. certain types of flutes are played after a good harvest and then put away again until the next year). Other instruments may only be played by women and some are for children, while others are expressly forbidden for children.

Senegalese music can be divided into two broad categories: traditional and modern. Today's pop stars base their music on traditional sounds and rhythms and have become some of the most famous in Africa. The father of modern Senegalese music is Ibra Kasse, who founded the Star Band de Dakar in the early 1960s. Foremost amongst todays stars is Youssou N'dour, who combines traditional mbalax music and western pop, rock and soul and has an international following. Toure Kunda is another world-famous exponenet of mbalax, while Baaba Maal, a Peul from northern Senegal, sings in his native tongue and displays a more 'traditional' African sound.

· TAMA (also called talking drum) is a small drum with strings connecting the drumheads which can change the pitch as they are squeezed by the arm of the player. It is held under the arm and played with the hands and a stick.

· SABAR has three meanings: In addition to being a type of drum, it also means the ensemble of drums playing together, as well as the dance itself. There may be 10-12 drums in a sabar ensemble and each one has a different sound and is played in a different rhythm. One hears the echo of the sabar everywhere in Senegal, from radio waves to the bottom of the bush, the sabar is above all the instrument of the griots wolof, lébou and sérères.

·The DJEMBE is a very popular West African drum. This drum, which probably originated in Mali or Guinea, is made with goatskin and wood, and has become quite common in western countries, due to the sound similarity with the congas.

·The KORA is arguably the most complex chordophone of Africa. It is played Mali, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Senegal. Each of the regions have characteristic playing styles and to some extent a region can be deduced from specific repertoire, but they share quite of bit of repertoire as well. The Kora is made from a half a gourd calabash with a hardwood post that runs through it to which the strings are attached. The calabash is covered with a cowhide that is stretched over the open side of the half calabash and then left in the sun to dry tight and hold the handposts in place. A Traditional Kora has 21 strings but it is very common to see a 22 string Kora with an extra bass string used in the style known as Yenyengo (get up and dance).

·The BALAFON, similar to a wooden xylophone and also known as gyile or marimba, originated from West Africa in areas now called Ghana, Guinea and Burkina Faso. They are used at funerals, festivals and celebrations to provide both melody and rhythm. The keys of the balafon are made from male shea butter trees that have been dead for several years - it must have lost most of its natural oils. The wood is cut into planks and dried over fires built into the ground. Wood is cut from the middle to produce flat notes and from the end to create sharp notes. Gourds are then put under the keys to amplify their sound.