Which of the 5 Main Instrument Families Does the Kora Belong to

Following on from a great post most the balafon, hither is the second in a serial of features about traditional West African instruments by Chris Sylla.

The bolon, or bolon bata, is a slightly strange looking and rarely seen fellow member of the harp family unit of traditional Due west African instruments. I had no idea what it was the first fourth dimension I saw one. This is a mutual reaction with people ofttimes mistaking a bolon for a kora.

It'southward hard to go much reliable information about this musical instrument. I only know younger players who've taken it up, but no older players who've had the knowledge passed on to them through their families, then my agreement of it is fragmented and incomplete. Never-the-less information technology'southward an utterly fascinating instrument with an amazing sound and a long, long history. With its magical and mystical qualities, maybe it is only right that this remains at least partially obscured.

What is a bolon?

Bolons are a chordophone instrument, making sound by mode of a vibrating string or strings stretched betwixt ii points, like harps or lutes. They are the ancestors of the better known African harp the kora and the lute similar Ngoni.

The bolon is one of the oldest of the West African stringed instruments and was originally associated with the hunting and warrior traditions. Information technology's been present in West African gild since earlier the Mandinka empire even began. Like the kora it was also played in a 'bard like' way at the courts of the kings to tell of their exploits or to praise their might. Unlike the kora, however, information technology isn't associated with the griot, or jeli (or jali depending on source) tradition of hereditary musicians.

The bolon may well take been played by the jon (slave) group in the past then is an instrument of the people rather than just an instrument of the court. It was played to give courage to hunters, warriors in battle, at ceremonial processions, funerals of warriors or great hunters and to encourage workers in the field. So it had a huge variety of ceremonial and social uses. Information technology also seems to have served as an instrument of advice in that victory or defeat in war could exist announced in a village by the bolonfola (skilled bolon thespian).

It is played past a number of tribal groups – Mandinka, Susu, Banbara, Fulbe, Senufo and Kissi, in Guinea, Mali, the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone so is not associated with just one tribe or country.

How bolons are fabricated

Bolons are made from the ubiquitous gourd (or calabash) which is office of so many West African musical instruments and which can be found in a diversity of forms. It tin be made from a complete large gourd, or ii smaller cutting ones which are and so sewn or glued together. This role, the resonating chamber of the bolon, is so covered with caprine animal pare (sometimes this tin can exist moo-cow skin, I've heard, but I've only seen bolons with goat skin coverings) and a curved wooden neck is added.

It is said the shape of the neck is a reflection of the hunters bow and adds to the bolons' magical qualities.

The strings – either 3 or 4 – are made of twisted raw hide (by and large from a piece of goatskin left over from skinning a djembé drum) and are attached to the neck and a bridge on the acme of the gourd body.

A metal resonator is then added to the cervix, more often than not similar to the kseng kseng sometimes added to djembes. Any old piece of metal tin can be used for this or a very beautifully crafted item – whatever is available. This adds another layer of sound, like kseng kseng on a djembé and can be struck with the manus for extra effect.

Strings are tuned past moving the rings upwardly and down the neck. Some modern musicians accept added a 5th string. Like the modern kora, yous can now make or buy bolons with auto head tuning to make the process easier. I accept several times watched my friends making or mending bolons with fascination and managed to brand a video of i of them.

Making a bolon from scratch over a calendar week or so, a couple of years ago, which you tin run into on YouTube.

How bolons are played

The tonal graphic symbol of a bolon is like to that of a double bass; it has a very powerful warm resonance. Each instrument has a totally unique voice; no two bolons ever sound the same. It's more often than not played by belongings it between the legs, with the curve of the cervix facing the player. I've occasionally seen them being played by a continuing musician, the bolon secured by a strap of some kind.

The strings are plucked with the thumbs while the duke or fingers rap on the gourd to produce counter percussion, a rhythmic counterpoint to the melody being played on the strings. This seems to exist a very specific mode of playing, different from that of the kora or ngoni, although kora players occasionally rap on the calabash they do it infrequently.

Bolon players generally produce ii divide rhythms, strings and percussion, which fuse in the glorious polyrhythm so characteristic of West African music. Sometimes the calabash torso is played like a drum and is the 'lead' office, sometimes it's the melody on the strings with the percussion every bit secondary.

I've also heard that bolons tin can be played using a stick or metal rings on the hand that isn't plucking the strings but I've never actually seen whatsoever played like that. It may well be an older way of playing or it may only non be pop in the parts of Guinea I've visited.

'Okameo' Bangoura of Toumaranke Percussion, practising bolon in Sanyang, The Gambia. The resonator on the tiptop of this i is made from a flattened can.

The older way of playing, based on the hunting tradition, where the bolon is played to encourage the hunter or warrior, or sing of his exploits, has largely transformed into a different tradition of playing in ensembles. And then a kind of 'troubadour' way with the bolonfola embedded in the social context has turned into a more than functioning based way of playing. This mirrors what has happened to the djembé and other traditional instruments besides, a move from the village to the phase.

In Republic of guinea the 'ballet tradition' of musical performance for an audience (begun in the l's with the national troupes there) oftentimes includes the bolon. This continues both there and in gimmicky companies similar the Cardiff based Ballet Nimba.

Modern musicians in Guinea like Etoiles de Boulabinet and Espoirs de Corinthe use bolons, in addition to other traditional instruments like balafons and koras, and sometimes more mod ones like keyboards and guitars.

So the bolon, ancient and mysterious, has very much moved with the times and its rich, deep tones continue to enchant.

Daouda Keita from Toumaranke Percussion, the pigsty in the calabash tin can be whatever shape and our bolon maker likes to ring the changes.

Further reading

Mande Music: Traditional and Modern Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology) by Eric Charry. Well-nigh definitive ethnomusicology volume on West African musical traditions.

Bolon musicians and recordings

In this country there are musicians such as Guinean born Iya Sako who play and teach bolon. For more than data visit IyaSako.co.great britain . Also members of the trip the light fantastic toe/theatre group Ballet Nimba led by Idrissa Camara. They use some bolon mixed with other instruments, a good example of the mod ensemble tradition, on their excellent CD Sogay - Sunrise. For ore data visit BalletNimba.org.uk. Follow Ballet Nimbe on Twitter @balletnimba. Djembefolas such equally Mamady Keita and Nansady Keita sometimes play bolon and links to them can exist institute on YouTube. Some other famous bolon players (once again in a modern context rather than the older troubadour-like style) are Abdoou Diallo, Djigui Traore and Sadioko Diarra.

Nigh the author, Chris Sylla

Chris Sylla has been studying and instruction West African music since she made her offset trip to The Gambia in December 2000. Based in Brighton, when in England, and Sanyang, when in The gambia, she has extensive experience running percussion workshops in schools and with community groups, clubs, corporations, festivals and camps (both one-to-1 and with big groups). She runs monthly balafon workshops and workshops with djembe folas (master djembe players) such as Nansady Keita and Sidiki Dembele both in the Great britain and The Gambia. She is married to Moussa Sylla, a Guinean musician, and together they run workshops in Gambia: The Toumaranke Experience. She also performs with Toumaranke Percussion who's debut album Takhaudi Deqau: Inside the Craven's Oral cavity  can be bought in either digital download or hardcopy.

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Source: https://www.gambia.co.uk/blog/the-bolon-a-rarely-seen-member-of-the-harp-family

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