Balafons

All our balafons (the West African zylophone or idiophone) are made in the Gambia by Guinean craftsmen using Guinean rosewood (rather than the locally available wood which is then baked). This gives then their rich tones. The frames are made of bamboo and the resonators made from locally grown gourd (or calabash). The large ones are 21 notes, the small children’s’ ones either 8 or 6. All are roughly diatonic although African tuning is not spot-on so each tends to vary slightly. Don’t expect perfect pitch, part of the beauty of these is their uniqueness. Feel free to ring and chat about these we may be able to get you different sizes if necessary.
Large - (21 note) £200
Small -(8 note ) £30





Percussion

We have various items of percussion for sale, all hand made in either the Gambia or Guinea. Cashcash (pic left), or shakeshake beans - £2 each
Shekere (pic right), gourds with a bead net around them + a hole in the top to improve the sound, colours may vary - £10 each

Rakatak, made from pieces of gourd on a wooden or bamboo frame, very loud so can be heard over drums! - £10 a pair
‘Maracas’ made from gourd and woven rice sack with the cashcash seeds inside. - £10 a pair




Drums

All our drums are made in the Gambia by our friend Buba, a musician and craftsman from Guinea. The bass drums and standard djembes are made from mango, the ‘deluxe’ versions from Guinean ‘redwood’ which is harder and so changes the sound. These are a slightly different shape from the standards and tend to be a bit bigger, not intended for the beginner they will give the more experienced player a fantastic quality of sound. The djembes have goat skin heads, the bass drums cow; all are from verified sources and treated with insecticide so you don’t have to worry about anthrax or maggots!

The tailor who makes the drum bags and ‘hats’ is a friend of Bubas. All bags have two reinforced carrying handles and two zips in the top, ‘hats’ have elastic around the base, but designs vary according to the fabric that’s around so we can’t specify the colours you will get. Drum purchases include a bag but bags and ‘hats’, the latter only currently available for full size djembes, can also be bought separately.

Prices for Drums.
Medium size djembes (aprox 21” tall + 10” diameter) pic right £60
Large Standard djembes (aprox 24” tall, 12” diameter) £120
Large ‘delux’ djembes (aprox 24/5” tall, 14” diameter) £280

Please note that as with all hand crafted things sizes and shapes vary slightly, skin patterns do to, some are spotty, some blotchy, some plain. If you have specific requirements we’ll discuss them with you but we cannot guarantee that we’ll have stock that’s exactly like the pictures.

Small drum bags - pic right £12
Large drum bags £15
Large drum ‘hats’ £6.50






Bass Drums

Set of 3 bass drums (see right), dundun, sangban and kenkeni.  Mango wood and cow skin, made in the Gambia sold for £400. We can occassionally sell these as seperates, you can contact us to discuss price but we don't often have singles in stock so you may have to wait a while. Drum bags are £20 large size and £15 small





Gongos or gongomahs

These instruments come from Guinea in West Africa and tend to be played by those with a Susu tribal background. They are made from a calabash (or gourd) with a plywood top. The ‘keys’ are old hacksaw blades. Similar to a kalimba or an mbira the gongo is simpler to play as it has only 4 notes. Generally it is played with one hand while the other taps out another rhythm on the top or sides. Wurrie makes these; they vary slightly in size depending on the size of calabash, from 12 to 16ins in diameter & from 7 to 9ins deep. They are roughly bass & treble so if you wanted a particular one we could probably accommodate that. Gongo’s are generally £40 each unless spectacularly large or small.





Drums also re-skinned contact for price