A Revised Glossary

[James]

I reckon a revision on the djembefola glossary is long over due.

It would be a lot better and hence, more useful if you guys helped out?

What do you guys think should be on it?
Here's a few things I have so far:
Bala/ Balafon
Bamana (Bambara)
brimintingo
bolon
donso ngoni
fo
fulbe (peul)
gewel
griot
horon
Jeli (male jelike/jalike ; female:jelimuso/jalimuso)
jeliya - the art of jeli / jeli-ness
jembe (djembe)
Jola
kamalen ngoni
karingnan, farinyay - tubular iron chime twirled and struck by jelimusolu to accompani some and dance.
Komo - secret power society associated with blacksmiths
kora
kumbengo
kutiri/kutiro - 2 of the drums used in Senegambia ensemble
kutiriba - big kutiro, kitirindingo - small kutiro
Mandenka - person orign Manden homeland. Maninka Guinea Mali and Mandinka or Madinko Senegamgia
numu - Mande blacksmith
sabaro - long thin lead drum of mandinka
Sauta - 1 of 4 tunings on the kora
simbi - Md:(simbingo) - Seven-stringed Maninka hunter's harp
Soron - Bridge harp palyed Guinea similar to kora, less strings
susu (Sosso) -
tabala - wide bowl shaped drum found in mosques- not for dancing
Tama - Small double headed hoursglass shaped tension drum played with currved stik by griots, wide spread in West Africa.
Tangtango - the 3 drums of the manndinka
Tomora mesengo (little tomora) - 1 of 4 tunings used on teh kora
Tomoraba (big tomora) - 1 of 4 tunings used on teh kora
Wolof
xalam
Xasonka

[bubudi]

anyone got a better pic of a djembe to put in the glossary?

some interesting definitions there. i think the part about the second stroke of a flam being the emphasis is not necessarily true.

also, does anyone know malinke, susu or bambara words for: tone, slap, bass, roll or flam? or can you ask someone?

i would add:
tone, slap, bass, mute, call, break
ntanan/nanga/tolonyi - bell
jelidunun/khassonke dunun
jidunun/kedunun - water drum
gita/fe - beaded half calabash
djabara - beaded gourd rattle
baridunun/didadidunun
kala/galan - stick
bara/bondialan/bendre, bongolo, chun, kunamba, binimini (bari/bongolo ensemble drums)
krin/kolokolo
kamelengoni - youth's harp
jelingoni - lute
xalam/konting - wolof/mandinka lutes, similar to ngoni, considered an ancestor to the banjo
bolon
soku - fiddle
tambin/fule - transverse flute
sabar, mbung-mbung, tungone, n'der, lamb, talmbat, khine (various drums of sabar ensemble)
buru - horn
don - dance
don sen - dance step
donkili - song
numu - blacksmith
garanke - leatherworker
seneke - farmer
mori - marabout, koranic teacher and healer
karamoko - traditional healer
donso - hunter
gri-gris - magic/charm
wasulu/wassolon
wasulunke, bamana, bambara, malinke, bobo, bwaba, minyanka, soninke/maraka/sarahule, bozo, dogon, tuareg, songhai - main ethnicities in mali
fulbe/peul/pulaar/fula/fulani - most numerous/widespread ethnicity in west africa
diula, senufo, baule, mossi - main ethnicities in burkina and cote d'ivoire
baga, nalu, landuma, dialonke, koranko, konianke, kissi, temne, susu, malinke, fula - main ethnicities in guinea
jolof/wolof, serer, lebu, tukolor, mandinka, jola, pulaar - main ethnicities in senegambia
dununba - festival/party where the big drums are played
sabar - festival/party where drums are played (djembe ensemble in conakry, sabar ensemble in senegambia)

[e2c]

Whoa! That's a lot of info., bubudi!

If I might make a couple of suggestions...

1. Some of the terms you've mentioned have a variety of spelling, and/or are known by other names, like...

2.

Most of us know it as a shekere or chekere (used in Afro-Cuban music and salsa; has crossed over to pop music, too), xequere (Brazilian Portuguese), sekere (I think this is the Yoruba name, but am not sure) or axatske (the name used by the Akan people in Ghana). Might help to put some of these other words in parens, or even have a good thumbnail...

The water drum (2 half gourds) is played in other parts of W. Africa, and has other names.

Ntama - ditto; it's also played in Nigeria, Senegal (and probably other countries) and has a variety of names. Tama is one of them (from Ghana, I think, but need to check).

Kamele ngoni is a really common spelling, also ngoni (for the instruments from Mali), but there are others. I've never seen the ngoni referred to as a "jeli ngoni," at least not by a lot of the folks who write about music from Mali. (See Banning Eyre's book In Griot Time; also the Afropop Worldwide site - http://www.afropop.org - which has a lot of terrific articles on music from Mali and Guinea as well as interviews, CD reviews and info. about music from the entire continent + the African diaspora. They have glossaries there, and so does the BBC, by way of example...)

* I say all this partly because I used to write articles on music from all over the world. Usually editors will stick with one particular name/spelling of a word and put others in parens when doing a glossary. (I've done a couple myself, actually...) It's very hard sometimes to pick just one name, but it's a lot less confusing for readers. (Just a suggestion, James - yours to take or leave! )

re. this, I'm a bit confused -

xalam/konting - wolof/mandinka lutes, similar to ngoni, considered an ancestor to the banjo

because the xalam is like the ngoni (aka jeli ngoni), but the name akonting is also used in Ghana. bubudi, where does "konting" come from - and is it like the xalam and ngoni? - Edit - Never mind; my mistake re. name of Ghanian lute.

I'm sure there are probably other names for lots of these instruments - it can be very confusing, IMO.

Note: Lots of good info. and definitions at David Gilden's Mande music site ( http://www.coraconnection.com/ - check his ngoni page, here: http://www.coraconnection.com/pages/ngoni.html); also on Rusty Eklund's Mali Kan pages (http://malikan.com/default.aspx + link to his "instruments" page - http://malikan.com/april.aspx)
and Eric Charry's African music links page (http://musc265.blogs.wesleyan.edu/links/ )

Akonting player from southern Senegal - you can see that the body of the instrument is a lot different than the ngoni and xalam...



Xalam -



Video by King Ayisoba (Ghanian guitarist and kologo player) -

[bubudi]

the djabara is actually not the same instrument as what's in the picture you posted above. the sekere is a larger instrument made from a large bottle gourd (also fiberglass and plastic these days) and has the stem cut off about 2 inches above the body creating a hole that turns the gourd into a resonating chamber that gives a pleasant bass sound when the head of the gourd is beaten against the palm of the hand. the sekere has a very different playing technique to the djabara. the axatse is more similar to the djabara. there are many other names for the beaded gourd rattles in ghana, nigeria and elsewhere in west africa - too many to list - and since this is a djembe site i stuck to the mande names for most of the instruments i listed. however it is good to note that some of these instruments have variations all over west africa.

i wasn't aware of the akonting existing in ghana. that's interesting. as far as i know it comes from the jola people of cassamance. the neighbouring mandinka borrowed it and call it kontingo. i agree it usually has a more banjo-like shape than the boat-shaped jelingoni, or xalam. daniel jatta, a jola akonting player living in the states, has demonstrated the relationship between akonting and banjo picking techniques.

re the name ngoni, i have heard it being used for both jelingoni and kamelengoni. drastically different instruments. the kamelengoni, or youth's harp, is a modern version of the donsongoni and was first utilised in popular wassoulou music, but is now common in malian and burkinabe traditional and pop ensembles. before the advent of the kamelengoni, the shorter term ngoni usually referred to the jelingoni. donsow (hunters) also use the word to refer to their harp, otherwise known as donsongoni.

the name ntama comes from mali. tama in senegal. there are probably about a dozen variations of this instrument in ghana and nigeria, but they are larger and necessitate a different playing technique.

[bubudi]

some instruments i missed:

sikko - set of frame drums from sierra leone, played by the temne and bullom (mandenyi) people
bote - susu bass drums
nbaba - bell that goes with the bote
tavale - king's messenger/town crier's drum
gongoma
soron - 19 string harp from wassolon and kankan
nianioru - fulbe fiddle, similar to soku. also called gonje (hausa) or njarka (songhai)
hoddu - 5 string fulbe lute
bouba and bawdi - fulbe drums
tende - tuareg mortar drum

that will do for now

[e2c]

Lots of good stuff - I think we should publish a hardcover dictionary, bubudi!

[bops]

Nice work guys and gals. A couple of things I would add/clarify...

kutiri/kutiro - 2 of the drums used in Senegambia ensemble
kutiriba - big kutiro, kitirindingo - small kutiro

This ensemble is called Seuruba.

sabar, mbung-mbung, tungone, n'der, lamb, talmbat, khine (various drums of sabar ensemble)

The khine is very similar to sabar in construction and technique (it's wider and deeper), but it's not part of the sabar ensemble. Khine is typically played by the Baye Fall, a sect that follows the teachings of Cheikh Ibra Fall.

also, does anyone know malinke, susu or bambara words for: tone, slap, bass, roll or flam? or can you ask someone?

I doubt that these terms exist in these languages, aside from the syllabic pronunciation that's used to sing the parts and phrases. I've only heard French or English terms used.

Kamele ngoni is a really common spelling, also ngoni (for the instruments from Mali), but there are others. I've never seen the ngoni referred to as a "jeli ngoni," at least not by a lot of the folks who write about music from Mali.

Ngoni is also sometimes spelled N'goni, or Koni. It's a general term for a plucked lute. As you guys have mentioned, there are different types: Kamale Ngoni, Donso Ngoni, Jeli Ngoni. There are others, too, that have been created more recently. For instance, there's a larger, deeper version of the Jeli Ngoni - Abdoul D. told me the name but I don't remember what it was. You can hear them on this CD:

nianioru - fulbe fiddle, similar to soku. also called gonje (hausa) or njarka (songhai)

Often in Mali this is simply called "violon" (French for violin). The Wolof version is called Riti.

karingnan, farinyay - tubular iron chime twirled and struck by jelimusolu to accompany song and dance.

What's described here is the Guinean Karignan. There is also a Malian Karignan, also known as Nege (Bamana for "metal"), which is slightly different. It's a metal rasp that is scraped with a large nail or other metal dowel. The Malian karignan accompanies Kamale Ngoni and Donso Ngoni playing. This instrument is very important! It gives a very distinct feel to the music.

the name ntama comes from mali. tama in senegal. there are probably about a dozen variations of this instrument in ghana and nigeria, but they are larger and necessitate a different playing technique.

True, there are so many variations of the "talking drum" across West Africa, ranging from Cameroon up to Senegal. In Southeast Mali and throughout Burkina Faso, you see talking drums that are slightly larger than the ntama, but still smaller than the Yoruba and Dagomba versions. Not sure what the name of this drum is, but you can hear it on this CD:

and in this DVD:

i wasn't aware of the akonting existing in ghana. that's interesting. as far as i know it comes from the jola people of cassamance. the neighbouring mandinka borrowed it and call it kontingo. i agree it usually has a more banjo-like shape than the boat-shaped jelingoni, or xalam. daniel jatta, a jola akonting player living in the states, has demonstrated the relationship between akonting and banjo picking techniques.

Let's start a thread to discuss the evolution of instruments from Africa into the African diaspora. This is a fascinating topic.

[e2c]

bops and bubudi, many thanks for the info./clarifications...

As for shekeres, I've got quite a few of them, and used to have more, but have sold several. I've got a nice large one now (with an unusual shape) that I'm looking to sell - would be great for a dance troupe (for stage shows). The net is very intricately beaded - in various patterns, not just the usual "weave" that you see. (I can post or send pics in case anyone's interested; please let me know...)

My point about the shekere/chekere (a lot of Spanish-speaking people here seem to favor that latter spelling) is that it's ubiquitous, like congas and bongos (even timbales) in contemporary American pop music. We've had these instruments in "mainstream" music ever since Cuban conguero Chano Pozo started playing with Dizzy Gillespie (and other American jazz musicians) back in the 1940s. We've adopted their vocabulary (instrument names) for the most part, although we use the English word "cowbell" for the various Cuban and Puerto Rican bells.

That's why I think putting other common names in parens might help... and I agree that this is a fascinating topic!

[e2c]

I posted a link to Rusty Eklund's Mali instruments page a few posts back - check it out, as he's got some nomenclature (and photos of instruments) that haven't yet been touched on in this thread.

[bops]

One other term that's missing is Calebasse (calabash in English). This would be used in reference to the large, halved calabash that's played with metal rings or small sticks, like you hear in Ali Farka Touré's music and in a lot of Wasulu music.

[e2c]

I want one of those! (Rusty E. has some pics of them on his site, BTW.)

[bops]

I want one of those! (Rusty E. has some pics of them on his site, BTW.)

Easiest instrument to make

I just checked out his site and he lists that instrument as "Fileh", which I always understood to mean hand-clapping. I've always heard the calabash referred to just as "calebasse". Perhaps fileh means that also.

Edit... my bad, hand clapping is "tekere". Calabash is indeed "filen".

[e2c]

True dat! (Easiest.) I need a good, thick shell (or two), though... and a place to work on them.

*
I like David Gilden's explanation of the ngoni "family" of intruments - which he classes as "plucked lutes." (http://www.coraconnection.com/pages/ngoni.html )

Instruments of this general construction can be found from Morocco to Nigeria, and everywhere in between. Some are very large, such as the gimbri played the mystic Gnawa brotherhood of Morocco. Others are tiny, such as the one-stringed gurkel of northern Mali. In Senegal the Wolof call it xalam (pronounced: halam) while in the Gambia the Mandinka have a 5-string version they call kontingo. The version played by the Manding griots of The Gambia, Mali and Guinea is typically about two feet long and has either four or seven strings...

,

As far as the "plucked lutes" part, that sounds about right to me. If you look at a good encyclopedia of musical instruments, you'll see that various types of instruments are broken down into "families," then there will be more specific details about them. It's not unlike the classification systems for animals, birds, plants, etc. And there's a bit of art to the way classifications and descriptions are done. (Especially when you're trying to describe something unfamiliar and don't have the space to publish a photo of it! )

[e2c]

Lots more info. on the akonting (and many other instruments) here:
http://www.shlomomusic.com/banjoancestors_akonting.htm

* this just in - Ghanian sites say King Ayisoba's main axe is actually called a kologo!
http://music.thinkghana.com/artist/king ... biography/

I stand corrected! And what they say makes much more sense to me than calling it an akonting... am not quite sure where I got that name, actually!

*

hoddu - 5 string fulbe lute

Did you check the "xalam" clip I posted above? The person who posted it says that the player is using both the xalam and the hoddu.... There's a considerable difference in the relative size of the instruments he's playing, too.

[bubudi]

thanks for the corrections, bops. it's good to be precise on these terms. and i think tekere should be added to the glossary too.

can you enlighten me more about the difference between the malian and guinean karignan? i have one from wassolon, used to accompany the donsongoni and kamelengoni (on both the malian and guinean side), but unless i'm mistaken the guinean one you're referring to (played by the jelimusolu) is pretty much the same instrument, only that the women tend to strike it with the nail/rod rather than scrape it like the donsojeli do.

calebasse is a french term for a gourd that comes from the calabash tree.
file (pronounced 'fle') is the bambara name, fe in malinke. these don't specifically refer to the overturned half-calabash played with the hands (with or without rings) or sticks. that would be a filedunun in bambara or fedunun in maninka. as you'd expect with such a basic instrument, there are many other names for it - tunbude in fulfulde. the gita (half-calabash with about a dozen strands of leather threaded into holes drilled on the top, fitted with cowries or beads) is also a file, as is the water drum. these days the water drum (djidunun) is most commonly only a single half-calabash overturned into a metal or plastic water basin, rather than into another bigger gourd. that's because that's what the women always have readily at hand. yet another name for this instrument, this time in tamashek (tuareg language), is assakhalabo.

quite right that riti is another name for the goje/nyanyeru (one-string fiddle). in tamashek it's called imzad.

the jelingoni has 2 variations in mali, the ngoni ba (large, bass ngoni) and the ngoni micin (usual treble one). there is also a soninke variation, the gambare, and many more including the songhai njurkel, tuareg tehardent, dogon konou, hausa garaya and the ones we mentioned earlier such as the wolof xalam.

i'm not sure 'lute' is the right word for the donsongoni/kora family. lutes tend to have a soundboard (like the ngoni). i prefer the term 'harp', used for an instrument with strings stretched over a frame with no soundboard. the kora/donsongoni family are the only harps i know which have the calabash resonator. because of that the term 'harp-lute' is often used to describe them.

thanks for pointing out that the khine is actually a separate drum. however, these days it's often found in a sabar ensemble. doudou ndiaye rose is largely responsible for that.