Khassonke dunun's bell

[komadich]

Hello,

I am trying to understand how to play the bell of the Khassonke dunun correctly. I figured out some little things (like that it is better to keep the bell at the hight of the eyes and other little tricks), but the thing that I don't understand is weather the ring on the thumb is supposed to pass the first knuckle or should it stay before it? In both cases there are drawbacks... The biggest is that the ring that I have is smaller than my knuckle

So what do you think? Thanks!

[8aardav8]

I have seen the ring on different parts of people's thumbs but i like mine to rest snuggly on the knuckle. That way, it doesn't slip around. It's good that your ring is not too big. Try to lick yer knuckle and see if the ring will slide on. In my opinion, it should be as tight as possible as long as it doesn't cut off circulation or something. When I first started playing a Khassonka bell, not having a tight fitting ring was the main thing that made the bell playing extra awkward. If the ring fits snug, It'll be a lot easier to play right away.

[rachelnguyen]

I am psyched that I have finally ordered a bell from Drumskull. It is coming in the mail this week.

Going to be a Jeli dun dun player if it kills me, LOL.

Rachel

[bubudi]

great! please let us know how the bell sounds. to my ears a lot of khassonke bells are pretty average sounding. i've been told that the best ones are manufactured from bits of old railway tracks, but even some of those don't sound good. it is not a consistent item.

[rachelnguyen]

Hey Bubudi,

Got my bell yesterday and it sounds great to me.

I asked them for the smallest one they had, since I am a chick, and all. The thumb ring is a tiny bit too loose, but if I bend my thumb slightly, it seems like it will stay on my knuckle well enough. When Sidy gets back to town I will ask him to show me the proper way to wear it and report back.

I also ordered an extra stick (kala)... and can I just tell you? I love the Jeli dun dun sticks. I am going to try and make one at some point.

Bang bang today!

Rachel

PS: about sizing the ring. Mine is just tacked together with a tiny spot of braising. I would imagine if you needed to open your ring up a bit, a hacksaw would be fine. Then just pry it open a tiny bit. Lots of the rings I saw in Mali weren't welded closed anyway.

[bops]

Here are my bells:

nga_nga_bells.gif (146.68 KiB) Viewed 401 times

The ring fits right over my knuckle:

nga_nga_bell2.jpg (197.57 KiB) Viewed 401 times

[bubudi]

nice bells, bops. great display over bogolan cloth too where did you get them? is it just an illusion or are they in graduated sizes?
i'm fussy about bells and have given away any that weren't quite right. when the bells are all sounding harmonious it makes such a difference to the ensemble. i'm guessing you hand picked yours.

[bops]

nice bells, bops. great display over bogolan cloth too where did you get them? is it just an illusion or are they in graduated sizes?
i'm fussy about bells and have given away any that weren't quite right. when the bells are all sounding harmonious it makes such a difference to the ensemble. i'm guessing you hand picked yours.

Got them from Yacoub, a carver in Bamako who works with Abdoul Doumbia. I believe Nate V. has some pictures on his website. The bells sound great - better than any of the sets of bells I've gotten in Guinea. The metal is much thicker and sturdier, and the pitch is clearer. They came as a set; all I had to do was say "I'll take em". I actually have another bell that is about twice the size as any of those, also from Yacoub. I use it for the dununba. You'll hear them soon.

[8aardav8]

In Mali, I've bought these bells from quite a few different smiths.
I have a recommendation if you're ever looking to buy one.

It may only be my personal taste, but it seems to me, the better sounding ones are consistently the ones that were really worked on with a hammer. The metal is thicker near the top, and gets quite thin at the bottom. Those are the ones with that sweet melodic yet almost raspy scissor-like khassonka stank.

The mass produced bells, or bells that were just made hastily, are often of uniform thickness (too thick, really) and sound clanky, like you're just hitting a random piece of metal, and actually have frequencies that hurt my left ear more when I play them.

I might also add, try to find a bell without too big of a gap between the two halves. I've seen a lot with a too-big gap, but never bought one. I tried playing a friend's and it was awkward. Harder to get a consistant sound because it bounced weird.

[Afoba]

hello Rachel,
you call the Kasonka dundun "dyeli dundun" (jeli dunun)? Why is that? Are dundun players supposed to be dyelis? I don't think so (because in dyenbe territory it's not), but I don't know!
I would use "dyeli dundun" for the small drums (tama and tandani) that the griots use (I've only seen this in Upper Guinea, so there might very well be a geographical difference of some importance!).
Thanx, Daniel


PS: Bops, were you looking for maninka dundun bells in Guinea? there are very fine ones, but it's easier to find them in Upper Guinea. The light Conakry triple sets are not what I dream of! D

[rachelnguyen]

Hi Afoba,

I call it that because that is what I have heard it called in Mali, and what my teacher calls it. I don't think it is because all the players have to be Jeli... it is because the style of drum comes from the Jeli.

Is there a particular region for Jeli in Mali? I thought that they were spread out in a pretty wide area... that most communities had Jeli living in them. I have only picked up little bits and pieces of this from my conversations with friends, though. I have never read any of the books that talk about the history of the Jeli in Mali. (And, incidentally, I am using Jeli interchangeably with Griot. As I understand it, Griot is the French word and Jeli is the Malian. (Not sure which language it is...)

All love,
Rachel

[8aardav8]

Origionally, only Khassonka jeli played their dunduns. Even today, it is only jeli who play tama drums in Khassonka society, but anyone can play the dunun.

In my experience in Kayes, when jeli foli is played, Khassonka jeli will still play dununs for those rhythms sometimes if they are around. Other musicians will give up their dunduns out of respect sometimes so that members of the jeli caste can play jeli foly.

[Michel]

When you look at the names of the famous jelidununfola: Diabate, Cissoko, Kouyate, Kanoute (Khassonke jeli-name).... it's actually quite clear. And for what I know it's nowadays more then only jeli's playing this type of drum, but the jeli is always taking the lead, and plays the solo's with the dance.

[8aardav8]

In Kayes, there are many lead dunun players who are not jeli. There are even some villages I've stayed in where there are no jeli families living at all. These villages have their dunun players as well.

[Afoba]

Thanx to the three of you!
Michel, I'm not surprised to see a drum called jeli dunun played by jeli (yes, Rachel, griot is a word for dyeli -guinean writing system-/jeli -malian writing system-). But it's completely new to me, that these drums (I didn't consider "jeli dunun" as a normal name for the "kasonka dunun", that's why I asked you) are normally played by jelis, as you say (and as 8aardav8 denies). I think the socio-cultural structures are quite close to the bamana and (other) maninka societies, where jelis and drummers are usually quite seperated. So this phenomenon is very interesting to me! Are there jelis in the Kayes region who play other drums/just sing/play kora, bala and so on???
Greets to all of you,
Daniel