A Revised Glossary

[bubudi]

btw e2c, no need to buy a filedunun. just use the larger half-calabash from your djidunun, and put metal rings on your fingers.

[e2c]

I hear you - but what if I crack it? I think I need some spares...

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Re. Rusty Eklund's terminology on calabash drums and more), I'll defer to him, as he lived in Mali for 8 years - IIRC, he posted a bit about Malian teachers here last year, right after he came back to the US. I wonder if his instructional book is back in print?

[bubudi]

well, you did say you wanted a set of 3 djidunun... but it takes quite a bit to crack them, especially if you're using rings or the really light sticks that are used on filedunun.

yes, do use rusty for bambara terminology. i'm sure his will be the same as what i said. the malinke terminology is also important.

about whether there are words in malinke/bambara/susu to refer to tone, bass, slap, etc., you never know - although in the traditional teaching method it's a case of show-and-repeat unless talking becomes absolutely necessary, there would definitely be times when there is a confusion over what notes to play, or advanced technique, and having those terms would really come in handy. let's all ask different malian/guinean african teachers and see what we find out!

[bops]

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.

Your Wasulu karignan is the one I'm calling the Malian version. The Guinean version is similar, but smaller, and it lacks the scoring along the top. The technique is a bit different, too. The jelimuso cup the bell part in their hand and swivel it back and forth to strike the rod. If you listen to Mogobalu, you can hear it very prominently in the mix. You'll see it in that film, too. I would also add that the karignan that accompanies donso ngoni is larger than the one for kamale ngoni.

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.

What differentiates a lute from a harp is that a lute has a bridge and a neck, and some sort of resonator, or soundboard as you call it. In the case of the kora and donso ngoni, it's a goat skin stretched over a calabash. Other examples of lutes are guitar, oud, violin, and banjo. A harp, on the other hand, is different because the strings are attached to a crossbar, giving it more of a triangular shape. The kora and donso ngoni are harp-like in their playing technique, because of the way they're plucked with the hands facing inward, but more lute-like in their construction.

I hear you - but what if I crack it? I think I need some spares...

Like bubudi said, you're not likely to break it by playing on it. They're pretty strong. You can reinforce it with electric tape around the edge and across the top if you want. I wouldn't worry too much though - it's more likely to crack from moisture than from tapping on it.

[e2c]

What differentiates a lute from a harp is that a lute has a bridge and a neck, and some sort of resonator, or soundboard as you call it. In the case of the kora and donso ngoni, it's a goat skin stretched over a calabash. Other examples of lutes are guitar, oud, violin, and banjo. A harp, on the other hand, is different because the strings are attached to a crossbar, giving it more of a triangular shape. The kora and donso ngoni are harp-like in their playing technique, because of the way they're plucked with the hands facing inward, but more lute-like in their construction.

Exactly - and this is a good example of some of the difficulties you can run into in classification...

In East Africa, lyres of various kinds are pretty ubiquitous, though there are ngoni-like instruments, too. There are even lyres in parts of Egypt, known as simsimiya (there are *so* many transliterations of this word, it's not funny!)

A couple of examples -

Ethiopian krar


Ethiopian musician Alemu Aga playing the begenna (also bagana and a whole lot of other spellings - instrument is historically played by Orthodox priests, members of the royal court - *not* a "folk" instrument)...


Alemu's MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/alemu_aga

Egyptian musician playing the simsimmiyah -

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.

Another thing that I want (both sizes). Habib Koité's percussionists use them - agreed on the "feel" they give to the music (folkloric and popular). As an aside, some Brazilian samba percussionists use a dinner plate (more like a flattened soup dish) and knife, which they scrape on the rim of the plate. The sound is almost exactly like what you hear from the higher-pitched karignans. I'd guess that it's a case (originally) of using household objects when there aren't any "real" instruments to be found, but has evolved into its own thing. (Ditto for wooden matches packaged in wooden matchboxes - kind of a rarity these days, as most come in cardboard packaging. The best players can get an incredible array of sounds from them; technique is very sophisticated, too.)

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Guys, thanks for the suggestions, too! bops, have you bought gourds from anyone? I'm looking to find a good supplier of instrument-quality material.

[bubudi]

by soundboard i don't mean a resonator. i mean it more in the sense of a fretboard on the guitar, only that lutes normally don't have frets. to me the jelingoni is a lute, but the donsongoni is a harp or as the academics call it, a harp-lute.

[bops]

As an aside, some Brazilian samba percussionists use a dinner plate (more like a flattened soup dish) and knife, which they scrape on the rim of the plate. The sound is almost exactly like what you hear from the higher-pitched karignans. I'd guess that it's a case (originally) of using household objects when there aren't any "real" instruments to be found, but has evolved into its own thing.

Those Brazilians... always using dinnerware for music-making There's a Brazilian instrument called reco-reco (pronounced heco heco). It's a metal case with 3 or 4 springs mounted on top. It's used typically in Pagode music, to accompany the cavaquinho, pandeiro, and tan tan. I believe it's derived from the karignan. Here's an example:

by soundboard i don't mean a resonator. i mean it more in the sense of a fretboard on the guitar, only that lutes normally don't have frets. to me the jelingoni is a lute, but the donsongoni is a harp or as the academics call it, a harp-lute.

OK, fair enough. Harp-lute it is.

[e2c]

bops, I'm not so sure the reco-reco is borrowed from the karignan, more like someone got the same basic idea. the ones I've heard in person don't really sound so much like karignans as the prato e faça (plate and knife)... although there could be a real connection, since the Brazilians didn't abolish slavery until the end of the 1880s. There were "Malês" (pronounced mah-LAY) in Bahia (in the NE of Brazil, the main entry port for slaves was the city of Salvador). People from Mali, Guinea, Senegal, et. al. (Even a slave revolt led by Malês.) If you've ever seen the jewelry worn by baianas (black Bahian women from Salvador who dress in a very African style; a holdover from slavery), you'll notice intricate gold and silversmith work that looks like it could either have been done in Arab N. Africa, or in West Africa, or both. (Lots of immigrant Arabs in Brazil, too, so there could be multiple influences converging...)

This lady seems to like silver; others favor gold...



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I meant to add earlier that i've seen the term "harp-lute" used of the kora and similar instruments by some people who play them. (am blanking on names right now, though.)

[bubudi]

ok, so i've thought of some more terms for the glossary

fare - susu word for dance
fassa - praise song (maninka/bambara)
tekere - handclapping
soron - old word for the bolon - still used in mali
simbi - old hunter's harp, like the donsongoni
djembetigi - djembe master
soma - master and keeper of traditions, a person who has delved deep into the esoteric arts including herbal medicine
korote - magic substance designed to curse or maim the victim
kilisi - curse or magic spell (bamana)
danka - curse (bamana/maninka)
dabali - to bewitch (bamana)
basi - medicine or charm (maninka/bamana)
boli - fetish (maninka/bamana)
nyama - spiritual power (maninka/bamana)
daba - farmer's hoe (maninka/bamana)
djende - axe (as carried by the barati)
manifosson - whip made from hippo skin
fosson - whip
douwa - trousers worn by barati, displaying a pattern symboli of the vulture, which represents power
baratigi - masters of the bara
bara - village square where all the dancing takes place
baradomo - next in line to the baratigi
baramamare - middle group of the bara
baramakono - youths of the bara
baradogono - boys of the bara
echauffement - 'heating' phase of a rhythm, or the phrases played to heat up the rhythm
simbi - hunters harp
soron - old word for bolon, still used today in mali
boubou - robe worn by a jeli
naado - djembefola hat
sesse/sege sege/ksing ksing/nanyama - 'ears' or rattles fixed to a djembe (sesse is in susu, sege sege is a maninka/bamana word, ksing ksing is in mandinka, nanyama is in bamana)
nansara - white person (bamana)
toubab - foreigner (usually means white person in bamana or maninka)
fote - white (person) - susu
fore - black (person) - susu
farafin - black person - maninka/bamana
farafina - 'land of the black skinned' - africa (maninka/bamana)
mali/manin - hippopotamus, emblem and namesake of mali and mande empire
fo - to play (an instrument)
foli - music (rhythm or piece)
kan - sound, voice, language (maninka/bamana)
djembekan - 'sound of the djembe' - a djembe improvisation (often unaccompanied) - maninka/bamana
weleli/kili - call (bambara/maninka)

[bops]

mali/manin - hippopotamus, emblem and namesake of mali and mande empire

I'm pretty sure hippo is Bama. Nice work on the list though.

[bubudi]

I'm pretty sure hippo is Bama. Nice work on the list though.

bama means crocodile. bamako actually means 'crocodile's back' mali/manin means hippo. there is a big statue of a hippo in bamako to remind people where the name mali comes from. it's also in the sunjata epic, around the time of his death. sunjata's empire was at war with the wasulu. at a battle by the sankarani river they were defeated the wasulu people. during this time sunjata jumped into the tumultuous waters and reappeared as a manin (hippo). the empire was named after the hippo and the name of the people, maninka litterally means 'hippo people'. cool, eh?

[bops]

bama means crocodile

Wrong again! Man, I really need to work on my Bambara.

[bubudi]

here's a 'few' more:

tantango - original word for a drum, origin of the french 'tam tam'. refers to the seuruba and soninke (maraka) and khassonke drums.
kesekeseni - small basket rattles from sankaran region (similar to brazilian caxixi)
wassamba (maninka/bambara) or wassakhumba (susu) - castanets made of calabash discs, traditionally used by male initiates to announce their passings during their seclusion period and purify the area, as well as for dancing at the initiation ceremonies.
bakk - wolof term for a composed break
taasu - spoken word in wolof, similar to rap
mbalax - rhythm (wolof), the accompaniments used in sabar rhythms, a senegalese pop genre incorporating sabar rhythms
bonya/binye - respect (1st term maninka/bambara; 2nd term susu)
laada - tradition, custom (maninka/bambara, borrowed from arabic al-ada)
tariku - history, chronicle, epic story (maninka/bambara, borrowed from arabic ta'rikh)
mansa - king/ruler (maninka/bambara)
bemba - ancestor (maninka/bambara)
bogolan - mudcloth (traditional mande cloth)
donso duloki - hunter's shirt, used for camoflage and spiritual protection
donso kulusi - hunter's trousers
donso banfula - hunter's cap
donso file - hunter's whistle, used to indicate that he had made a kill
serewa/sora - hunter's musician (also: donso jeli) - maninka
lenke - afzelia africana, sacred tree considered the number one wood for djembes by many masters
dugura (fulbe: duuki, wolof: dimba) - cordyla pinnata, a heavy, dense wood for djembe
djala (acajou, kail, cailcedra) - khaya senegalensis, a dense, heavy wood for djembe
goueni (susu: harre) - pterocarpus erinaceus, a somewhat lighter wood than lenke, djala or dugura, with melodic sound. used for the bala.
bumun/bunbun - bombax costatum, matchwood, melina, main wood for dunun and chun (tion) drums, a good light alternative for djembes but not favoured by professional drummers in west africa
bele (bamana: gele, fulbe: celen) - prosopis africana, a very dense, heavy, melodic wood considered great for djembe but rare
sana - daniellia oliveri, another rare djembe wood
balenbo - crossopterys febrifuga, another rare djembe wood
benbe - lannea acida, yet another rare djembe wood
sunsun - diospryros mespiliformis, you guessed right: another rare djembe wood!
iroko/odoum - milicia excelsa, popular wood for djembes from ivory coast
worojiri - cola spp., cola nut tree
woro - cola nut, traditionally used as an offering
tweneboa/osese - cordia millenii, sacred tree from ghana used by akan peoples for carving royal drums. considered too soft for djembe

is there a publisher in the house? e2c is right, we have a hardback dictionary in the making!

[bubudi]

horon (maninka/bamana) - class of former warriors, rulers and community leaders
kadan (maninka) - liana bracelets worn by the bilakoro. dunun rhythm played for the bilakoro to dance.
bilakoro (maninka) - the uncircumcised
soli (maninka) - circumcision
solima (maninka) - the initiates who have been circumcised
kassa (maninka) - granary
kassaladon - harvest festival
koma/komo (maninka/bamana) - an important fetish and initiation society of the bamana and maninka.
ntomo - bambara initiation society
kore - bambara initiation society
koreduga - member of the kore society who has a comical function
korojuga - comedian/clown
nama - hyena, bambara initiation society
kemoba - grandfather
dala - pond
dalamon - festival of the sacred pond
denba - mother
kala - hunting bow
kene - healing
muru - knife
wulen - red
saa - snake
sila - road, journey, path
malon - gift
dibon - type of bird
duga - vulture
kono - bird, bambara initiation society
sene - farming
soro - field
sofa - warrior
sunguruni - young woman
balakulandian - water bird
demosoni - girl
baba/fa - father
na/ba - mother
basa - lizard
basatinbaraba - 'your head is like a lizard!' - call for dunun rhythms
jara - lion
waraba - big wild animal, e.g. lion or panther
mina - deer
ngon - baboon
ntomo - bambara initiation society
warabilen - monkey
bogolan - mudcloth
karite - shea butter

kelen - one
fila - two
saba - three
nani - four
lolu - five
woro - six
woronfila - seven
seyin - eight
konondo - nine
tan - ten
keme - hundred
wa - thousand

[bubudi]

i checked mande music by eric charry and he lists the following bambara words to refer to slap, tone and bass:

sanfe or sanma - high
cemance - middle
duguma - low

also mentioned were the following:
golobali - running or speeding up (echauffement)
tigeli - cutting or breaking (call/appel).

i'm not sure whether similar conventions exist in maninka. would be good to ask someone like famoudou, bolokada, wadaba, etc.

i will say tho that traditional forms of teaching often don't involve any speech at all. as we've discussed elsewhere on the forum, djembefolaw will sometimes use syllables to vocalise a phrase (usually without any consistency). it would be relatively rare that someone would refer to a slap or other particular sound, such as when teaching something very specific.