ACOUSTIC BASS GUITAR ?

[Nodrog]

Hi there,

I'm guessing that in it's traditional form, most African music relies on low pitched drums to provide the bottom end. Not that all music needs a bottom end. So much modern music relies on a heavy bass line but one thing for sure, when dancing is concerned, a nice strong bass is just better to dance to, whether it comes from a drum or some other low pitched instrument. Is there an African equivalent of a bass instrument other than a bass drum?

Just wondering if there are any examples or if anyone has tried using an acoustic bass guitar say with a djembe, a balafon and maybe a cabasa for the top end?

I have a Tacoma acoustic bass guitar and I'm planning to try it the next time we get enough jammists together. Thinking about it, a nice atmospheric fretless bass would sound good with a balafon too.

Any opinions on this, or even better, any examples?

Thanks, Gordon.

[Carl]

The two traditional instruments that come to mind are the Bolon and Ngoni ba (not sure if the Ngoni ba is a modern development or not??)

The bolon is limited to 3 pitches, and is an interesting instrument on it's own; you pluck it like a cora, hit it like a djembe and it has rattles like a djabara (ok I'm stretching things here, but it does fall under three different "catagories" of instruments in the western "label everything" mode....)

C

[Nodrog]

Hi there,

Carl, I looked up the Bolon,(sounds like a bolonoscopy. ha,ha), and it certainly is an amazing instrument. The sound is a lot like a 'bass box' as played in some Calypso bands. I had a try on one when we were in Jamaica. It is basically a huge thumb piano that you sit on and pick out simple bass lines. I've seen them used in a blue grass band too instead of the stand up bass.

In fact, I'm sure the bass box or something very similar would originally have come out of Africa. I've always been tempted to make my own since I saw that one in Jamaica. Can't be too difficult.

Check this one out. www.bassbox.org/

Gordon.

[Paul]

Hi Gordon,

Interesting you mention it, because thats what im working on. Just put a band together for a festival with Oumou Sangare on the bill. We played 3 dunun playrs, djembe, Kamele ngoni, bass kamele ngoni and flute.
I learnt bass ngoni in Burkina and I had a visiting musician play kamele ngoni. I dont know other ngoni players so I am looking for an electric bass player to take over my parts so I can move to kamele ngoni.

I will keep you posted about how it goes..

[Nodrog]

Hi there,

Paul, what about the possibility of using one of these bass boxes instead of the electric bass. I'm sure they can be amplified in some way with all today's technology. The Tacoma bass I have would fit in well too. It is an electric acoustic instrument with a teardrop shaped soundhole at the top of the body instead of the center. It is loud acoustically but I'm sure not loud enough to sit in with a drum ensemble. It sounds great when plugged in.

After saying that, am I right in thinking you already have a lot of bottom end from your drums. Does the bass sound not get lost in the bass from the drums? I suppose an electric bass is more versatile and it could produce a more lively sound by using eq, settings to get some seperation in frequencies. Wow, I'm starting to sound all technical there.

If there is one thing I know after years of playing in bands and also writing and recording songs, it always sounds a lot better when the instruments all have their own frequency slot and not two or more covering the same area. When this happens it starts to get muddy so I see why you might be thinking electric bass.

Gordon.

[Carl]

I learnt bass ngoni in Burkina and I had a visiting musician play kamele ngoni.

Paul, I have a question about the bass ngoni... do you know if this is a new instrument? has it been around for a while? Or did this develop after the influence of western music?

C

[e2c]

I think the ngoni ba (new or old?) has come up here before... but I haven't done a search on the board yet.

However, there's this -

The ngonis they play are still acoustic as in the old days, but Bassekou invented a bass ngoni even lower in pitch than the ngoni ba (low ngoni), added extra strings to make their instruments harmonically more flexible, and even plugs in an occasional wah wah pedal. In the process Bassekou opened up the magic of an age-old music to people all over the world.

from http://www.gondwanasound.co.uk/node/726

I'm sure that Western instrument families (like strings - violin down to contrabass) are part of the inspiration behind this. There are other non-Western musicians (like Lebanese oudist Marcel Khalife) who've adapted this idea to create quartets, quintets, etc. of "like" instruments.

* Re. the "bass box," sure - it's an adaptation of African instruments (mbira, sanza, kalimba). It's used in some Cuban music, too - called a "marimbula."

And hey, experimentation is one of the things that keeps music alive and kicking.

[bubudi]

i think when paul says 'bass ngoni' he is referring to a kamelengoni, not jelingoni. let's continue the discussion of jelingoni in the relevant thread. i think there is also a thread on the bolon somewhere.

as for bass guitar, there are quite a few west african bands who make modern but traditionally inspired music using bass guitar. soungalo coulibaly's music is one of my favourite examples and his music (he called it 'flez') combined bamana and senoufo balas, djembe, dunun, kamelengoni, karignan, guitar, bass and soulful vocals. acoustic melodic instruments do need amplification in order to compete with the drums, so the balas are mic'ed up and the bass is usually electric.

re: bass box, this is also found in sierra leone, and they also have the gongoma which is a more mid-range version. the akan people in ghana call the bass box prempensua.

[e2c]

Points taken, though (stating the obvious), the questions came up in *this* thread... I'd kind of hate to see a conversation stop (or slow down a lot) just because it's happening in the "wrong" place.

Just my .02-worth.

Re. "bass ngoni" and "kamele ngoni" in Paul's post, that's not how I'm reading it, though I may well be wrong (???)... Paul, can you help us out on this, please?

Interesting you mention it, because thats what im working on. Just put a band together for a festival with Oumou Sangare on the bill. We played 3 dunun playrs, djembe, Kamele ngoni, bass kamele ngoni and flute.
I learnt bass ngoni in Burkina and I had a visiting musician play kamele ngoni. I dont know other ngoni players so I am looking for an electric bass player to take over my parts so I can move to kamele ngoni.

[Paul]

Sorry,

By bass ngoni I meant an 8 string Kamele ngoni, It has a longer neck though so that you can have quite a large gap between the strings. In some songs you can stick your thumb through the gap in the strings on one side to get a role on a string (i.e. hit same cord with both thumbs straight after each other.)

The rhythms are more spacious than the regular kamele ngoni accopmaniments and a longer phrase. Also the strings are much thicker and they are made with big calabash, thicker skin and ideally with no supports for the skin (ie. wooden or bamboo lats going through the skin).

I would say its probably a modern take, but it sounds great and some of the bass line are great. I only came across my teacher playing it and his brother. His brother is zaky diarra, he has some stuff on youtube but alas no bass ngoni.. They were playin 12 string kamelle ngoni with it with 2 strings on either side of the 8 of the bass kamele ngoni..

In relation to what im trying to do I would say Oumou meets Soungalo (did a version of Baba Toure's Djagbe/madan at the festival the other day with flute instead of singers)... That bass box looks good, but I have too many strange instruments no one knows how to play, there is no notation for and not a teacher within 1000miles..

Besides I think the success of the Mali sound has been a mix of western and traditional instruments to a degree.. I had a chance to ask Habib Koite a load of questions about blending the two traditions, He said ngoni players are in Jail .i.e. limited

I will try to be more clear in future..

[e2c]

I had a chance to ask Habib Koite a load of questions about blending the two traditions, He said ngoni players are in Jail .i.e. limited

I'd love to hear more about your conversation with Habib, if you feel OK about posting!

I admire him, his band, and the music they make - tremendously, in fact.

* And many thanks for the clarification!

[Dennis103]

I have no idea what it is called or whether it is mentioned already but I have seen it played (here in the Netherlands), a large boat-like instrument with a bent bow-like stick at the front, with 3 strings. You half sit on it and it probably resembles a harp but the strings are plucked downwards and the body can be hit as well. Pictures anyone?

[Carl]

Sounds like the bolon I mentioned upthread

Check out:



C

[Paul]

Thats funny that video, he is asking questions in English and the guy just says what he likes back in French......

He doesnt seem to know what he is talking about...
Cant say for sure but I doubt it originates in Conakry..

Anyway I will go back over the Habib interview and see what I can pick out,, we had a few language barriers ourselves.

[e2c]

I've only watched part of the clip with the bolon player... not everything he's saying is being translated.