Balafon help

[MonDingO]

hello everyone i am new to this site i have read many of the threads on here for sometime and really like this site it is very helpful in many ways !!! a little about myself i have been playing djembe and some darabuka for 9 yrs now (also have been playing various instruments since a young child saxaphone guitar etc)and have found a true passion and love for the bala and the music that sings from it i have since bought a diatonic bala from drumskull and have spent atleast 4 to 5 hours a day in practice of the instrument i am currently learning to play sorsonet a instructional video from youtube and feel i am grasping it more and more as the days go by i am also in the process of ordering books and as much dvd videos as possible so i have a few questions and hope someone can help me with these i hope i am posting this right as it is the first time i have used this anyhow i am very curious as to what the name of this song is and where i can go about to learn how to play this melody ? can i find this in a certian book or video of some sort other then this link ? i will keep this as a ongoing thread for my development in learning bala all help is much appriciated thanks a ton

[MonDingO]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdEcy1Ns ... dded#at=17

[dleufer]

Hey,
Here are some good instructional videos
http://www.baragnouma.com/nos-videos-de ... niques.php

And I also highly recommend Aly Keita's DVD "The Balafon".
http://www.gert-kilian.com/DVDbalafon.html

Here is an exerpt


There is also an amazing documentary included, a great performance of all the material on the instructional DVD and a booklet with lots of info and musical notation for all pieces. And songs! Best package I've ever seen.

[bubudi]

Here are some good instructional videos
http://www.baragnouma.com/nos-videos-de ... niques.php

those are some very nice videos for sure, but i definitely wouldn't call them 'instructional videos'.

for a whole range of balafon resources (dvds, books, websites and youtube videos) check out our balafon topic.

for future reference, you can search on this website for a topic to see if there has already been discussion on it. the search box is on the top right.

why not also post an introduction of yourself in the intro section. it would be interesting to hear how you made the transition to learning bala. not an easy instrument to learn off a couple of youtube videos!

welcome to the forum!

[bops]

hey mon,

This is not a traditional bala song, AFAIK. Sounds like an original. His phone number is listed on the YouTube page, so if I were you I'd give him a call and ask him. Gotta love technology sometimes.

Have a good day mon!

[MonDingO]

thanks bops i didn't even hit the drop down bottom on that page i curretly am playing a diatonic balafon and am looking to purchase a professional pentatonic bala i am currently residing in the united states is my best bet just to order from baragnouma seeing i think they set the buck for bala's or is there usa based companies selling as high of quality and craftsmanship as what they have to offer ? my only worries is trusting the companies shipping the bala over seas to me and the condition it might show up in so all help and comments are greatly appreciated thanx once again and im loving this site

[Paul]

I rented a room in the back of the baragnouma shop for a month and I saw the guys testing all the packing, its really well done.. They post fully mounted koras and gonis which would be a lot more fragile, Fabrice stood up on a box with a goni in side to show me how strong it was..

I dont know about about US companies, but I think baragnouma have good prices as they are based full time in Burkina as oppose to rocking up for 3 months a year and heading back to the US, which would mean your adding a whole lot of expenses.. Though I suppose if you have to send it back for some reason its better to have a US based company..

However BG will make you what ever tuning you like so, you can have it tuned with your existing bala..

What kinda shipping costs you looking at?

[MonDingO]

thanks for the quick reply paul it is very comforting hearing of your experiences with BG the shipping costs dont bother me at all just was a bit worried of the shipping companies more then anything i have recently purchased a bala from one of the usa based companies it is a diatonic bala though it was as stated i am a bit unhappy with the bala one of the keys is very very flat and one of the mallets are cracking right down the handle so hearing a first hand experience with baragnouma is very exciting and i will just make my purchases from them

[Paul]

Hi,

I would give him an email first anyway, I know they take returns (minus freight), but you should get his opinion on it anyway... Prices are normally listed incl freight to france metro and then shipped on again.. I dont know if that would be the case for US or if they go straight... I suppose the more times it gets handled the more the danger...

there is an american guy on the forum called nodrog, think he got one there so maybe send him a personal message, though as i recall he seemed happy with his bala..

Cheers

[MonDingO]

hello i have since ordered a pentatonic bala from baragnouma!!!! i am awaiting it to get here i was wondering if anyone had any clue or prior experiences from the usa on how long it took to recieve items from them im nearing a month and just curious as they have no estimated time for anything besides france and uk thanx and any help is appreciated

[MonDingO]

well to answer my own question it took exactly 6 weeks to reach the west coast of the usa and in perfect condition !!!!!!! very impressed with the quality of the bala i purchased !!!! baragnouma rocks !!!!!!

[Paul]

Good for you mate. As a matter of interest how much did it cost to get it there..

[MonDingO]

it was roughly 200 usd for shipping