Aaron Bebe, gyil solo.

[Nodrog]

Hi there,

I love this. This is the best example of gyil playing I have seen so far. That's what I wanna sound like.

Gordon.

[Nodrog]

Hi there,

Sorry to reply to myself but I thought the gyil or bala Aaron was playing on that clip sounded amazing. In the near future I plan on ordering a 15 note gyil for myself but how can I be sure of getting the genuine musical instrument rather than a nice looking African ornament.

I did order a smaller one a few months back for my grandson and he loves it. It sounds ok to me but not half as good as the one being played in the above video. For example, my grandson's example has gourds but no vibrating sound and the notes are not as distinct as the one in the video. There are all kinds that come up on-line but I want to be sure of getting something that will sound correct. Any ideas?
Thanks, Gordon.

[BobF]

Hey Gordon,

Where are you located? Kofi Ameyaw could probably help you find a gyil if you're anywhere near the midwest. He's in Michigan. He's an excellent gyil player from Ghana. I can dig around and find an email address for him in a bit.

Bob

[Nodrog]

Thanks for the reply Bob.

I am living in Rocky Face, Georgia. That would be a sure way of getting the genuine article. To take the advice of an expert player who I'm sure would know the source of a genuine instrument as opposed to the nice looking but not so good sounding gyil.

Do you know if a good quality gyil would come with the vibrating membranes already attached or is this something that is added later by the player?

Thanks again, Gordon.

[BobF]

I don't know of any gyil players in the GA area but I'd try finding one locally.

As far as membranes and gourds, does the instrument already have holes in the gourds? I'm not real familiar with the setup on a gyil but I can tell you on a Guinean bala, there are usually 2 holes on each gourd (on the side) and each hole is covered with very thin plastic or cigarette paper, or more traditionally (for the Guinea balas) the spider sack from a baby spider (which species I have no clue). I tried using cigarette paper once and found it to have more of a buzz than I like but I did notice the overall volume of the bala was louder. I use old chewing gum (heat the gourd, rub the gum around the hole, place the plastic over the hole and trim it up nice and neat) and the thinnest plastic I can find.

The hardest part is untying and tying the gourds onto the grame but it's really not that difficult, just make sure you keep the string taunt and the opening of the gourd as close to the underside of the key as possible.

If you're near Atlanta, I know there's at least 3 bala players there.
Bob

[Nodrog]

Thanks again Bob.

Yes, I am about 80 miles north of Atlanta but we have family who live down there so we are up and down quite often. I will do a search on-line and see if I can come up with some of these players living in Atlanta. Maybe they even have one for sale down there.

I think I read somewhere that on the gyil, two holes are drilled into the gourds and the membrane attached over these. I just wondered when bought if this was already done or if the paper or plastic had to be attached by the new owner.

I am hoping that as a guitar player for 40 years my left and right hand co-ordination should be good enough to at least give me a fighting chance to learn the gyil. Guys like Aaron Bebe and Kofi Ameyan that you mentioned are true masters and if I can eventually play to within 100th of their ability, I will be a happy person.

Thanks again, Gordon.

[aiduenu]

Hey Gordon,

Please be advice that, gyil genuine called it but in my country Ghana is called Xylophone and I know the French also called Balophone, I know that in Ghana is musical instrument for the people at the nortern part of Ghana they usually use xylophone to creat and play they music.

The type in which they use calabash to produce is originated from northern part of Ghana and I know for sure you can only get it from Ghana or importers who mostly import from Ghana. We always buy it from the northern part of Ghana when our client request of it. Maybe we can help you to get one of your choice.

Benji

[bubudi]

hi benji, if you want to be precise about it, xylophone is an english word for a western instrument. also, the french balaphone comes from the maninka word bala which is the name of another similar instrument from the mande area. there are completely different tunings, construction and playing techniques between the gyil, bala and xylophone.

if one were to buy a genuine gyil that was suitable for traditional music, and not just a tourist model, one would expect the shop to obtain it from a gyil master who was a good instrument maker, and would therefore call it gyil, and not xylophone.

[wendywit]

Aaron Bebe shipped me a gyil from Ghana to New York, by airplane. I picked it up at the airport. I did that awhile back, so I have no idea how much it would cost now. He has a facebook page and a website if you want to contact him.