Big and Small Moussa practicing the Sambla balafon

Practicing means for us playing, making music and having fun together. Notes, scores don't exist. You must learn everything by ear. Further, you must be able to play at both sides of the instument. (Imagine a piano or a violin, where the deep tones are on the right hand side...)

A goal of this exercise is that Small Moussa Diabate (here 5 years old) learns different ostinati so firmly that he, in spite of the rhythmically free-flying solo and the capricious beat-changes of Big Moussa Diabate (my favourite nephew, by the way), can't be thrown out of the beat any more.

The tuning of the Sambla balafon is something like C'-A-G-E-D#-C. The Sambla, like the Tusia and the Siamou, use the balafon to communicate.

For other Video andAudio Clips go to http://www.mamadoudiabate.com/DldDiabate.html

Category:

Music

Tags:

• sambla
• Moussa
• Diabate
• balafon
• Tusia
• Toussian
• Siamou
• Burkina
• Faso
• Torosso
• talking
• xylophone

[aronchai]

I've loved this video for a long time. Keep playing your awesome music!

[allcontakt]

this is pure good feeling

[croon4u]

oh wow - I love watching the children dance too!

[croon4u]

Wow! I always wondered how these kids learn to play. What an excellent upload. Thank you, thank you!

[dukeduck]

awesome!

[gmlch]

wow, thank you !

what a pleasure. i see that burkina means "men of integrity". beautiful name. i'd like to travel to africa very much....

[ilssonttousfous]

Many many many thanks for this !

Love.

Eric

[melcher]

Thanks, that gave a lot of good feelings to me.

[dcasmr]

Awesome music!

[HunterCrip11]

This is amazing