Gyil

Gyil

The "gyil" (pronounced or ) is a pentatonic percussion instrument, common to the Gur-speaking populations in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire. The Gyil is part of the xylophone family. It is the primary traditional musical instrument used by the Dagara, an African ethnic group of northern Ghana and Burkina Faso and by the Lobi of Ghana, southern Burkina Faso, and Côte d'Ivoire. The Gyil's design is based on a similar variation of the "Balaba" Balafon instrument used by the Mande-speaking Bambara, Dyula and Sosso peoples further west in southern Mali and western Burkina Faso, a region that shares many musical traditions with those of northern Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana.

The instrument is made with 14 wooden keys of an African hardwood called liga attached to a wooden frame, below which hang calabash gourds.cite journal | last = Harper | first = Colter | title = Life, Death, and Music in West Africa | journal = Contexts Magazine | date = 2008 | volume = Winter | pages = 44–51 | accessdate = 2008-05-04 ] Spider web silk covers small holes in the gourds to produce a buzzing sound, and antelope sinew and leather are used for the fastenings. The instrument is played by striking the keys with wooden mallets with rubber heads. The instrument is generally played by men, who learn to play while young, however, there is no restriction on gender.

The gyil is usually played in pairs, accompanied by a calabash gourd drum called a "kuor". It can also be played by one person with the drum and the stick part as accompaniment, or by a soloist.

ee also

*Balafon - a common family of similar West African instruments

External links

* [http://www.mandaramusic.com/gyil.html The Gyil]
* [http://www.bernardwoma.com/ Bernard Woma, noted gyil player and teacher]

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gyil — Le gyil (prononcer dʒɪlə ou dʒiːl ) est un instrument à percussion pentatonique, utilisé par des populations du Ghana, du Burkina Faso et de Côte d Ivoire. Le gyil apppartient à la famille des xylophone. Il est le premier instrument des ethnies… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Xylophone — Percussion instrument Hornbostel–Sachs classification 111.212 (Directly struck idiophone) Developed Antiquity The xyl …   Wikipedia

  • List of national instruments (music) — National instruments redirects here. For the company, see National Instruments. This list contains musical instruments of symbolic or cultural importance within a nation, state, ethnicity, tribe or other group of people. In some cases, national… …   Wikipedia

  • Balafon — Infobox Instrument name=Balafon names= bala , balaphone , Balani , Gyil , Balangi classification=West African wooden Percussion idiophone with up to 21 keys range= variable related=marimba, xylophone musicians=N Faly Kouyate, Keletigui Diabaté… …   Wikipedia

  • Culture of Ghana — Ghana This article is part of the series: Culture of Ghana Art Languages of Ghana Cuisine Literature List of writers from Ghana Music Public holidays …   Wikipedia

  • Sub-Saharan African music traditions — A Mangbetu man playing an African harp See also: Rhythm in Sub Saharan Africa Sub Saharan African music traditions exhibit so many common features that they may in some respects be thought of as constituting a single musical system.[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Homophony — This article is about the musical term. For other uses, see Homophony (disambiguation). Homophony in Tallis If ye love me, composed in 1549. The voices move together using the same rhythm, and the relationship between them creates chords: the… …   Wikipedia

  • Ikembe — Ikembe, Chisanji, Kisanji and Eleke all refer to a type of lamellaphone common amongst the Bahutu of Rwanda, Burundi and the Congo. Eddie Osborne in his article [http://jomovibes.com/mbira/index.html The Thumb Piano : A Survey of Nomenclature ] …   Wikipedia

  • Abkürzungen/Gesetze und Recht — Eine Liste von Abkürzungen aus der Rechtssprache. Inhaltsverzeichnis A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dagaare (Volk) — Die Dagaare sind ein Volk in Ghana, der Elfenbeinküste und in Burkina Faso, das auch Dagari, südliches Dagari, Dagara, Dogaari, Dagati oder Degati genannt wird. Die Dagaare können in drei Volksgruppen unterteilt werden. Die südlichen Dagaare… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”