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