African music holds a central place in communal identity and daily rhythms. In West Africa, especially, musical expression thrives through a long-standing oral tradition passed across generations. Music functions as a vehicle for storytelling, spiritual connection, and communication among tribes and clans. Traditional sounds fill markets, accompany labor, and elevate moments of joy or mourning.
Every beat, chant, and instrument has a purpose—marking rites of passage, welcoming visitors, or honoring ancestors. Among the four core instrument types, idiophones, membranophones, chordophones, and aerophones, each holds a distinctive place in regional expression.
Classification of African Musical Instruments
Traditional West African instruments are typically grouped into four main categories based on how they produce sound:
- Idiophones
- Membranophones
- Chordophones
- Aerophones
These classifications, widely used in ethnomusicology, provide a systematic way to understand instruments through their acoustic behavior.
Membranophones (Drums)
Drums serve as the heartbeat of West African music. Membranophones dominate ceremonies, storytelling, dances, and daily events. Each drum not only provides rhythm but often carries symbolic meaning within its community. Their construction, method of play, and cultural use differ widely across regions.
Djembe
Djembe is among the most recognized West African instruments. Originating in Mali, this goblet-shaped drum is carved from a single piece of hardwood and topped with animal skin. Played with bare hands, it produces a vast range of tones. Known for its versatility, it fits both solo performances and large ensemble settings. Master drummers use djembe to lead dances, communicate village news, or initiate rites.
Talking Drum (Donno)
Donno is shaped like an hourglass and is particularly notable for its ability to mimic speech. Tension cords connect its two drumheads, allowing the pitch to shift when squeezed under the arm. Drummers use tonal patterns to emulate spoken language, making it a tool for poetic recitation and oral messaging during festivals or rituals.
Dun Dun
Dun dun is a cylindrical bass drum played with sticks. Often used in sets, it complements the high-pitched djembe by anchoring rhythms. Played horizontally with the help of a strap or stand, it lays the foundational beat in traditional dance ensembles.
Bougarabou
Bougarabou resembles the djembe but features a deeper body and lower tones. Typically played in sets of three or four, each tuned to different pitches, these drums contribute complex layers to percussion arrangements.
Ngoma and Bata
Ngoma, widely used in Central and East Africa, has roots in Bantu traditions but found ceremonial relevance in Nigeria as well. Bata drums, on the other hand, are double-headed and sacred in Yoruba religious practices. Played in sets, bata drums feature in both spiritual and festive settings, delivering complex polyrhythms that inspire movement and trance.
Idiophones (Self-sounding Instruments)
Idiophones bring rhythm and melody through self-vibration. No membranes, strings, or air passages are needed—only the instrument’s own structure and movement. Struck, shaken, scraped, or plucked, idiophones often add textural depth to ensembles and play a major role in ritual and social music.
Mbira / Thumb Piano
Mbira, often called a thumb piano, originated in southern Africa but found widespread use in West African regions. Metal keys mounted on a wooden board are plucked with the thumbs, producing soft, resonant melodies. Played in intimate settings or ceremonies, mbira carries spiritual associations and often accompanies storytelling or ancestral communion.
Balafon (West African Xylophone)
Balafon is a wooden xylophone with tuned keys suspended above hollow gourds, which act as natural resonators. Played with padded mallets, it creates warm, melodic tones. Known as a cultural emblem in countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea, it connects directly to the sacred Sosso Bala—one of the oldest instruments in Mandé history.
Shekere
Shekere is crafted from a dried gourd wrapped in a beaded net. It’s shaken, slapped, or tossed to produce rattling, percussive rhythms. The sound varies based on movement and the density of beads. Common in dance music and ritual events, it adds brightness and texture to any ensemble.
Gankogui
Gankogui is a double iron bell used extensively in Ewe music from Ghana. One bell produces a high tone, the other a low tone. Played with a stick, it provides a rhythmic timeline—a guiding pulse that keeps dancers and drummers synchronized.
Axatse
Axatse is another gourd-based rattle similar to the shekere but smaller and often played in tandem with gankogui. Shaken forcefully or struck against the knee, it adds intricate rhythmic patterns.
Chordophones (String Instruments)
Chordophones in West African music serve as both melodic leaders and narrative companions. Strings vibrate to produce sound, and instruments are often handcrafted using wood, calabash, animal hide, and fishing line or gut strings. These instruments are often linked to griots, oral historians and praise-singers, who pass down genealogies, legends, and moral tales.
Kora
Kora features 21 strings stretched over a large calabash cut in half and covered in cowhide. It functions like a cross between a harp and lute and is traditionally played by griots in Mali, Senegal, Guinea, and The Gambia.
Strings are plucked with thumbs and index fingers of both hands, producing cascading, harp-like melodies. Used in ceremonies, storytelling, and praise songs, it remains one of West Africa’s most iconic melodic instruments.
Ngoni
Ngoni, often described as an ancestor of the modern banjo, consists of 4 to 7 strings stretched over a small wooden or calabash body. Its sharp, percussive tones cut through dense rhythms, making it ideal for rapid melodic runs. Often featured in griot ensembles, it carries historic and spiritual associations.
Bolon
Bolon combines harp-like qualities with rhythmic percussion. Traditionally used in Mali and Guinea, bolon often played a role in hunting ceremonies or preparations for war. Played by plucking while also striking the body as a percussive element, bolon delivers deep, resonant tones.
Musical Bows (e.g., Mouth Bow)
Musical bows use a single string stretched across a curved piece of wood. Sound is generated by plucking and modulating with the mouth to amplify or alter pitch. Though simple in construction, these instruments offer nuanced control and are typically used in solo performances or intimate rituals.
Aerophones (Wind Instruments)
Aerophones play an essential role in ceremonial, spiritual, and social life throughout West Africa. These instruments produce sound through vibrating columns of air and are typically crafted using local materials like bamboo, animal horns, and gourds. While their forms may appear simple, their cultural significance is profound.
Flutes
Flutes are among the oldest aerophones in West African tradition. Often made from bamboo, wood, or gourds, they are used in:
- Initiation ceremonies
- Funerals
- Storytelling performances
With finger holes to change pitch and breath modulation to alter tone, flutes add a meditative or lyrical quality to musical events. Solo performances are common, but they also blend into larger ensembles, contributing melodic threads over percussive rhythms.
Reed Pipes
Reed pipes feature a vibrating reed within the mouthpiece, allowing the player to create dynamic tones. Often fashioned from cane or millet stalks, these instruments appear in rituals and folk celebrations. Multiple pipes may be played together to produce harmonies or contrasting rhythms, each associated with different ethnic traditions.
Algaita
Algaita is a double-reed woodwind instrument similar to the oboe. Widely used among the Hausa people in Nigeria and Niger, it features a wide bell and piercing tone. Played during royal processions, Islamic festivals, and praise-singing, algaita adds a bold, expressive voice to ceremonial music. Its nasal, haunting sound projects well in open-air events and connects historical and religious themes through music.
Horns and Trumpets
Animal horns, ivory, and even metal are shaped into trumpets and horns used to send messages or mark formal occasions. Blown in bursts or long tones, these instruments often signal important moments such as the arrival of chiefs, the beginning of a festival, or warnings in traditional warfare. Horns carry a tone of authority and are frequently restricted to use by elders or specialized performers.
Preserving African Music in the Digital Age
As traditional West African instruments continue to echo through ceremonies and storytelling, the digital world offers new ways to preserve, share, and experience this heritage globally. Online platforms, educational resources, and digital archives allow musicians and learners to access performances and tutorials from anywhere in the world.
For safe and private exploration of cultural content, tools like virtual private networks (VPNs) are becoming increasingly valuable. Surfshark’s website offers cybersecurity solutions that help protect your data while accessing music archives, streaming traditional performances, or contributing to online ethnomusicology communities.
The Bottom Line
West African musical instruments hold more than just sound—they carry memory, identity, and community spirit. Each drumbeat, pluck, shake, or breath reflects the rhythm of life rooted in centuries of shared tradition. Passed down through generations, these instruments remain central to ceremonies, storytelling, healing, and spiritual devotion.
