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Balafon
Percussion (idiophone) — wooden xylophone
The balafon is a wooden xylophone with gourd resonators, played across Cameroon. Each wooden key sits above a tuned calabash gourd, giving the balafon its warm, buzzing tone — a sound that runs through Cameroonian traditional music alongside instruments like the mvet and tam-tam.
About the Balafon
The balafon's wooden keys are laid out like a xylophone's, but each key is suspended over its own calabash gourd resonator, tuned to match the pitch of the key above it. Striking the key with a mallet sends the sound resonating through the gourd below, which is often fitted with small buzzing membranes for the instrument's signature rattling timbre.
In Cameroon, the balafon sits alongside instruments like the mvet (a harp-zither used by Beti storytellers), tam-tam drums, and the sanza thumb piano as part of a broader family of wooden and gourd-based instruments that carry the country's traditional music.
Balafon playing is frequently a group activity — multiple players on instruments tuned to complement each other, weaving interlocking melodic lines that support singing, storytelling, and dance.
Where it’s played
All countries →Questions & Answers
What is a balafon?+
A balafon is a wooden xylophone with gourd resonators — each wooden key is suspended over a tuned calabash gourd that amplifies its sound.
Where is the balafon played?+
The balafon is played across Cameroon as part of its traditional music, often alongside instruments like the mvet, tam-tam, and sanza.
Why does the balafon have a buzzing sound?+
Many balafons have small membranes fitted to the gourd resonators, which vibrate as the gourd resonates and give the instrument its distinctive buzz.
