X8 Drums Blog

Traditional African mbiras are now available at X8 drums, so we though we'd take a moment to introduce you to this percussion instrument that has been part of African culture for over 800 years. Percussionist Joel Laviolette demonstrates the mbira in the video above. A seemingly simple instrument with an ethereal sound, the mbira is a soundboard made from gourd or wood with 6 to 33 wooden or metal keys attached on the top. Performers play the mbira by depressing and releasing the free …

You may recognize the fast-paced, upbeat rhythm in the video above as the Kuku rhythm, one of the most popular djembe rhythms due to its joyous, celebratory sound. But do you recognize the instrument providing the melody? Looks like a xylophone, right? While the instrument you see in the video is a kind of wooden xylophone, it’s actually a West African percussion idiophone called a balafon and originates in Mali. Used to play melodic tunes, the balafon features 16 to 27 tuned wooden keys pl …