Each wooden bar on a balafon is carefully tuned by carving and shaving it until it produces exactly the right pitch. The gourds underneath have small holes covered with a thin membrane - traditionally from spider webs or the tissue of certain seeds - that creates a slight buzzing quality in the sound. This is a deliberate feature, not an accident.
The balafon has been played in West Africa for at least 700 years. It features prominently in the griot tradition - griots are professional storytellers and musicians who serve as the living memory of their communities, keeping history alive through music, poetry, and oral tradition. Playing the balafon is considered a skilled and respected art.
In Côte d'Ivoire, the balafon is associated with festivals and ceremonies. Different ethnic groups have their own balafon traditions, tuning systems, and playing styles. Some styles are very fast and rhythmically complex, with two players on the same instrument passing rapid notes back and forth in a call-and-response pattern.