Alternate Name(s): dundun, dunun, kenkeni
Geographic Region: Africa
Country of origin: Mali
Subregion: western Africa
SvH No.: 211.212.1
The konkoni (smaller of the two double-headed bass drums found in the Malian jembe ensemble) is most commonly made from a cylindrical metal barrel, measuring twelve to fourteen inches in diameter and twenty to twenty six inches long. The goat or cow skin drumheads are attached to both ends of the barrel through a system of leather collars or metal hoops and interwoven synthetic rope.
The earliest documentation of what might be Mande bass drums, known as dunduns, dates to an eleventh century account of the Arabic traveler and scholar, al-Bakri.
The tension on the playing heads of the konkoni is maintained through the interweaving of the synthetic ropes connecting the two heads, in a manner identical to that used for the jembe. Prior to the use of metal rings and synthetic rope, the tension on the skin was much lower, and the goat or cow skin playing heads were heated over a fire to restore tension during performances.
The konkoni is played standing, the drum held to the body by a cloth strap slung over one shoulder. It is played with a single very light wooden beater, constructed of a short dowel (1/2 to 3/4 inch diameter, 2 inches long) inserted at a right angle near the end of a longer dowel (1-1/2 inch diameter, 9-12 inches long), roughly in the shape of a hammer. Only one head of the drum is played at any one time. To make an open stroke the stick is allowed to rebound off the drumhead immediately following impact. To make a muffled, closed, or pressed stroke, the stick is pressed into the drumhead, and/or the free hand gently muffles the opposite head of the drum.
Last Modified: 05-May-2005TOP