QUESTION: In addition to their drums and galans, what is it that you will see all master sabar drummers carry with them?
There is usually an ensemble of seven drums which are played during a sabar performance. The drums are played with one hand and one long, thin stick (galan). The drums are tuned by a system of seven pegs and are adjusted to create melodic rhythms when played together. The head of the drum is made from shaved goatskin. Depending on the type of drum and its function, the goatskin is attached by either a complex method of stringing or lashed directly to the wood with the pegs. (For a great sabar drum ensemble picture, check out EARTHSHAKING MUSIC's African Collection 1 in the instruments section of their catalogue. Then scroll down to the sabar section, figure 9.)
As it was explained to me, there are three different types of wood involved in sabar drums. The first is the wood used to carve the drum. This wood comes from the baobab tree(baawbaab guy in Wolof), a prominent feature of the West African landscape. The seven pegs are made from a very different tree (neem ?) and each peg represents one of the seven drums in the sabar drum family. The sticks, called galans, used to play the drums come from a tree called the sump tree. This tree is often used as an herb to cure diarrhea.
The wooden shell of all the traditional sabar drums is harvested and carved by the Laube (the Wolof wood worker caste). However, it is the Griot (master drummer) who assembles the drum and all its parts and creates the rhythms and music. If someone visits the home of the Griot while he is fixing or assembling a sabar drum, it is good luck for them. The Griot cuts off a piece of the goat skin and gives it to the guest. The guest in turn gives the Griot some money.
Each drum has a specific function and each usually has a specific accompanying rhythm for the different songs. These rhythms and their baks (introductory compositions or breaks) often vary slightly among different Griot families or change over time. Sometimes these variations are a trademark of a specific family.
The modern day ensemble usually includes the following drums:
The M'bung M'bung (m'beungbeung is the French spelling) style sabar drum is the main drum for playing the basic sabar rhythms and the drum that all students of sabar learn to play first. The m'balax (accompanying rhythms) are played on these drums and underlie all Wolof sabar drumming. There are two types of M'bung M'bungs -- the M'bung M'bung Bal and the M'bung M'bung Tungoné ( toungoné -French spelling). The Tungoné is shorter than the M'bung M'bung Bal and somewhat higher in pitch. The M'bung M'bung Bal, on the other hand, provides the strong resonant bass sound in the ensemble.
The Sabar N'der is often considered the leader of the family -- the boss-- and it tells the other drums what to play. The N'der is the tallest drum, slender, and open at the bottom. It is also the lead solo drum with a deep tone played with the slap and a high, sharp pitched sound played with the stick.
The lambe (sometimes spelled lamba) is a heavy, closed bottomed, large circumference, barrel-shaped,bass drum. It is often called Thiol. It is the lowest in pitch and is considered the Grandfather of all sabar drums in Senegal.
The Talmbat is similar to the Lambe but has a narrower barrel shape. It is considered the tenor drum. Sometimes the Talmbat is referred to as the Gorong Talmbat. It too has its own accompanying rhythms.
The following is provided by Village
Pulse:
"If a
troupe is missing the lambe or gorong talmbat, the drummers might
add a drum called the thiol (pronounced chol, to rhyme with
coal). The thiol resembles the lambe and the gorong talmbat, but
its size is between the two. A drummer can tune a thiol to serve
as either a lambe or a gorong talmbat. Alternatively, a drummer
can use the thiol to play a part called the touli-talmbat. As the
name suggests, the touli-talmbat combines the parts played by the
lambe and gorong talmbat." Village Pulse
Gorong Yeguel
The Gorong Yeguel is the newest addition to the sabar ensemble. Although shaped like the lambe with a closed bottom, it often functions similar to the Sabar N'der. It is strung much tighter than the Lambe (with some similarities to the M'bung M'bung stringing and tuning system) and has a high, penetrating voice similar to the Sabar N'der. It is said (by Wagane Ndiaye Rose) that his father, Doudou Ndiaye Rose, created this drum in the 1950's. Doudou was known for standing and playing the Sabar N'der for 6 or 7 hours at a time. Because this could be quite tiring, he wanted a drum that sounded like the Sabar N'der but could be played sitting down. Even though many other Griots didn't think it was a good idea at the time, Doudou Ndiaye Rose created the Gorong Yeguel (sometimes called Gorong Babass). Now it is a popular sabar drum found in most ensembles. See the picture on the home page of Doudou and his Gorong Yeguel.
Tama
The Wolof talking drum, the Tama, often accompanies sabar drumming. The small hourglass shape is similar to the larger talking drums of other West African countries. The Wolof Tama is different in that it is normally covered by a lizard skin on each end instead of goat skin. It is laced from end to end so that the drum's pitch changes with pressure on the strings. With the drum under his arm, the Tama player uses a small stick and his hand to play the complicated, but melodic, rhythms.
Khine
The Khine (sometimes spelled Xeen and pronounced with a guttural "h" sound and rhymes with lean) is the most spiritual of the Senegalese Sabar drums and is not often found in the modern ensemble. It was traditionally used to send messages to other villages. The Khine much shorter than the other sabar drums but larger in circumference and open at the bottom.
COMMENTS please to sabar@mindspring.com
