e balafon is a pentatonic xylophone is heptatonic is native to West Africa. It consists of strips of wood arranged in increasing size (over the strips are shorter, the sound is high) and calabash placed below forming sounding. Sometimes these gourds are drilled and the holes are lined with membranes that vibrate. Traditionally these membranes are spider webs or wings of a bat, now replaced by cigarette paper or a thin plastic membrane. A balafon is generally capable of producing 18 to 21 notes (and thus has many blades). However, some have much less in balafon (16, 12, 8 or even 6 or 7). Legend has it that the first balafon was born in the Mandingo Empire, between Guinea and Mali. The balafon is still, he was named Sosso bala. A ceremony takes place every year with the balafon. The location of the balafon has changed during the time he was regularly moved from Mali to Guinea and vice versa. The first family of griots, Kouyate is from the man who first managed to blackmail the Sosso Bala.