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Balakulandjan.mp3 - including solo - Percussion Studio version

You can find a great version by Famoudou Konaté on his album Rhythms and Songs from Guinea

Bala Kulandyan

Djembe 1                            Djembe 2
[ b . t t . . s t t . b s . . s . ] [ s . . s s . t t s . . s s . t t ]
Djembe 3                            Djembe ride
[ b . t t . . s . . . t t . . s . ] [ b . s s . . s s b . t s t t s s ]
Djembe 4
[ t t . s . b s . t t . s . b s . ]

Dununba                             Sangban
[ o . . . . . o . o . . . . . o . ] [ x . . . x . . . x . o . o . . . ]
[ x . x x . x x . x . x x . x x . ] [ x . x . x . x . x . x . x . x . ]
Kenkeni
[ o . . . o . . . o . x . o . . . ]
[ x . x . x . x . x . x . x . x . ]
Variation (every 5th time or so)
Sangban                             Dununba (answers)
[ . . o o . o . . . . o . o . . . ] [ o . o o . o o . o . . . . . o . ]
[ x . x x . x . x x . x . x . x . ] [ x . x x . x x . x . x . x . x . ]
Ballet style
[ d . . . . . d . d . s . s . d . ]
[ k . . . k . . . k . . . k . . . ]

Djembe solo parts for class
[ T . t t . t . t t . t . t . . .
  b . s s . . s s b . t s t t s s b . s s . . s s b . t s t t s s
  b . s s . . s s b . t s t t s s b . s s . . s s b . t s t t s .
  T . t t . t . t t . t . t . . . ]

[ b s . s t t s . b s . s t t s . b s . s t t s . b s . s t t s .
  b s . s t t s . b s . s t t s . T . t t . t . t t . t . t . . . ]

[ t t s t t s . s . . . . . . . . t t s t t s . s . . . . . . . .
  t t s t t s . . t t s t t s . . t t s t t s . s . . . . . . . .
  T . t t . t . t t . t . t . . . ]

[ t s . t s s . t s . t s . t s . t s . t s s . t s . t s . t s .
  t s . t s s . t s . t s . t s . T . t t . t . t t . t . t . . . ]

[ t t t s s s s s s s s s s s s s t t t s s s s s s s s s s s s s
  t t s s t t s s t t s s t t s . T . t t . t . t t . t . t . . . S ]

Djembe solo - as played by Famoudou Konate
[ T . t t . t . t t . t s t t s s                               - Call/intro
  b . s s . . s s b . t s t t s s b . s s . . s s b . t s t t s s - Solo 1
  b . s s . . s s b . t s t t s s b . s s . . s s b . t s t t s .
  T . t t . t . t t . t . t . . .                                 - Call
  b s . s t t s . b s . s t t s . b s . s t t s . b s . s t t s . - Solo 2
  b s . s t t s . b s . s t t s . T . t t . t . t t . t . t . . .
  t t s t t s . s . . . . . . . . t t s t t s . s . . . . . . . . - Solo 3
  t t s t t s . . t t s t t s . . t t s t t s . s . . t s t t s s
  b . s s . . s s b . t s t t s s b . s s . . s s b . t s t t s . - Solo 1
  T . t t . t . t t . t . t . . .                                 - Call
  t s . t s s . t s . t s . t s . t s . t s s . t s . t s . t s . - Solo 4
  t s . t s s . t s . t s t t s s
  b . s s . . s s b . t s t t s s b . s s . . s s b . t s t t s . - Solo 1
  T . t t . t . t t . t . t . . .                                 - Call
  t t t s s s s s s s s s s s s s t t t s s s s s s s s s s s s s - Echff
  t t s s t t s s t t s s t t s . T . t t . t . t t . t . t . . . ] End

Dundun parts for echauffement
Sangban
[ o . o o . o . . o . o o . o . . o . o o . o . . o . o o . o . . ->
[ x . x x . x x . x . x x . x x . x . x x . x x . x . x x . x x . ->
  o . o o . o . . o . o o . o . . o . . o . . o . . . o . o . . . ]
  x . x x . x x . x . x x . x x . x . x x . x x . x . x . x . x . ]
Dununba
[ . o . o . o . o o . o . o . o o . o . o . o . o o . o . o . o o ->
[ . x . x . x . x x . x . x . x x . x . x . x . x x . x . x . x x ->
  . o . o . o . o o . o . o . o o . o . o . o . o o . . . . . o . ]
  . x . x . x . x x . x . x . x x . x . x . x . x x . x . x . x . ]

Notes: From Famoudou Konaté, Mamady Keita and Paul Nas, among others. Similar to Soli lente.
Bala kulandyan! Den na fissa!
Kèmè ta iye n'sö den na!
I ba kèmè kè den kelen sonko di
Kèmè ta iye n'sö den na!

Bala Kulandyan! A child is better than anything (in the world)!
Take a hundred (things) and give me a child!
I five a hundred as a gift to receive a child.
Take a hundred and give me a child!

Bala = sea, Kulandyan = long legged bird (Like the stork?)
The song speaks of what a blessing a child signifies and of how every woman wishes to have children. For this reason, the Bala Kulandyan music plays a role on all occasions when children are the central figures (birth, baptism, circumcision, and initiation) or when children are present in thought (marriage).