The balafon is an ancient West African instrument. It has been played for many centuries and may be the ancestor of more recent types of xylophones and marimbas.

In West Africa there are many different kinds of balafon, but the most common have either a five note or seven note scale. Usually the balafon has wooden keys, and calabash gourd resonators that hang underneath the keys.

The following photos show different types of instruments that you can use to play the patterns that you will learn in the Balafon Challenge.

Pentatonic Balafon (5-note scale)

Diatonic balafon (7-note scale)

Small wooden xylophone

Small metal xylophone

Kalimba

Piano

Orff Style Marimba

Large metal xylophone

Large concert marimba