Music and the Neighbor(s)

When I got home yesterday afternoon, I heard people playing instruments next door (I have a new neighbor, who is French). So of course I went over to see what was going on. She apparently does African dance in France, and came here once before with her dance instructor to visit his family. This time she came back for a vacation and to learn more about music and dance. She's pretty cool as far as I'm concerned.

At any rate, I found a group of guys holding these big string instruments, which turn out to be called goni (the internet seems to spell it n'goni, but it sounded like just goni). I guess they came over to have a jam session (she's learning to play too). The body is a callebasse, or gourd (of some huge variety) covered with some sort of animal skin. The online descriptions I have found seem to suggest that most goni have 8 strings, but these guys told me 8 strings is for beginners. This one has 16 strings! Even this one is for moderate players I guess, because he said he has another that's bigger at home -- 22 STRINGS!!! [I technically think the bigger ones have another name, but I can't remember what it was. Goni seems to be a general name anyway.]

  I asked about tuning, of course -- they said when it's new it's a pain, but otherwise it tends to stay put. They do re-tune for songs though, so they're not totally off the hook.

Because I'm hardly one to sit back and listen during a music session, I picked up the 8 string one and they explained how to hold it, and which fingers you use to play. The highest notes are closest to the body, and the lowest notes are closest to you. You use your pointer fingers to play the very highest notes, and your thumbs to play the rest -- until you graduate to the big instrument, and then they appear to have various positions (like the stringed instruments with which I am more familiar).

Drissa is playing here, and he's the one who started teaching me. I learned to play a few riffs pretty quickly, and he seemed pleased that I was picking it up. He offered to get together and teach me more, which would be fun, although I'm not sure how much I'll be able to learn in my last 10 days. I wish I could buy one to bring home and practice on, but it seems impractical (not to mention costly). Next time I'm here I'll have to start lessons right away.

There was also a calebasse drum (huge and you play on the dome part of it (resonance underneath). They had me try it out once, which provided confirmation that I cannot keep two separate beats at the same time (this is why piano and I were never friends, in spite of my efforts). I survived, but needless to say, I appear to have made a wise choice in sticking to the string family. They sang for most of the songs too, and I was happy that I'm slowly beginning to pick up a word here and there of Dioula.

I'll have to go exploring in Paris (and the US!) and see if the Burkinabè communities are making the goni there, or playing any concerts!