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dunun

[dundun, doundoun, doum-doum]

A set of 3 West African straight-sided rope-tuned bass drums that forms the bass line of the Mandé djembe orchestra. Although often credited as dundun, doundoun or even doum-doum, they should not be confused with the Yoruba talking drum called dundun.

The smallest is called kenkeni, the middle one is sangban and the largest is called dununba. They each have a raw calfskin or goatskin head on both ends, and often have a metal bell attached to the side. They are played with two sticks or with one stick and a metal striker on the bell and are both carried and played horizontally and rested on the ground and played vertically.

The name djun djun is a common Western misnomer as there is no such word in the Malinké language.


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