Donno Drummers

This is a popular form of dance music, performed by five griots. Four play the variable-pitch donno while the fifth plays a large bass drum, the gyamadudu. Th gyamadudu provides a steady rhythmic ostinato that serves as a constant temporal point of reference for the donno. Individual donno players interweave rhythmic patterns so as to produce composite runs consisting of very fast attacks which any one player would be incapable of executing alone. The simultaneous use of several meters and the precise articulation of the larger pulse heard are notable traits of West African drumming.