At 4 years old, Bona started to play the balafon.

He learned to play the balafon from his father, who was also an accomplished musician.

He was chosen by his father to continue the family and village tradition of the balafon.

Balafon therefore is really the act of playing the bala.

Played in this way, the electric guitar sounded similar to the balafon.

His father was a balafon player, and his mother a singer.

The instrument is often used to accompany the balafon.

Records of the balafon go back to at least the 12th century CE.

He learnt to play the balafon, the kora and the guitar.

As the balafon cultures vary across West Africa, so does the approach to the instrument itself.

The solo musicians - playing such traditional instruments as the kora and balafon - are men.

Gallery of balafon photos, including the construction process.

The balafon, similar to a xylophone, is made out of the horns of animals.

Guinea has been the historic heartland of solo balafon.

Bikutsi is based on a war rhythm played with various rattles, drums and balafon.

His interest in music started at the age of three when he started playing the balafon, the African xylophone, quickly learning other traditional instruments.

Popular instruments the Xalam, a distant relative of the banjo, and the balafon.

The festival celebrated such traditional instruments as the buru, mpolon, and balafon.

In many areas the balafon is played alone in a ritual context, in others as part of an ensemble.

As well as guitar she plays ngoni (lute) and balafon.

How do you tune a balafon?

This is the origin of the Manden djeli tradition of balafon playing.

They also serve as resonators underneath the balafon (West African marimba).

The term marimba is also applied to various traditional folk instruments such as the West Africa balafon.

Often, balafon players will wear belled bracelets on each wrist, accentuating the sound of the keys.