Dunun (also spelled dundun or doundoun) is the common name for a group of drums from West Africa. These drums are often played with the djembe in musical groups called Mande drum ensembles.

A dunun is a drum with ropes that adjust its tightness. It has animal skin, usually from a cow or goat, on both ends. The drum is played using a stick. Depending on the area, players may use a simple straight stick, a curved stick with a flat head (like the stick used for a tama drum), or a straight stick with a rounded head attached at an angle near one end.

Traditionally, the drum is played horizontally, either on a stand or worn with a shoulder strap. For a right-handed player, the right hand strikes the drum's skin, while the left hand may optionally play a bell attached to the drum or held in the left hand. This style is common in Mali and originated with the Khassonké people.

Three different sizes of dunun are commonly used in West African music.

Dunun are always played in groups with one or more djembes.

Nomenclature

The names of the drums are onomatopoeic, meaning they sound like the thing they describe. This is common for West African instruments. Shekere (gourd rattle), sege sege (metal djembe rattle), kese kese (woven basket rattle), and kenken (a bell played with dunun) are Malinké onomatopoeic terms for other instruments that are commonly played together with dunun and djembe.

Dundunba, sangban, kenkeni, kensedeni, and kensereni are Malinké terms. (Kensedeni and kensereni are other names for kenkeni.) In Mali and northeast Guinea, the dundunba and sangban are often called jeli-dunun (also spelled djeli-dunun) because they were traditionally played by the jelis (French: griots). Among the Bamana people in Mali, the dundunba is known as khassonka dunun, and the sangban is known as konkoni (played without a bell). There, the drums are covered with goatskin instead of the cowskin used elsewhere.

The name djun djun is a common mistake. There is no such word in the Malinké language, and this term should not be used.

A person who plays the dunun is called a dununfola (literally, "one who plays dunun"). Specifically, the kenkeni, sangban, and dununba players are called kenkenifola, sangbanfola, and dununbafola, respectively.

The drum should not be confused with the dùndún, a type of talking drum used by the Yoruba people.

Techniques

There are two main ways to play the dunun drums. The traditional style, also called the Mandingue style, has each player using one drum placed on its side, either on the floor or a stand. One hand hits the drumhead with a mallet, and the other hand strikes a bell attached to the top. The three drums work together to create a melody. In the ballet style, used in ballet performances, one person plays all three drums standing on the floor. This allows for more complex music that matches dance movements.

Dunun playing varies widely across West Africa. In Mali, sometimes only one drum and a hand-held bell are used. In some areas of Guinea, the drums are played without bells, or only two drums are used. In parts of Mali, up to five drums are played at once. In Hamanah, Guinea, three drums with bells are played. This style is well-known in the West because of musicians like Mamady Keïta, Famoudou Konaté, and others from Guinea. It uses three drums of different sizes: the smallest is called the kenkeni, the middle one is the sangban, and the largest is the dununba. The kenkeni has the highest sound and keeps the rhythm with simple patterns. The sangban plays a more complex rhythm. The dununba adds depth with deep, spaced-out beats. These drums form the rhythmic and melodic base for the djembe ensemble.

In Bamako, Mali, a style using two dununs called konkoni developed. Both drums have goat skin and are played without bells. The higher-pitched drum keeps the background rhythm, while the lower-pitched drum plays the main melody and solos. In the Khassonké region of Mali, the largest drum takes the lead role, playing solos and guiding the music.