Dunun (Malinké: [ˈdu.nun]; plural: dunun) is the common name for a group of drums from West Africa. These drums developed together with the djembe in the Mande drum ensemble.

A dunun is a drum with ropes that adjust its tightness. It has a drum body shaped like a cylinder, with rawhide skin covering both ends, usually from a cow or goat. 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 a right angle near one end to strike the skin.

Traditionally, the drum is placed horizontally on a stand or worn with a shoulder strap. Right-handed players usually use their right hand to strike the drum's surface, while their left hand may play a bell attached to the top of 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 Africa.

Dunun are always played in a group 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. Examples include Shekere (a gourd rattle), sege sege (a metal djembe rattle), kese kese (a woven basket rattle), and kenken (a bell played with dunun). These are Malinké terms for instruments often played together with dunun and djembe.

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

The name "djun djun" is a common mistake in the West. This term does not exist in the Malinké language and should not be used.

A person who plays a dunun is called a dununfola. Specifically, players of the kenkeni, sangban, and dundunba 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 dununs. The traditional style, called 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, while the other hand strikes a bell attached to the top. A melody is created as the three players work together. The other style, called ballet style, is used in ballet performances. In this style, one player controls all three drums placed on the floor, allowing for more complex musical arrangements.

Dununs are played in many different ways across West Africa. In Mali, they are sometimes played with only one drum and a bell held in the hand. 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 the same time. In Hamanah, Guinea, three drums with bells are played. This style is well-known in the West because of the influence of musicians like Mamady Keïta, Famoudou Konaté, Mohamed Diaby, Bolokada Conde, and others from Guinea. This style uses three drums of different sizes: the kenkeni (smallest), sangban (medium), and dununba (largest). The kenkeni has the highest pitch and usually plays a simple rhythm to keep the music together. The sangban has a more complex part that shapes the rhythm. The dununba adds depth with deep, spaced-out notes. These drums provide the rhythmic and melodic foundation for the djembe ensemble.

In Bamako, Mali, a style using two dununs developed. Both drums, called konkoni, 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.