Xalam is a traditional string instrument from West Africa. It has 1 to 5 strings and is played in many countries, such as Mali, Gambia, Senegal, Niger, Northern Nigeria, Northern Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Western Sahara. The xalam is known by different names in other languages, including bappe, diassare, hoddu (Pulaar), koliko (Gurunsi), kologo (Frafra), komsa, kontigi, gurmi, garaya (Hausa), koni, konting (Mandinka), molo (Songhay/Zarma), ndere, ngoni (Bambara), and tidinit (Hassaniyya and Berber).

In Wolof, a person who plays the xalam is called a xalamkat. This word combines the verb "xalam," meaning "to play the xalam," with the suffix "-kat," which means "one who does something." In Mande, the term is ngonifola or konting fola. In Hausa, the term is mai gurmi or mai kontigi.

Construction and tuning

The xalam is a simple lute-shaped instrument with one to five strings. Its wooden body, which is oval-shaped and covered with animal hide, acts as a soundbox. The strings are usually made of two or three tightly wrapped strands of thin nylon fishing line. These strings are attached to the instrument’s wooden neck using long, narrow leather strips and to the wooden bridge using cotton strings. By adjusting the position of the leather strips, the instrument’s tuning can be changed. The xalam typically has two main melody strings, which are played with the left hand (like the strings of a guitar or banjo), and two to three additional strings that are fixed in pitch. Most xalam players build their own instruments, though they often ask woodworkers (lawbe) to carve the body, neck, and bridge.

In many areas of Senegal where Wolof is spoken, the xalam is usually tuned in three main ways. All tunings involve setting the two main strings a perfect fourth apart. In the first tuning (ci suuf or low), the main strings are tuned to 1 and 4 (with 1 being the starting note of a major scale), and three additional strings are tuned an octave higher to 1′, 2′, and 3′. In the second tuning (ci kow or high), the same intervals are used, but the starting note is a minor second above the higher melody string. This means the open main strings now play the roles of 3 and 6, with the additional strings acting as 3′ and 4#, and the highest additional string is often not used. In the third tuning (ardin), the starting note is a minor third above the lowest main string, and the main strings are tuned to 6 and 2. The additional strings are tuned to 5 and 1′, with the third additional string either ignored or tuned to 6 or 2′. When playing in an ensemble, the ardin xalam’s main strings are tuned a minor third below the ci suuf xalam, and the ci kow xalam is tuned a major third above the ci suuf xalam to ensure the starting notes of each instrument match. (For example, if the ci suuf xalam’s lowest note were C, the ardin’s lowest note would be A, and the ci kow’s lowest note would be E.)

Players

In many places, the xalam is played by male griots, who are praise singers born into the family profession. It is usually played alone or with one other person to go along with praise songs and stories about history. In some areas, it is part of a bigger group that includes the kora, drums, and calabashes. Traditionally, it is played at weddings and ceremonies where babies are named. Today, it is often used with amplification and is a common instrument in folklore ensembles, popular mbalax groups, and ndaga variety shows.