[2][3] The instrument consists of a calabash resonator, a (usually curved) stick for a neck, a metal jingle attached to the neck, and a bridge that holds the string over the skin soundboard in a vertical line.

[2] For comparison, lutes (such as the guitar) usually have the strings held in a horizontal line above the soundboard.

[4] The instrument was played in the Mandinka and Jola cultures in the context of hunting.

[2] With the Mandingas, the instrument was played by "the hunter's musician" who narrated songs about the hunt and the animals.

[2] In addition to the instrument's strings being plucked, its calabash gourd could also be tapped with sticks by the singer, to produce a percussive effect.