How many instruments make up a typical ensemble?
Between 9 and 20. Although the lead drummer determines both the tempo and form of a given piece, it is the lively ostinato figure played on the gankogui (gahn-KOHG-way) a two-toned iron bell, that provides the rhythmic core around which the 3 to 5 different support drum parts are built. Rounding out the ensemble is a section of between 1 and 15 shakers, called axatse (ah-HAHT-say), whose own ostinato rhythm mirrors that of the gankogui.
