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The major two components in the xylophone are the Mahogany keys, and the resonant chambers below made from calabashes. The picture above shows several 'raw' partially formed keys after they've been collected from the bush. Although Mahogany trees are fairly plentiful in the Upper West, none are cut down for the sole purpose of making xylophones. Only the wood from trees which have naturally died from age or been blown over are used. Infact, the trunks are left where they fall for several years which allows them to dry out. Anything left in the bush for such a long time will be attacked by insects; a process which the craftsman allows to happen so that the hard useful part of the trunk is left behind. It is this core of a dead tree which is used to for the precisely crafted keys.