Musical accompaniment is an important component of funerary ceremonies and secular festivals of the senufo. The metal pieces placed at the end of the long arched neck, create a percussion accompaniment when musicians play this instrument. The anthropomorphic vertical bridge frequently takes the figurative shape of a woman. This decorative bridge being seen as a strictly decorative element. It may possibly represent the ideal of feminine beauty. Its shape may also represent a spirit of the sheet in the tree and refers to the powers of divination. Its possession suggests a metaphor in the divination process the musician diviner acts as an intermediary between humans and the powers of nature.
