Typically, in Mbalax, there are various musical components including: lead and backup vocals,  traditional sabar dance, electric guitars, bass guitars, kit drums, keyboards, and/or tama (talking drum).

"The roles of these instruments in a mbalax band is analogous to the roles of drums within a sabar ensemble, with the lead vocal as nder drum, the rhythm guitar as mbëng-mbëng drum, the keyboard as talmbat (bass drum accompaniment), and the bass guitar as tulli (solo bass drum). Thus, a mbalax ensemble, although consisting primarily of modern electric instruments, can be seen as a transformation of the traditional sabar ensemble.” - Dr. Patricia Tang, Associate Professor of Music, Massachussetts Institute of Technology