There are three primary commercial uses of Dalbergia melanoxylon: 1) It is used by professional wood carvers in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique to produce artistic carvings which are marketed in the tourist markets of eastern Africa. 2)  It is the material of choice for the production of certain woodwind instruments such as clarinets, oboes, piccolos and bagpipes. 3) In Europe and the United States, artistic turners utilize the wood in a specialized form of lathework called Ornamental Turning. 

Below are links to webpages that describe these artistic endeavors that rely on the special characteristics of African blackwood which make it the perfect medium for these three forms of creative expression.