My Hand Drums - and Exotic
Percussion
Drums From African
Talking Drum (known
as a Dun Dun, or Dondo in Ghana and Nigeria)
Click
Here for photo
This type of drum originates from
Yoruba, Nigeria and was used to spread announcements
as well as to praise a king or tribal leader. It was
also used in Niger, Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal; where
these drums sent messages of happiness, sorrow, and
war etc. Evidently, the original "Dun Dun" makes
sounds that closely correspond to many tonal peculiarities
of the Yoruba language. Hence, the name "Talking
Drum".
The drum is actually hand-carved from
a single piece of wood. Heads are then added to each
end, and are tensioning together using strings that
run the entire length of the drum. To play the drum,
you place it under your armpit and strike one end with
a bent stick (or your hand) while squeezing the tensioning
strings. Since the middle of the shell is narrower
than the ends, it is easy to do this. You can get quite
a range of tonal change as you play. Pebbles are put
within the drum to provide a "quiet rattle" effect
(if you know how to move as you play it).
Multiple size versions of the Talking
Drum exist. These provide for a wide range of tones.
The longer the drum is, the deeper its pitch. For example,
my talking drum is approximately 19-inches in length.
This is considered a "fairly long and low-pitched" talking
drum.
Kalimba (also called
Mbira, and thumb piano)
Click
Here for photo
This instrument is unique to Africa,
and widely used throughout the continent. It is commonly
used as an accompaniment to song, but is also used
alone. In Zimbabwe, the kalimba is played during ceremonies.
In these situations, its use is intense, joyful, and
spiritual. It can produce complex rhythms and beautiful
melodies (if you know how to play it - and I'm not
so good right now).
The kalimba is made up of a set of
metal (or sometimes bamboo) tongues of varied length.
They are mounted to a board - or gourd resonator. The
varied length of each tongue defines a basic pitch.
To produce sounds, the ends of each tongue are twanged
downwards by a thumb and/or finger. Metal-tongued versions
allow for the adjusting of tongue length on the fastening
bar. This provides some degree of pitch adjustment
(somewhat like tuning a guitar string).
From what I've been able to find out,
this particular drum is an African ceremonial drum.
A family member brought one home to me during a vacation
but didn't provide much insight into where it was made.
It has a 19.5-inch wide head, and both the head and
shell are tanned black. It is constructed very well
and sounds beautiful. Wound twine handles are on each
side of the shells top; which allows it to be held
while played. However, since there are two handles,
it would appear that one person is intended to be the
holder, while the other is the player?
Shakers (several types)
1). Juju Seed Rattle (Ghana)
Although I don't have one of these, I had the opportunity to play a set
and really loved their sound. The rattles are made
up of nutshells attached by vine string to the end
of a wooden handle. The sound ranges from a very loud
tone when shaken strongly, to a quiet rattle when you
barley turn the handle.
2). Cachos Rattle
Click
Here for photo
Constructed similarly to the Cachos
Rattle. However, "large" seed pods are attached
to a bamboo stick with a fabric binding them. When
I played this instrument it appeared to be a little softer then the
Juju Seed Rattle. My pair is from Cameroon.
3) Chekere.
Click
Here for photo
This instrument is basically a large
round gourd (with a natural handle) that is loosely
covered by a woven netting of tree-seeds, shells, beads,
and/or fruit-kernels. It produces many types of swishing
and "maraca-like" sounds. When tapped or
shaken hard it will produce a loud, "rattley" sound
that can be heard over many drums. My Chekere was made
in Senegal, and was purchased by my wife (thanks babe - love ya!).
4) Kpoko Kpoko.
Click
Here for photo
An unusual rattle which consists of two "wooden bells" mounted on a common wooden rod. Each
wooden bell contains multiple wooden bell ringers within them.
To play it, you grab the center region of the instrument
in your hand, and twist your wrist back and forth.
This produces a unique wooden clanging sound. It's hard
to describe! Its origins come from the Ebo tribe of
south-central Nigeria.
Udu (also called "side
hole pot drum")
Click
Here for photo
An Udu is a clay pot drum based on
the original ones created by the Ibo and Hausa tribes
in Nigeria. The "drum" actually started off
as a water pot. Ancient potters evidently made a second
opening on the side (for easier pouring?) and some "drummer" probably
discovered the beautiful sounds that could be produced
as a result.
The "side hole" pot drum
produces deep tones that many Africans believe are
the "voices of the ancestors." Initially,
they were only used in religious and cultural ceremonies.
Udu Drums are beautiful works of art as well as tone
producers. Their extremely deep bass tones can be varied
somewhat in pitch; kind of like a talking drum - but not really (if you know what I mean).
Anyway, this makes the Udu well-suited for both melodic and
rhythmic articulation.
The basic playing technique involves
striking the top or side hole with one hand while opening
and closing the opposing hole to varying degrees with
the other. By varying the type of stroke and the way
in which you release your hand, you can coax many different
kinds of deeply haunting tones. In fact, large Udu's can produce low bass tones almost as powerfully as those generated by a set of sub-woofers! The top hole
of an Udu is sometimes struck with a special mallet
(that has soft padding on one side and a harder leather
covering on the other). And to set the basic tone (i.e.,
to tune them), water is added or removed.
Native American Drums
Medicine (or hoop) Drum
Click
Here for photo
Medicine Drums are traditionally used
in Native American ceremonies; like in healing, meditation
or in celebrations. The type of drum that I own has
a frame-type shell and has a single rawhide head. On
the backside, there are many separate "strings" of
rawhide that tension the head. They all culminate at
a center point where they have been strung together
and tied. This "join point" also serves as
an excellent holder - so the drum can be played easily
when dancing.
My drum is an Apache medicine drum
from the native peoples of the White Mountains of Arizona
(near Flagstaff, AZ). It's 15-inches wide and about 3-inches
deep. The beater used to strike the drum is made of
red willow. The striker is a soft deerskin wrap. Interestingly,
a Native American drum maker told me that the deerskin
beater is usually filled with a good amount of tobacco "stuffing".
I was told that they did this because they loved tobacco
and having it there was a "stash" of sorts.
Native American Gourd-Rattle
Click
Here for photo
A generally painted or ornamented
gourd (mine is not painted). Mine does have feathers
at the junction of the handle and gourd. I have no
idea what the gourd is filled with. However, the resulting
sound is much gentler than any of the other maraca-like
rattle I have ever heard.
Drums From South American
Rainsticks (Chile
and Peru)
Click
Here for photo
My Chilean rainstick is rather short
(which is the typical way they are made). The instrument
is used in ceremonies to help bring rain to regions
of the Atacama Desert. But, is also used simply as
a musical instrument for other occasions. Their name
is descriptive of the soothing rain-like sound that
they produce. Store-bought rainsticks do not sound
the same as a real one.
Chilean versions are made using dead
Quisco or Copado cactus plant "wood". This
wood is called Normata. Living plants are never used
for obvious reasons. These cactus grow in abundance
in the large desert areas of northern Chile.
After collecting the dead wood, pieces
chosen are filled with small volcanic ash pebbles.
Then, to make their characteristic rain-like sound,
spines are driven through the wood in a spiral fashion.
The combination of the ash pebbles, and the spined
wood insert pathway results in a unique sound as gravity is allowed to move the mass downward. Chilean
rainsticks supposedly sound better than Peruvian (and
other) versions. I can't speak for Peruvian versions,
but mine sure sounds better than any store bought
version I've ever heard.
Drums From India
The Tabla is a northern Indian instrument.
It is an integral component of this region' music (along
with the Sitar). Although the word Tabla implies
"one drum", it actually is two separate
drums. The smaller drum is called the javerhi, and
the larger is called the bayan.
Playing the Tabla requires
excellent wrist/finger strength and wrist/finger positioning.
The primary method of striking is not at all like a
Conga or Bongo (although this is still one manner in which both are played).
It is mainly more of a downward finger based motion that feels quite odd to the uninitiated. It is considered
by many to be the hardest hand drum to master - and I agree.
If you are unsure of what a Tabla
sounds like, it's actually quite likely that you've heard
one already. Its most common sound combination includes an upward
pitch-modulated "doouuum" from the low pitched
drum - along with varied bongo-like strikes from the
high pitched drum.
Each drum has a separate goat skin head (called
a puri). Each head also has a special black circular
overlay (called a gaab or syahi) on it. You wouldn't guess
it, but the gaab is made up of coal dust, iron fillings,
and rice paste! On the javerhi, the gaab is approximately
1-millimetre thick and on the bayan it is about 2-millimeters
thick. In addition, the gaab is "centered" on the
javerhi, while it's " off-center" on the
bayan. both have varied texture across their surface, and
this is down to enable the production of varied sounds.
The javerhi is narrower then the bayan
and is made of teac or sheesham wood. The head assembly (the puri)
is held in place by buffalo skin straps (baddhi), along
with round wooden chocks (called gittak). You move
the gittak upwards or downwards around the drum, and hit the edges of the puri using special tuning hammer to change the pitch of this
drum.
The bayan is made of metal (mine is
hand-hammered copper). It's is typically laced to the
metal shell with goat skin straps. Unlike the
javerhi, if pitch needs to be adjusted, you can only hit
the puri edges with the tuning hammer - which re-tensions
the lacing. In most cases where there's humidity (unlike the northern desert areas of India), you'll also need to place a damp
cloth over the head (for 10-20 minutes). Then you let the
head air dry (or, carefully use a hair dryer to dry the head). This will cause its pitch to move upward (best to use a hair drier where you'll be playing where it's very
humid, or, right after wetting). Whatever you do, one
must NEVER get the gaab of either drum wet! If you do, it
will disintegrate!
I love the tabla more than any other
hand drum I've come across. I bought mine while in
India. I went to a drum factory in Delhi, spent several
many hours with the people there; where I learned basic techniques
and purchased my Tabla. I continue to play this
amazing hand drum, and realize that I have a lot to
learn.
Drums From Korea
Hand Hammered Gong
My incredible, hand-hammered 20-inch
gongs were given to me by my mom upon returning from
South Korea. Evidently, my mom ran into a cymbal smith
who had been making ceremonial Korean drums of all
kinds for all of his life. It's a great way to wake
up my wife on a weekend morning (NOT)!
|
