The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa, whose pitch can be regulated to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech . Similar hourglass-shaped drums are found in Asia, but they are not used to mimic speech, although the idakka is used to mimic vocal music.
How do drums talk?
It has two drumheads connected by leather tension cords, which allow the player to change the pitch of the drum by squeezing the cords between their arm and body. ... Most talking drums sound like a human humming depending on the way they are played.
Why is it called Talking Drum?
The talking drum is an instrument in the percussion family that originates from West Africa. ... They are referred to as talking drums because they are able to be tuned to mimic the sound of human speech in terms of tone and accent such as emotion .
What does the talking drum represent?
The atumpan, talking drums of the Asante people of West Africa. Talking drum, any of various types of drums that, by imitating the rhythm and the rise and fall of words in languages, are used as communication devices . Such drums occur in East and West Africa, Melanesia, and Southeast Asia.
What is the drum language?
The drum language is spoken by a pair of drums with the same two tones . Each Kele word is spoken by the drums as a sequence of low and high beats. In passing from human Kele to drum language, all the information contained in vowels and consonants is lost.
Why did slaves use drums for communication?
Slaves used drums for communication because it was the fastest way to deliver a secret message that could not be understood by invaders or slave ...
What is a drum used for?
Drums are used to keep a steady beat in a song . They give music of many kinds a sense of feeling. For example, to make a song to be slow or fast, the drums play slower or faster. A drum is a percussion instrument, which means it makes a noise by being hit.
Why are African drums important?
Drums play an important role in every aspect of African life, including the physical, emotional and spiritual. African hand drums are played to communicate, celebrate, mourn and inspire . They're played in times of peace and war, planting and harvesting, birth and death.
What cultures use drumming?
Use of drums across the world started to spread across Asia , reaching Japan, India, Middle East, Africa and southern Europe by 2nd century BC (most notably African drums that were introduced into ancient Greece and Rome).
Who invented drum?
When Were Drums Invented? Artifacts from China suggest that percussionists played drums made from alligator skins as far back as 5500 B.C, and iconography from ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures show the use of drums in religious ceremonies and cultural gatherings.
How far can you hear drums?
Under ideal conditions, the sound can be understood at 3 to 7 miles , but interesting messages usually get relayed on by the next village. “The talking drums” or “jungle drums” is also a euphemism for gossip – similar to “the grapevine”.
What is the sound of a drum called?
A set of wires (called snares) is stretched across a drum head at the bottom of the drum. The vibration of the bottom drum head against the snares produces the drum's characteristic “cracking” tone . Claps, snares, and other “sharp” or “bright” sounds are often used in similar ways in drum patterns.
How a drum could be used in battle?
From the publishers: Military drummers have played a crucial role in warfare throughout history. Soldiers marched to battle to the sound of the drums and used the beat to regulate the loading and re-loading of their weapons during the battle . Drummers were also used to raise morale during the fight.
Did slaves use drums for communication?
In America, slaves played drums of all shapes and sizes in the tradition of both eastern and western Africans. The drumbeat not only accompanied chants and dances, but was also used to send messages. By striking and holding the drum in certain ways, drummers could replicate tones of speech almost exactly.
What replaced the African drums when they were banned?
To accompany celebrations after the banning of their drums, the Africans turned to bamboo cut to different lengths and then beat on the ground to form bands called tamboo bamboo , from tambour”, French for drum.
What is the significance of beating the drum or gong?
In many parts of West Africa these wooden drums are also known as “gongs,” Messages beaten on the drum could call individuals miles away in the forest or broadcast news to distant villages . By relaying it from town to town a large area could soon be apprised of news vital to all.
