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Drums are an ancient device, usually invented and used by cultures living in forested areas. The drums were used for communication, ceremonial and religious functions.
There are different communication drum types, although they are all commonly known as the "talking drums".
The oldest drums were made out of hollowed logs. The bigger the log, the louder sound would be made and thus the farther it could be heard. A long slit would be cut in one side of the tree trunk. Next, the log would be hollowed out through the slit, leaving lips (wooden ledges) on each side of the opening. A drum could be tuned to produce a lower note and a higher note. For that it would need to be hollowed out more under one lip than under the other.
The drum's lips are hit with sticks, beating out rhythms of high and low notes.
The message-sending logs are not drums at all from the techincal point of view, since they do not have a skin or membrane that would vibrate as they are beaten. Instead, the entire log vibrate s like a big cylindrical gongThis article is about a type of musical instrument. For other uses of the word "gong", see gong (disambiguation). A gong is any one of a wide variety of metal percussion instruments. The term is malayu-javanese in origin but widespread throughout Asia., so musicologists call this type of instrument a slit gongSlit gong is a primitive type of drum. See also drum (communication) gong..
Some cultures improved the log drums with animal skinThis article is about skin in the biological sense. For other uses of skin see skin (computing) and skinhead. Regarding exposure of the skin to be seen by others, or prevention of this, see nudity, nudism, modesty, clothing. Fruits such as oranges also has and hideTo hide is to make someone or something less visible; see camouflage, information hiding. Hide is the skin of animals; see leather. A hide is a shelter or other structure used for observing wildlife in natural habitats, particularly birds; see ethology, bs which were were stretched over the end of a log, thus creating a device bearing more resemblance to the modern drumFor other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). A drum is a musical percussion instrument, consisting of a membrane which is usually stretched taut over a cylindrical tube that is open at the other end. The membrane is struck, either with the hand or.
One of the most famous talking drums are the drums of West AfricaWest Africa is an area with a great span of geography, bioregions, and cultures. The continent of Africa is principally oriented on a north-south axis, with a bulge to the west, and it is this bulge which may be considered West Africa. The southern and ea, where they were invented. From regions know today as NigeriaThe Federal Republic of Nigeria is a country in West Africa. It borders on Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, Niger in the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the south. Major cities include the capital Abuja, the former capital Lagos, Abeokuta and Ghana they spread in Africa and to America and the Caribbean during the slave trade. At that time they were banned because they were being used by the slaves to communicate over long distances in a code unknown to the slave traders and masters.
Talking drums are also known as: gan gan, dun dun, atumpan, dondo, and lunar.
In the 20th century the talking drums have become a part of popular music in West Africa, especially in the music genre of juju .