What drums are traditionally used in Samba?
Samba reggae
There are typical 3 or 4 surdo (bass drum) parts in samba-reggae. The surdos are 50 cm deep, shorter drum than the classic Rio size of 60 cm. Surdos in samba-reggae are usually worn quite low on the body with a waist strap; in Rio they are more likely to be worn higher and with a shoulder strap. In samba-reggae, the first (largest-diameter) and second (next largest) surdos keep the beat, typically with the lowest drum hitting beat 2 and the higher drum hitting beat 1. Together, the first and second surdos of samba-reggae are known as the "fundos", the back, presumably because they always stand in the back row of the samba-reggae band. The third surdo plays the classic third-surdo part of samba. The fourth surdo is tuned very tightly and plays rapid 16th-note rolls with two mallets, which gives samba-reggae its unmistakable rumbling sound. Some modern afro blocos are eliminating the third-surdo part or combining it with the fourth-surdo part.
Damaru
The drum is typically made of wood, metal with leather drum heads at both ends. The resonator is made of brass.The height of the damaru is 6 inches and weight varies from 250-330 gm. Its height ranges from a few inches to a little over one foot. It is played single-handedly. The strikers are typically beads fastened to the ends of leather cords around the waist of the damaru. Knots in the leather can also be used as strikers; crocheted material is also common. As the player waves the drum using a twisting wrist motion, the strikers beat on the drumhead.
Drum and bass
Despite its roots in the UK, which can still be treated as the "home" of drum and bass, the style has firmly established itself around the world. There are strong scenes in other English-speaking countries including Australia, Canada, South Africa, the United States and, New Zealand. It is popular throughout continental Europe, and in South America. São Paulo is sometimes called the drum and bass Ibiza. Brazilian drum and bass is sometimes referred to as "sambass", with its specific style and sound. In Venezuela and Mexico, artists have created their own forms of drum and bass combining it with experimental musical forms. In Colombia there is a large underground scene, The RE.set Label and Bogotá Project are two collectives that put on DnB events in the city, as well as a twice yearly event called Radikal Styles, that brings together local talent and international big names.
Snare drum
A snare drum or side drum is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used in orchestras, concert bands, marching bands, parades, drumlines, drum corps, and more. It is one of the central pieces in a drum set, a collection of percussion instruments designed to be played by a seated drummer, which is used in many genres of music. Snare drums are usually played with drum sticks, but other beaters such as the brush or the rute can be used to achieve very different sounds. The snare drum is a versatile and expressive percussion instrument due to its sensitivity and responsiveness. The sensitivity of the snare drum allows it to respond audibly to the softest strokes, even with a wire brush; as well, it can be used for complex rhythmic patterns and engaging solos at moderate volumes. Its high dynamic range allows the player to produce powerful accents with vigorous strokes and a thundering crack (120+ dB) when rimshot strokes are used.
Hand-repique
The hand-repique is a percussion instrument originated in Brazil. It’s a small drum of cylindrical form, that can be made of wood, aluminum or acrylic. It’s played with the hands, both on the skin and its body. The hand-repique has a sharp sound and is used mainly to play Samba and its variants, such as Pagode. Its common role inside these genres is to increase the percussion section, filling up the spaces and playing the off-beats. It was invented by musician Ubirany, founder and percussionist with the band "Fundo de Quintal". The hand-repique is derived from another percussion instrument, the "Repinique". Ubirany started to use the repinique in its band but felt it was too uncomfortable to play, since this instrument is made to be originally played with a drumstick. So he adapted it, adding a few mufflers on the inside, lowering the hoop and taking the bottom skin off it. It became so popular that it began to be produced by several manufactures (such as Gope, Contemporânea and Izzo), evolving away from the original repinique.
Kenya
The drums are the most dominant instrument in popular Kenyan music. Drum beats are very complex and include both native rhythm and imported ones, especially the Congolese cavacha rhythm. Popular Kenyan music usually involves the interplay of multiple parts, and more recently, showy guitar solos as well. There are also a number of local hip-hop artists, including Jua Cali and afro-pop bands such as Sauti Sol.
Garifuna music
Drums play an important role in Garifuna music. The main drum is the Segunda (bass drum). The drums are normally made by hollowing out logs and stretching antelope skin over them.
Explorations in Afro-Cuban Dance and Drum
Percussion instruction includes batá drums (three levels), conga drums, quinto, shekere, and cajón. Some instruction in Cuban popular styles (salsa music, timba, Latin jazz, etc.) of congas, bongos, timbales, drumset are also offered.
From Humboldt State University:
Bongo drum
Bongos (Spanish: "bongó") are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed drums of different sizes. In Spanish the larger drum is called the "hembra" (female) and the smaller the "macho" (male). Together with the conga or tumbadora, and to a lesser extent the batá drum, bongos are the most widespread Cuban hand drums, being commonly played in genres such as son cubano, salsa and Afro-Cuban jazz. A bongo drummer is known as a "bongosero".
Ring-repique
The ring-repique is a percussion instrument originated in Brazil. It's a small drum commonly made of aluminum, and unlike the Hand-repique, has two drumheads (top and bottom, commonly made out of animal skin), and a different, much deeper timbre. In Brazil this instrument is used mainly to play Samba and its variants, such as Pagode. The ring-repique has this name because traditionally, the musician wears one or more rings to play it, striking the body of the instrument with his fingers and using his thumb to play on the bottom or top skins. Normally the free hand hits the top skin, and this technique allows the player to perform more than one rhythm. The ring-repique was invented in the 1970s by musician "Doutor".
Samba reggae
Samba-reggae bands frequently number 100 drummers or more, plus an amplified singer and a small band who ride on a sound truck.
Sri Lanka drums
This is the main drum used to accompany dances in the Kandyan or the Hill Country tradition. This drum is turned out of wood from Ehela, Kohomba or Kos tree. The drum tapers towards the ends and on the right side, the opening is covered with the skin of a monkey while the opening on the other side is covered with a cattle skin. The strings that are used tighten the sides are from a deer skin. A student who begins his training in the use of the Geta Bera has to practice twelve elementary exercises.
Batá drum
The Batá slowly became inducted into the Cuban culture after a time, and began to take on more secular uses: they were first publicly performed in 1935 in a broadcast over Cuban radio for purposes of folklore music. Uses such as this have grown as knowledge of the instrument has spread; more and more musicians not currently practising Lukumí have used versions of the drums in recordings or performances. These "non-sacred" Batá drums are called aberínkula—profane Batá (see Sacred-profane dichotomy). Batá drums and rhythms have started to be used in other genres, most notably in Cuban timba, jazz and hip hop. In the 1970s, for instance, a mixture of Batá drums and Big Band called Son-Batá or Batá Rock became popular, a genre highly influenced by Irakere.
Samba (Brazilian dance)
Samba-reggae has birthed a style of African-influenced dance which has been obtained from the styles of Afro-Brazilian and candomble dance. Within social settings, samba-reggae dances are often performed in a follow-the-leader manner, with a small number of advanced dancers initiating steps in a line in front of the crowd, and then the whole crowd subsequently following along. The percussionists of samba-reggae often dance while playing their drums as well. The third- and fourth drummers, known as "surdos" perform short choreographies, utilizing mallets to emphasize sharp arm movements. The "fundos" (the first and second surdos at the lead) often times take center stage to showcase elaborate, deft mallet lifts and throws, and also toss their drums high overhead.
Conga
When two or more drums are used, there is the potential for more variation of which notes are chosen; however, tuning between or during compositions is rare in live performance. With only two drums, it is common to find them tuned a perfect fourth apart (the same interval used in "Here Comes the Bride") as is the tradition in western classical music for the timpani. Having three drums (typically the "tumba", "conga", and "quinto") invites experimentation and individual customization. Some "congueros" like using the intervals of a major chord (e.g. F, A, C). Some players use the second inversion of a major chord (e.g. G, C, E); and some prefer a major second between the "quinto" and "conga", with a perfect 4th descending to the "tumba". Raul Rekow of Santana often plays five conga drums and tunes them to the opening phrase of a Latin tune.
Snare drum
The snare drum originates from the tabor, a drum first used to accompany the flute. The tabor evolved into more modern versions, such as the kit snare, marching snare, tarol snare, and piccolo snare. Each type presents a different style of percussion and size. The snare drum that one might see in a popular music concert is usually used in a backbeat style to create rhythm. In marching bands, it can do the same but is used mostly for a front beat. In comparison with the marching snare, the kit snare is generally smaller in length, while the piccolo is the smallest of the three. The snare drum is easily recognizable by its loud cracking sound when struck firmly with a drumstick or mallet. The depth of the sound varies from snare to snare because of the different techniques and construction qualities of the drum. Some of these qualities are head material and tension, dimensions, and rim and drum shell materials and construction.
Culture of Malaysia
Traditional Malay music and performing arts appear to have originated in the Kelantan-Pattani region. The music is based around percussion instruments, the most important of which is the gendang (drum). There are at least 14 types of traditional drums. Drums and other traditional percussion instruments are often made from natural materials such as shells. Other instruments include the rebab (a bowed string instrument), the serunai (a double-reed oboe-like instrument), the seruling (flute), and trumpets. Music is traditionally used for storytelling, celebrating life-cycle events, and at annual events such as the harvest. Music was once used as a form of long-distance communication. Traditional orchestra can be divided between two forms, the gamelan which plays melodies using gongs and string instruments, and the nobat which uses wind instruments to create more solemn music.
Tambori
The tambori ( ) is a percussion instrument of about 10 centimetres diameter, a small shallow cylinder formed of metal or wood with a drumhead of skin. Its usual function is to accompany the playing of the flabiol in a cobla band, beating the rhythm of the sardana, the traditional dance of Catalonia.
Music of Ethiopia
The "kebero" is a large hand drum used in the Orthodox Christian liturgy. Smaller kebero drums may be used in secular celebrations. The "nagarit", played with a curved stick, is usually found in a secular context such as royal functions or the announcement of proclamations, though it has a liturgical function among the Beta Israel. The Gurage and certain other populations in the lowlands commonly play the "atamo", a small hand drum sometimes made of clay. In Gambela region in western Ethiopia, the Anuak specify three different kinds of drums: the anedo (small drum), the odola (medium drum), and the bul (big drum), with different rhythmic patterns attached to certain song genres.
Tassa
Tassa is a drum ensemble with ancient Persian origins, also known as "Taash" or "Taasha" drums. These drums disseminated to India with the Mughal migration, and from India spread worldwide with the Indian diaspora. The tassa drum proper is a conical or bowl shaped nagaara (aka nagada, or nagaada) type drum which is played with a heavy bass drum called dhol, or simply “bass”, and brass cymbals or metal shakers called jhaanj or jhaal (Hindi/Sanskrit). Tassa-dhol ensembles of three to five players are especially common in street processions, whether associated with Indian weddings, political rallies, Hindu festivals, or Muslim festivals, especially Muharram (known as "Hosay" in Trinidad, a colloquialization of "Hussain"). In Maharashtra, ensembles of several dozen drummers compete in festivities honoring the deity Ganesh. Drummers in these ensembles are often amateurs, or specialists in other drum traditions. Brought by indentured workers to the Caribbean, Fiji, Mauritius, and Africa in the 19th century, tassa ensembles have flourished with great dynamism in Trinidad and Tobago, where they were used in the Hindu Phagwah, Muslim Hosay festival, and also in Florida, Guyana, New York, Suriname, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Texas, New Jersey, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and various other places where Indo-Caribbean communities are found.
Sambal (drum)
The sambal is a folk membranophone instrument from Western India. It consists of two wooden drums united from a side, with skin heads stretched on their top mouths. One drum is higher in pitch than the other one. This instrument is played with two wooden sticks, one beater having a circular tip. The sambal is also a traditional drum of the Gondhali people.The sambal is a folk drum found among the Kokna people of Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Maharashtra, and Goa in Western India.
Lagbaja
One thing that links all the songs together is his use of traditional African drums. Traditional Yoruba drums are the most prominent. Four families of these drums are employed in creating different grooves and moods. The dundun/gangan family is the most prominent and at times up to five drummers combine all the various components to create the polyrhythms. The bata ensemble is led by two musicians who alternate between soft high toned driving rhythms with their omele bata, and thunderous loud talk with their mum drum- iya ilu. The general percussionist leads the sakara drum ensemble. The fourth family, used as the backbone of the groove is the ogido, a derivative of the ancient gbedu. The ensemble of drummers constitute the larger part of the band. Vocalists and western instrumentalists and make up the rest. Lagbaja's groovy fusion has been referred to as afrojazz, afrobeat, higherlife and afropop until now that he himself has christened the music AFRICANO, alluding mostly to the central role of African drums and grooves in his music.
Kandyan dance
The Kandyan Dance is traditionally performed to percussion only. The most common drum is the "Geta Beraya", which is only used in Kandyan Dance. To assist the dancer to keep rhythm a small pair of cymbals known as the "Thalampota" is also used. The Vannam's however have lyrics that are sung in tune with the movements of the dancer. These lyrics sing about the virtues of the animal that the Vanna is depicting.
Malays (ethnic group)
Traditional Malay music is basically percussive. Various kinds of gongs provide the beat for many dances. There are also drums of various sizes, ranging from the large "rebana ubi" used to punctuate important events to the small "jingled-rebana" (frame drum) used as an accompaniment to vocal recitations in religious ceremonies.
Samba
In São Paulo state, samba became the domain of blacks and caboclos. In rural areas, samba can occur without the traditional umbigada. There are also other choreographic variations—the dancers may be placed in rows with men on one side and women on another. The instruments of the samba paulista were violas and pandeiros. It is possible that the early provision of the "roda", in Goiás, has been modified by the influence of quadrilha or cateretê. According to historian Luís da Câmara Cascudo, it is possible to observe the influence of city in the samba, by the fact that it is also danced by pair connections.
Afro-Venezuelan
In Barlovento, the culo e'puya drums are important, as are the mina and curbata, which are played together. "Quitiplas" are also prominent in Barlovento. These are fashioned from hollow bamboo tubes and played by striking them on the ground. (They are similar to the Trinidadian "tambou bamboo" that gave rise to steel-drum styles.) Along the central coastal region, the "cumaco" is widespread, used in San Juan celebrations as well as the secular "bailes de tambor" (dances). The "tamunango" is found in Afro-Venezuelan communities in the interior. To the west, in Zulia, the chimbángueles are used to accompany San Benito festivities, and a friction drum called "furruco" is commonly played during Nativity celebrations and the singing of gaitas. In the eastern coastal regions, influence from Trinidad is evident in the performance of steel-band ("estilban") music. Maracas (seed-filled rattles) are prevalent throughout Venezuela and are commonly used to accompany drumming, as is another indigenous-derived instrument, the conch.
Bara (drum)
The bara (also called bendré) is a spherical hand drum with a body made from a dried gourd or calabash, used in West Africa (primarily Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, and Mali). Its single head is made of goatskin. To make the drum, a dried gourd is cut on one end and a single head made of goatskin is stretched across the opening. "Bara" drums come in various sizes, some quite large. The instrument is often used to accompany the "balafon".
Samba
Samba was also mixed with drum and bass leading to the foundation of Sambass. Despite the evolution during the decades, Samba still remains a traditional dance, and cannot be considered a sport.
Drum kit
Timbales are tuned much higher than a tom of the same diameter, and normally played with very light, thin, non-tapered sticks. They have relatively thin heads and a very different tone than a tom, but are used by some drummers/percussionists to extend the tom range upwards. Alternatively, they can be fitted with tom heads and tuned as shallow concert toms. Attack timbales and mini timbales are reduced-diameter timbales designed for drum kit usage, the smaller diameter allowing for thicker heads providing the same pitch and head tension. They are recognizable in 2010s genres and in more traditional forms of Latin, reggae & numerous world music styles. Timbales were also used on occasion by Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Gong drums are a rare extension to a drum kit. The single-headed mountable drum appears similar to a bass drum (sizing around 20–24 inches in diameter), but has the same purpose as that of a floor tom.
Similarly, most hand drum percussion cannot be played easily or suitably with drum sticks without risking damage to the head and to the bearing edge, which is not protected by a metal drum rim, like a snare or tom. For use in a drum kit, they may be fitted with a metal drum head and played with care, or played by hand.
Bougarabou
The drumset is played by a single drummer, unlike many African tribal situations. The drummer also wears a series of metal bracelets called "Siwangas" in Buluf and Fogny dialect that contribute to the sound. The audience and the dancers form a circle and clap, often with wooden chunks (size 25–30 cm) of palm peduncles, and sing with the music, but it is unique in that a single drummer traditionally provides the drumming.
There are also some groups using a set of three or four drums and some more drums like djembe or other small Jola drums.
Cuban rumba
Rumba instrumentation has varied historically depending on the style and the availability of the instruments. The core instruments of any rumba ensemble are the claves, two hard wooden sticks that are struck against each other, and the conga drums: quinto (lead drum, highest-pitched), tres dos (middle-pitched), and tumba or salidor (lowest-pitched). Other common instruments include the catá or guagua, a wooden cylinder; the palitos, wooden sticks to strike the catá; shakers such as the chekeré and the maracas; scraper percussion instruments such as the güiro; bells, and cajones, wooden boxes that preceded the congas. During the 1940s, the genre experienced a mutual influence with son cubano, especially by Ignacio Piñeiro's Septeto Nacional and Arsenio Rodríguez's conjunto, which led to the incorporation of instruments such as the tres, the double bass, the trumpet and the piano, and the removal of idiophone instruments. At the same time, Cuban big bands, in collaboration with musical artists such as Chano Pozo, began to include authentic rumbas among their dance pieces. The group AfroCuba de Matanzas, founded in 1957, added batá drums to the traditional rumba ensemble in their style, known as batá-rumba. More recently, a cappella (vocals-only, without instruments) rumba has been performed by the Cuban ensemble Vocal Sampling, as heard in their song "Conga Yambumba".
Samphor
The samphor (; also romanized as "sampho") is a small, 2-headed barrel drum indigenous to Cambodia, approximately .35 meter wide by .5 meter long. It has two heads, with one drumhead being larger than the other and is played with both hands. Depending on the ability of the musician, the samphor can make as many as 8 different pitches. The player of the sampho leads the "pinpeat" (a classical ensemble of wind and percussion instruments), setting the tempo and beat. It is also played at freestyle boxing evens, accompanying the sralai. The "samphor" is analogous to the "taphon" used in Thailand.
Timba
The bell played by the timbalero in salsa is sometimes played the same way by the timbalero or drummer in timba, but in timba bands where one person plays both bell patterns, a different pattern, or a much looser series of improvised patterns, is used.
The time-honored standard conga marcha used universally in salsa is also often used in timba, but many other variations are also used and some congueros actually compose specific marchas for each song. Many of these timba conga marchas are twice or even four times the length of the standard conga marcha (or tumbao).
Samba reggae
In the 1990s, the samba-reggae genre continued to evolve with the group Timbalada, which, under the musical direction of Carlinhos Brown, revived the nearly-extinct folk drum timbal (a tall, high-pitched hand drum) and begin to use it in stage shows. Timbalada also developed a rack of 3 surdos and 1 repinique that could be mounted on a stage and played by a single player. This device is known as a "bateria de surdo", a drumset of surdos. (The 3rd and 4th surdo parts were combined in a single drum.) Timbalada is a stage band and not exactly a Carnival street bloco, though they first appeared in the Carnival of 1992. Their music is considered to be a blend of samba-reggae with African elements. Many afro blocos now use the timbal, as well the rack of 3 surdos for stage situations that do not involve parades.
Pellet drum
Pellet drums, or rattle drums, are a class of membranophone, or drum, characterized by their construction and manner of playing. They have two heads (either a single double-headed drum or two hemispherical single-headed drums joined together with the heads facing outward), and two pellets, each connected by a cord to the drum. The "damaru", which is used in Tibet, Mongolia, and India, is an hourglass drum that is grasped by its waist with the hand twisting back and forth, causing the pellets to strike the heads in a rhythmic fashion. In China, Korea, and Japan, pellet drums are affixed to or pierced by a vertical rod or pole, and, depending on the instrument's size, the rod or pole is rotated back and forth along its axis either with one or both hands or between the palms, causing the pellets to strike the heads in a similar manner.
Samba (Brazilian dance)
Because all drumming and dance was generalized by Portuguese colonizers as "samba", it is difficult to attribute it to one distinct heritage. However, the most universally recognized cultural origin of Samba is Lundu, a rhythm that was brought to Brazil by the Bantu slaves from Africa. Lundu reveals, in a way, the amalgamation of black (slaves) and white (Portuguese) and indigenous cultures. When the African slaves where imported, it was named the "semba" and with the introduction of the Arabic Pandeiro (tambourine), brought into the Roda by the Portuguese, the "Samba" was molded into the form of dance it is now.
Eisa (dance)
Modern eisa is danced by 20 to 30 young men and women, mainly in doubled lines or circles to the accompaniment of singing, chanting, and drumming by the dancers as well as by folk songs played on the sanshin. Three types of drums are used in various combinations, depending upon regional style: the , a large barrel drum; the , a medium-sized drum similar to ones used in Noh theatre; and the "paarankuu" (), a small hand drum similar to ones used in Buddhist ceremony. The dancers also sometimes play small hand gongs and "yotsutake" castanets. Eisa dancers wear various costumes, usually according to local tradition and gender of the dancer; modern costumes are often brightly colored and feature a characteristic, colorful knotted turban. Special vests, leggings, and shoes are also popular.
Conga
The rhythm of Palos is also representative of what we can call Afro-Dominican music. The drums are made out of hollowed-out tree trunks, and they are used both for secular and religious music in Santo Domingo and Haiti. The drums are called palos (alcahuete, palo mayor and adulon). The balsie is another drum played with both feet and hands. The player sits on it and uses a friction technique called "arrugao". Panderos are also used in Dominican folk music, like congos, salve, and palos. The Dominican version of the 'clave' is 'la canoita', which are two sticks struck against each other, one with a handle. In the Gaga they also use palo drums and in the rhythm called Palo de Muerto, which is played when a member of the cofradia or brotherhood dies. The rhythm of palos is played throughout the Dominican Republic and is the national dance of the country. This music was suppressed and persecuted during Trujillo's rule due to social and racial discrimination.
List of conga players
Conga players perform on a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum of African origin called the Tumbadora, or the Conga as it is internationally known. It is probably derived from the Congolese Makuta drums or Sikulu drums commonly played in Mbanza Ngungu, Congo.
Batala (music)
Batala members play four different drums: Surdos 1 and 2, Surdo 3 (referred to as Dobra), Repinique, and Snare (referred to as Caixa).
Yoruba people
Traditional Yoruba drummers are known as "Àyán". The Yoruba believe that "Àyángalú" was the first drummer. He is also believed to be the spirit or muse that inspires drummers during renditions. This is why some Yoruba family names contain the prefix 'Ayan-' such as Ayangbade, Ayantunde, Ayanwande. Ensembles using the dundun play a type of music that is also called "dundun". The Ashiko (Cone shaped drums), "Igbin", Gudugudu (Kettledrums in the Dùndún family), Agidigbo and Bèmbé are other drums of importance. The leader of a dundun ensemble is the "oniyalu" meaning; ' "Owner of the mother drum" ', who uses the drum to "talk" by imitating the tonality of Yoruba. Much of this music is spiritual in nature, and is often devoted to the Orisas.
Within each drum family there are different sizes and roles; the lead drum in each family is called "Ìyá" or "Ìyá Ìlù", which means "Mother drum", while the supporting drums are termed "Omele". Yoruba drumming exemplifies West-African cross-rhythms and is considered to be one of the most advanced drumming traditions in the world. Generally, improvisation is restricted to master drummers. Some other instruments found in Yoruba music include, but are not limited to; The Gòjé (violin), Shèkèrè (gourd rattle), Agidigbo (thumb piano that takes the shape of a plucked Lamellophone), "Saworo" (metal rattles for the arm and ankles, also used on the rim of the bata drum), "Fèrè" (whistles), "Aro" (Cymbal)s, Agogô (bell), different types of flutes include the "Ekutu", "Okinkin" & "Igba."
Oriki (or praise singing), a genre of sung poetry which contains a series of proverbial phrases, praising or characterizing the respective person is of Egba and Ekiti origin, is often considered the oldest Yoruba musical tradition. Yoruba music is typically Polyrhythmic, which can be described as interlocking sets of rhythms that fit together somewhat like the pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. There is a basic timeline and each instrument plays a pattern in relation to that timeline. The resulting ensemble provides the typical sound of West African Yoruba drumming. Yorùbá music is regarded as the most important component of the modern Nigerian popular music scene. Although traditional Yoruba music was not influenced by foreign music, the same cannot be said of modern-day Yoruba music which has evolved and adapted itself through contact with foreign instruments, talent and creativity.
The Yoruba present the highest dizygotic twinning rate in the world (4.4% of all maternities). They manifest at 45–50 twin sets (or 90–100 twins) per 1,000 live births, possibly because of high consumption of a specific type of yam containing a natural phytoestrogen which may stimulate the ovaries to release an egg from each side. Twins are very important for the Yoruba and they usually tend to give special names to each twin. The first of the twins to be born is traditionally named "Taiyewo" or "Tayewo", which means 'the first to taste the world', or the 'slave to the second twin', this is often shortened to "Taiwo", "Taiye" or "Taye". "Kehinde" is the name of the last born twin. "Kehinde" is sometimes also referred to as "Kehindegbegbon" which is short for; "Omo kehin de gba egbon" and means, 'the child that came behind gets the rights of the elder'.
Apito
The apito de samba ("samba whistle") is used during performances of samba. In a samba school, the apito de samba plays a crucial role because during these performances, the mestre de bateria – the "band leader" – uses the whistle to signal transitions to the band. These transitions could include changes in timbre or rhythmic pattern.The origins of the apito are undoubtedly a fairly simple instrument, but has developed as a standard today into a whistle capable of giving three notes. The LP Tri-Tone Samba Whistle shown here has its origins in Brazilian music but has become a standard in today's dance music as well. It has three distinct, complementary tones that are achieved by placing fingers over the side chamber holes in various combinations.
Drum
Drums may be played individually, with the player using a single drum, and some drums such as the djembe are almost always played in this way. Others are normally played in a set of two or more, all played by the one player, such as bongo drums and timpani. A number of different drums together with cymbals form the basic modern drum kit.
Snare drum
Marching snares are typically deep and wide. The larger design allows for a deeper-sounding tone, one that is effective for marching bands. Famous users of this type are The Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps from Concord, California and the Texas A&M marching band. Many marching snares are built to withstand high amounts of tension, tightened by a drum key. They are played with most of the time with a heavier and thicker stick, more commonly referred to as "marching sticks".
Snare drummers form an integral part of pipe bands, accompanying the bagpipes, and playing music written to fit the pipe tunes. A bass drummer and several tenor drummers, who also perform visual representations of the music, known as flourishing, add to the percussion section of a pipe band. The music played by pipe band snare drummers can be technically difficult, and requires a high degree of rudimental ability, similar to that of marching bands. Pipe Band snare drummers exclusively use the traditional grip.
Drum kit snares are usually about a third to half the depth of a marching snare. They are typically in diameter and , with depths also available.
The piccolo snare is a type of snare used by drummers seeking a higher-pitched sound from their snare. Because the piccolo snare has a smaller diameter than that of the marching snare or set snare, a higher-pitched "pop" is more widely associated with it. Although the piccolo snare has a more distinctive, unique sound, it has some downsides. Because of the "sharper" sound of the piccolo, its sound travels further and is picked up by microphones further away during recording, making it difficult to record effectively. There are many kinds of piccolo snare, including the popcorn, soprano and standard snares. Popcorn snares typically have a diameter of , sopranos , and standard piccolos . A well-known user of the piccolo snare is Neil Peart, the drummer of Rush, who has used a X Shell Series Piccolo.
The tabor snare dates back to around the 14th century, and was used for marching beats in wars. It is a double-headed drum with a single snare strand, and was often played along with the three-holed pipe flute. The dimensions vary with the different types of tabor. It is typically wide and around in diameter.
The tarol snare has similar dimensions to the kit snare. The major distinction is that the snares in this type are on the top head rather than the bottom one.
Meaning "box". This is a simple diameter, deep snare typical of Samba played in Southern Brasil. Made from aluminum or steel with the snare wires on top, it can be played from a sling or "encima" – on the shoulder to project the sound.
Timbau
The drum is most often found in Bahia, originating in Salvador, Bahia, and is used mainly to play Afro-Brazilian rhythms, such as axé and samba-reggae. It is played in a similar manner to the atabaque, a hand drum of which one version was brought to Brazil in slavery and is used in Candomblé rituals. In the 1980s, a musical/social movement was organized to bring the timbal to popular music.
Music of Zambia
Traditional Zambian instruments include a variety of membranophones, both stick-struck and hand-struck. Drums are essential for most traditional dances. "Ngoma" is the generic central Bantu term for drum but Zambian drums come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and purposes and have specific names depending on their tribal origins and functional roles. The "budima" drums of the Valley Tonga, for example, are used specifically for funeral ceremonies. "Budima" drums have a goblet shape and come in sizes ranging from large to small. One of the most interesting of drums is the so-called "lion drum" ("Namalwa" in Tonga) used at traditional funerals. This is a friction drum which is not struck at all but which has a stick inserted through the drum head that is rubbed. The silimba is a large 17-note xylophone from Western Province.
Music of Barbados
The Barbadian folk tradition is home to a great variety of musical instruments, imported from Africa, Great Britain or other Caribbean islands. The most central instrument group in Barbadian culture is the percussion instruments. These include numerous drums, among them the "pump" and the "tum tum", made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, the side snare drum and a double-headed bass drum of tuk bands. Folk musicians also use gongs made from tree trunks, bones, rook jaw, triangle, cymbals, bottles filled with water, and xylophones. Rattles are also widespread, and include the pan-Antillean "shak-shak" and the calabash, "de shot and rattle". More recently imported folk percussion instruments include the conga and bongo from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Cuba, and the tambourine.
Batá drum
Several different types of drums have existed throughout the world. Occasionally, natives from cultures which the drums originate, as in the case of the Yorùbá, used the drums for religious ceremonies and, since their introduction in Cuba in the 1820s, have come to be an understood and important part of the perceived culture of the southwestern Nigerian people.
Gbedu
The Gbedu drum is traditionally used on state occasions or during ceremonies of Ogboni, the ancient Yoruba secret society.
The Ogido/Gbedu is one of the four major families of Yoruba drums; the other families are the Dundun/Gangan or talking drum, the Batá drum and the Sakara drum.
Each family includes drums of different sizes, with the mother drum (iya ilu) playing the lead role and other drums playing in support.
The Gbedu backing drums are each played by a drummer using both his open palm and a stick.
Music of Nigeria
Drums of many kinds are the most common type of percussion instrument in Nigeria. They are traditionally made from a single piece of wood or spherical calabashes, but have more recently been made from oil drums. The hourglass drum is the most common shape, although there are also double-headed barrel drums, single-headed drums and conical drums. Frame drums are also found in Nigeria, but may be an importation from Brazil. An unusual percussion instrument is the udu, a kind of vessel drum.
This instrument is very essential in most African countries.
Bougarabou
A bougarabou (alternative spelling “Boucarabou”) is a set of drums commonly used in West Africa. The drums are single headed (cow skin), with an elongated goblet or roughly conical shape, usually placed on a single stand, and most commonly played in sets of three to four.
Candombe drums
"Candombe" is performed by a group of drummers called a cuerda. The barrel-shaped drums, or tamboriles, have specific names according to their size and function: chico (small, high timbre, marks the tempo) repique (medium, syncopation and improvisation) piano (large, low timbre, melody). An even larger drum, called "bajo" or "bombo" (very large, very low timbre, accent on the fourth beat), was once common but is now declining in use. A "cuerda" at a minimum needs three drummers, one on each part. A full cuerda will have 50-100 drummers, commonly with rows of seven or five drummers, mixing the three types of drums. A typical row of five can be piano-chico-repique-chico-piano, with the row behind having repique-chico-piano-chico-repique and so on to the last row.
Tabla
The larger drum, played with the other hand, is called bāyāñ (literally "left") duggī or dhāmā (correctly called "dagga"), has a much deeper bass tone, much like its distant cousin, the kettle drum. The bāyāñ may be made of any of a number of materials. Brass is the most common, copper is more expensive, but generally held to be the best, while aluminum and steel are often found in inexpensive models. Sometimes wood is used, especially in old bāyāñs from the Punjab. Clay is also used, although not favored for durability; these are generally found in the North-East region of Bengal.
Mandailing people
They have a traditional ensemble of drums called Gordang Sambilan.
Yoruba people
Today, the word "Gbedu" has also come to be used to describe forms of Nigerian Afrobeat and Hip Hop music. The fourth major family of Yoruba drums is the Bàtá family which are well decorated double faced drums, with various tones. They were historically played in sacred rituals. They are believed to have been introduced by Shango, an Orisha, during his earthly incarnation as a warrior king.
Music of Madagascar
Various types of membranophones, traditionally associated with solemn occasions, are found throughout the island. In the Highlands, European bass drums ("ampongabe") and snare drums introduced in the 19th century have replaced an earlier drum ("ampongan’ny ntaolo") traditionally beat to accentuate the discourse of a "mpikabary" speaker during a "hira gasy" or other formal occasions where the oratory art of kabary is practiced. Only men can play the "ampongabe", while women and men may both play the smaller "langoroana" drum. The "hazolahy" ("male wood") drum produces the deepest sound and is reserved for the most significant occasions such as "famadihana", circumcision ceremonies and the ancient festival of the royal bath.
Songo music
Songo represented a major breakthrough in Latin music by introducing the drumset into the standard percussion triumvirate of congas, timbales and bongos ... the songo rhythm finally put the drumset on equal footing with the other instruments” (Goines and Ameen 1990).
When played on a drum kit, songo patterns are clave-based rumba-funk hybrids. In the early 1980s, these patterns caught the attention of North American drummers who, as a result, were now able to appreciate the clave-based structure underlying funk. North American drummers in turn adopted songo ideas into various jazz and funk inventions of their own. The fluidly changing patterns of songo offer a more complex palate of rhythmic textures for jazz than the "angular" mambo rhythms typically used in Latin jazz.
Talking drum
The "Tama" of the Serer, Wolof and Mandinka peoples is typified by its smaller dimensions, having a total drum length typical of 13 centimeters (5 inches) with a 7 centimeter (2.75 inch) drum head diameter. This produces a much higher pitched tone than other talking drums of the same construction.
The Yoruba and Dagomba peoples on the other hand have some of the largest dimensions for drums in their "Lunna" and "Dùndún" ensembles, with a length typical of 23–38 centimeters (9–15 inches) and a drum head diameter of between 10–18 centimeters (4–7 inches). In Yoruba talking-drum ensembles, this is used alongside smaller talking drums similar to the "Tama", called "Gangan" in Yoruba language.
Baul
Bauls use a number of musical instruments: the most common is the "ektara", a one-stringed "plucked drum" drone instrument, carved from the epicarp of a gourd, and made of bamboo and goatskin. Others include the "dotara", a long-necked fretless lute (while the name literally means "two stringed" it usually has four metal strings) made of the wood of a jackfruit or neem tree; besides "khamak", one-headed drum with a string attached to it which is plucked. The only difference from ektara is that no bamboo is used to stretch the string, which is held by one hand, while being plucked by another. Drums like the duggi, a small hand-held earthen drum, and "dhol" and "khol"; small cymbals called "khartal" and "manjira", and the bamboo flute are also used. "Ghungur" and "nupur" are anklets with bells that ring while the person wearing them dances.
Tambora (Dominican drum)
There are three basic strokes: slap, rim/woodblock, and open tone: these three are all used in standard merengue rhythms, such as merengue derecho (most common merengue form) and pambiche.
Music of West Africa
There are commonly drums found in West African music. The main types of drums in Western Africa are the Djembe and the Talking Drum. 
Also an instrument named the Balafon is very often found in West African music, such as Yiri. 
There are String instruments found throughout the region. These include the Kora, Ngoni, Adjalin and the Xalam.
Hsaing waing
The hsaing waing (, ; also spelt saing waing) is a traditional Burmese folk musical ensemble, consisting of a number of different gongs and drums, as well as other instruments, depending on the nature of the performance. These include the "hne" (a double reed pipe), "pat waing" (a set of 21 drums in a circle), "kyi waing" (small bronze gongs in a circular frame), "maung hsaing" (larger bronze gongs in a rectangular frame), as well as "chauk lon pat" (a set of 8 tuned drums), and "si" and "wa" (bell and clapper). For more formal and classical performances, the ensemble may be accompanied by the "saung gauk", the Burmese harp, the "pattala", a Burmese xylophone, or the piano and violin, both introduced during colonial rule. "Hsaing waing" musicians use a hemitonic and anhemitonic scale similar to the one used by Indonesian gamelan musicians.
Bombo criollo
The bombo criollo, or simply bombo, is a family of Latin American drums derived from the European bass drum (also called in Spanish "bombo") and native Latin American drum traditions. These drums are of smaller dimensions than the orchestral bass drum, and their frame can be made of wood or steel. They can be held vertically or diagonally on the body or a stand. The specific make of the instrument depends on the regional tradition. In Argentina, the bombo criollo is called bombo legüero. In Cuba, it is known as bombo de comparsa due to its use in comparsas. In other countries, the term tambora is commonly used.
Tambora (Dominican drum)
In merengue tipico, known also as perico ripiao (the oldest form of merengue), the tambora has a significantly large role, playing many different types of rhythms and variations on those rhythms. However, in orchestra merengue, the tambora usually only plays the "merengue derecho" rhythm as a background instrument, while congas are the main rhythm instrument, followed by the güira. In orchestra merengue, a separate performer for timbales can be seen very frequently, while in perico ripiao, the timbales and tambora are played most of the time by the same musician (timbales are used most of the time for fills, and, occasionally, solos). Timbales are said to have been introduced into the genre by Dominican percussionist Ray "Chino" Diaz.
Tumbao
In music of Afro-Cuban origin, tumbao is the basic rhythm played on the bass. In North America, the basic conga drum pattern used in popular music is also called "tumbao". In the contemporary form of Cuban popular dance music known as timba, piano guajeos are known as "tumbaos".
Bougarabou
Until the last few decades the Bougarabou was played only one at a time, usually with one hand and a stick, but in the last generation or two (since the 1940s), possibly influenced from congueros in the western hemisphere, players play multiple drum setups. The drum is originally from the Jola ("Jóola") people in the south of Senegal, the Casamance and the Gambia, the "Jóola Buluf", the "Jóola Fogny" and the "Jóola Kalunai".
The Jola call a single drum "Búgarabu" (the "a" is pronounced like in about) or "Búgarab". As "-ab" or "-abu" represents the article, also "Búgaar", the indefinite denotation, is used synonymously in everyday life whereas the Plural "Wúgaraw" is nearly not used.
Batá drum
The drum dates back roughly 500 years, and is believed to have been introduced by a Yoruba king named Shangó el rey del tambor. Despite the previous long history, awareness of the instrument didn't spread until the 1800s slave-trade in which close to 300,000 Africans were brought to Cuba. The religion and beliefs the Yorùbá brought with them eventually became the basis for what is known as Lukumí (or Santería in Cuba). This religion spawned the creation of the first "sacred" Batá in Cuba around 1830 by a Yorùbá named Añabi.
Makuta (drum)
Makuta (or "makúta") drums are tall cylindrical or barrel-shaped Afro-Cuban drums, often cited as an important influence on the development of the "tumbadora" (a.k.a. conga drum). They are used in sacred dance-drumming ceremonies associated with the descendants of slaves brought to Cuba from Central Africa. The word "makuta" is also used to refer to the dancing and rhythms associated with these drums.
Music of Uganda
The massive and sacred royal drums are just one of the many drum types. The "engalabi" is another common drum. It is a long round shaped drum with a high pitched sound used in synchronization of both instruments and dances. The drums are used in unison with various other melodic musical instruments ranging from chordophones like the "ennanga" harp and the "entongoli" lyre, lamellophones, aerophones, and idiophones and the locally made fiddle called "kadingidi". The locally made xylophone, called "amadinda", is one of the largest in sub saharan Africa.
Mbira
Both Joseph H. Howard, owner of the largest collection of drums and ancillary folk instruments in the Americas, and Nigerian drummer Babatunde Olatunji argue that the mbira is thoroughly African, being found only in areas populated by Africans or their descendants. In Eastern and Southern Africa, there are many kinds of mbira, often accompanied by the hosho, a percussion instrument. The mbira was reported to be used in Okpuje, Nsukka area of the south eastern part of Nigeria in the early 1900s. It is a particularly common musical instrument of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Shona people of Zimbabwe. It is also often an important instrument to be played at religious ceremonies, weddings, and other social gatherings.
Drum
Drums are usually played by striking with the hand, or with one or two sticks. A wide variety of sticks are used, including wooden sticks and sticks with soft beaters of felt on the end. In jazz, some In many traditional cultures, drums have a symbolic function and are used in religious ceremonies. Drums are often used in music therapy, especially hand drums, because of their tactile nature and easy use by a wide variety of people.
Tamak'
The tamak' is a stick-struck double-headed drum of the Santal people of India. The body of the drum is made from metal and shaped like a large bowl. The head of the drum is usually cowhide and 14-18 inches in diameter. The player strikes the drum with a pair of drum sticks. The Santal believe that the tamak' has special religious powers and it is often used for religious ceremonies and Santal festivals. The rhythm of the Tamak' often sets the basic metric/rhythmic pattern for Santal dances and is an essential instrument for traditional Santal music.
Music of Galicia, Cantabria and Asturias
Traditional use include both solo performances or with a snare-drum known as "tamboril" (a wooden natural-skinned drum with gut snares), and the "bombo", a bass drum. The Council of Ourense sponsors a bagpipe band, the Real Banda de Gaitas da Excma. Deputación de Ourense (Royal Pipe Band of the Council of Ourense). The Royal Pipe Band, founded by José Lois Foxo, uses blowpipe bagpipes in B flat, bagpipes with bellows tuned in F sharp, and a percussion section of snare drums, tenor drums, bass drums, tambourines and tarrañolas. Its repertoire covers both traditional Galician music as well as music from other Celtic countries. It is the source of some controversy in Galacian music, as the blowpipe bagpipes employed by the band are felt by critics to be too similar to Highland bagpipes rather than traditional Galacian giatas. The drums are modern and not in a Galacian tradition, and the band marches military-style in parades which is also not a tradition in Galacian gaita music.
Cosmos Samba
The Samba is a minimalist aircraft, sometimes referred to as a "nanolight-trike". It was designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of . The aircraft has a standard empty weight of . It features a cable-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a single-seat, open cockpit, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration.
Paulinho da Costa
According to his website, da Costa is known to play conga drums, bongos, timbales, pandeiro, surdo, repenique, repique, cajón, claves, maracas, berimbau, atabaque, cuíca, reco-reco, tamborim, ganzá, chimes, wood percussion, cowbells, agogô bells, triangles, caixa, caxixi, tarol, snare drums, chocalho, bass drums, shekere, djembe, zabumba, log drums, whistles, samba whistle, guiro, rainmakers, tambourine, cabasa, afuché cabasa, cricket, flexatone, clad bells, cymbals, bar chimes, bell tree, finger cymbals, timba, tantan, tambora, batá drums, talking drums, wood blocks,
kokiriko, vibraslap, jaw bone, temple blocks, castanets, spoons, udu, doum doum, bougarabou, kora, shakers, keg drum, okanga, gongs, vibra-tone, kettle drums and slapstick. He has also played the drums, rattles, dumbek, reco-reco, sleigh bells, African shakers and zurna.
Sakara drum
The Sakara drum is one of the four major families of Yoruba drums of Nigeria. The other families are the Dundun/Gangan or talking drum, the Batá drum and the Gbedu drum.
Each family includes drums of different sizes, with the mother drum (iya ilu) playing the lead role and other drums playing in support.
The Sakara is also made and used by the Hausa people of northern Nigeria.
Garifuna
Drums play a very important role in Garifuna music. Primarily two types of drums are used: the "primero" (tenor drum) and the "segunda" (bass drum). These drums are typically made of hollowed-out hardwood, such as mahogany or mayflower, with the skins coming from the peccary (wild bush pig), deer, or sheep.
Sri Lanka drums
This drum is used in most of the Buddhist ceremonies all over the island. This drum is cylindrical, but much shorter than the Yak Bera. An important feature of this drum is that one side is played with the hand while the other side is played with a stick. The sides are covered with cattle skin and the tightening is done with a string made specially for the purpose. These are also twelve elementary exercises to be followed by a person learning to use the drum.
Bongo drum
Bongo drums produce relatively high-pitched sounds compared to conga drums, and should be held behind the knees with the larger drum on the right when right-handed. It is most often played by hand and is especially associated in Cuban music with a steady pattern or ostinato of eighth-notes known as the "martillo" or "hammer". They are traditionally played by striking the edge of the drumheads with the fingers and palms. The glissando used with "bongó de monte" is done by rubbing the third finger, supported by the thumb, across the head of the drum. The finger is sometimes moistened with saliva, or sweat before rubbing it across the head. When used in art music compositions they are usually struck with drum sticks. These drums can also be played on a stand, as is the case with concert orchestras and bands.
Salsa music
Salsa ensembles are typically based on one of two different Cuban instrument formats, either the horn-based son conjunto or the string-based charanga. Some bands are expanded to the size of a mambo big band, but they can be thought of as an enlarged conjunto. The traditional conjunto format consists of congas, bongos, bass, piano, tres, a horn section, and the smaller hand-held percussion instruments: claves, guíro, or maracas, played by the singers. The Cuban horn section traditionally consists of trumpets, but trombones are frequently used in salsa. The section can also use a combination of different horns. Most salsa bands are based on the conjunto model, but the tres is almost never used.
Tan-tan
A tan-tan is a cylindrical hand drum from Brazil that is used in small samba and pagode ensembles. It imitates the big Surdo which is played by the famous samba "baterias" (percussion ensembles). But due to its smaller size the tan tan is not as loud as a surdo and so it is played rarely in big samba schools, but rather within closer gatherings of musicians called Rodas do Chôro.
Timbales
The term "timbal" or "timbales" (pl.) has been used in Cuba for two quite different types of drum. "Timbales" is the Spanish word for timpani (kettledrums), an instrument that was imported into Cuba in the 19th century and used by wind orchestras known as orquestas típicas. These were the same general type of drum used in military bands, perhaps slung either side of a horse, and in classical orchestras. These were, and are, played with mallets (sticks with large, soft, round heads). The timpani were replaced by pailas criollas, which were originally designed to be used by street bands. Pailas are always hit with straight batons (thicker than standard drumsticks, and not shaped: they are of uniform thickness along the length) that have no additional head. Hits are made on the top and on the metal sides. In a modern band the timbalero may also have a trap set to switch to for certain numbers.
Sambass
Sambass, drum 'n' bossa or drum 'n' sambass (a portmanteau of "samba" and "bass") is a regional subgenre of drum and bass music mostly native to Brazil which combines drum and bass rhythms with influences from Latin American music.
Batá drum
In the last few decades, the popularity of the batá drums has increased worldwide so significantly that they have begun to be produced in greater numbers both by large western drum companies and individual artisans in Africa using a variety of "non-traditional" materials even including fiberglass drums, some instrument builders preferring cow skins or even synthetic membranes, while some traditionalists may express disdain for this trend and insist upon strict orthodoxy (as others and newcomers embrace the unique tonal ranges of the drums purely for their abstract musical possibilities without observance of traditional rules and rituals). These seemingly conflicting points of view remain paradoxical within the musical "landscape", as has been the global evolution of the Indian Tabla, both families of percussion instruments finding application in often surprisingly diverse musical settings far from their roots, although batá perhaps having a closer religious affinity with Lukumí than tabla with Hinduism.
Igba
The igba is a tom-tom that has a beating surface of the same approximate diameter as a bongo. An igba may be as small as 7 inches, or as tall as 3 feet. Traditionally, the deeper shelled igba are played with the hand, while the shorter drums are played with a curved stick. In an ensemble these drums often lead, and are used to "talk" by the talking drummers. By hammering on the tuning wedges which line the perimeter of the skin, the player tightens the drum's skin (usually made from antelope) to achieve the desired pitch and tone.
Music of Malaysia
Traditional Malay music spans from music for various theatrical forms such as wayang kulit, bangsawan and dance dramas as well as story-telling, to folk songs and music for dances, royal ceremonies, martial arts ("silat"), life cycle events, and religious occasions. Many forms of traditional Malay music and performing arts appear to have originated in the Kelantan-Pattani region with influence from India, China, Thailand and Indonesia. The music is based around percussion instruments, the most important of which is the gendang (drum). There are at least 14 types of traditional drums, including "kompang" and "hadrah" drums. Drums and other traditional percussion instruments are often made from natural materials. Besides drums, other percussion instruments (some made of shells) include: the rebab (a bowed string instrument), the serunai (a double-reed oboe-like instrument), the seruling (flute), and trumpets. Music is traditionally used for storytelling, celebrating life-cycle events, and times like harvest. It was once used as a form of long-distance communication.
Music of Montserrat
There are generally three jumbie dancers in a unit, who perform accompanied by the "babala" (tambourine, or "jumbie drum"), triangle, fife or "pulley" (accordion, concertina or melodeon), and most importantly the French reel (also "jumbie drum" or "woowoo"), a skin drum that produces an ominous sound which is said to attract the jumbie spirits. Both the "babala" and "French reel" are similar to the Irish bodhran in construction; all three drums are played with the fingertips, palms and the backs of the hands.
Sri Lanka drums
This drum is referred to by many names among which are the "Ruhunu Bera, Devol Bera and Ghoskaya". This drum normally accompanies the dances from the low country, especially the mask dancing connected with rituals and the folk play "Kolam". The drum is turned out of wood taken from the Kohomba, Ehela, Kitul or Milla trees. This is a cylindrical drum, fairly long and is played on both sides with hands. The openings on the two sides of the drum are covered with the stomach lining of a cow. The strings used to tighten the sides are from cattle skin. A student has twelve elementary exercises to learn to play this drum.
Yoruba people
The music of the Yoruba people is perhaps best known for an extremely advanced drumming tradition, especially using the dundun hourglass tension drums. 
The representation of musical instruments on sculptural works from Ile-Ife, indicates, in general terms a substantial accord with oral traditions. A lot of these musical instruments date back to the classical period of Ile-Ife, which began at around the 10th century A.D. Some were already present prior to this period, while others were created later. The hourglass tension drum (Dùndún) for example, may have been introduced around the 15th century (1400's), the Benin bronze plaques of the middle period depicts them. Others like the double and single iron clapper-less bells are examples of instruments that preceded classical Ife. Yoruba folk music became perhaps the most prominent kind of West African music in Afro-Latin and Caribbean musical styles. Yorùbá music left an especially important influence on the music of Trinidad, the Lukumi religious traditions, Capoeira practice in Brazil and the music of Cuba.
Yoruba drums typically belong to four major families, which are used depending on the context or genre where they are played. The Dùndún / Gángan family, is the class of hourglass shaped talking drums, which imitate the sound of Yoruba speech. This is possible because the Yoruba language is tonal in nature. It is the most common and is present in many Yoruba traditions, such as Apala, Jùjú, Sekere and Afrobeat. The second is the Sakara family. Typically, they played a ceremonial role in royal settings, weddings and Oríkì recitation; it is predominantly found in traditions such as Sakara music, Were and Fuji music. The Gbedu family (literally, "large drum") is used by secret fraternities such as the Ogboni and royal courts. Historically, only the Oba might dance to the music of the drum. If anyone else used the drum they were arrested for sedition of royal authority. The Gbèdu are conga shaped drums played while they sit on the ground. "Akuba" drums (a trio of smaller conga-like drums related to the gbèdu) are typically used in afrobeat. The "Ogido" is a cousin of the gbedu. It is also shaped like a conga but with a wider array of sounds and a bigger body. It also has a much deeper sound than the conga. It is sometimes referred to as the "bass drum". Both hands play directly on the Ogido drum.
Bhangra (music)
The string instruments include the guitar (both classical, acoustic and electrical), bass, sitar, tumbi, veena, violin and sarangi. The snare, toms, dhadd, dafli, dholki, and damru are the other drums. The tumbi, originally played by folk artists such as Lalchand Yamla Jatt and Kuldip Manak in true folk recordings and then notably used by Chamkila, a Punjabi folk (not Bhangra) singer, is a high-tone, single-string instrument and Chimta by (Late) Alam Lohar.
Tambora (Dominican drum)
The Dominican tambora (from the Spanish word "tambor", meaning "drum") is a two headed drum played in merengue music. In many countries, especially the Dominican Republic, tamboras were made from salvaged rum barrels. Performers on the tambora are referred to as "tamboreros".
Salsa (dance)
Salsa generally uses music suitable for dancing ranges from about 150 bpm (beats per minute) to around 250 bpm, although most dancing is done to music somewhere between 160–220 bpm. Every salsa composition involves complex Afro-Cuban percussion based around the Clave Rhythm (which has four types), though there can be moments when the clave is hidden for a while, often when quoting Charanga, Changüí and Bomba. The key instrument that provides the core groove of a salsa song is the clave. It is often played with two wooden sticks (called clave) that are hit together. Every instrument in a salsa band is either playing with the clave (generally: congas, timbales, piano, tres guitar, bongos, claves (instrument), strings) or playing independent of the clave rhythm (generally: bass, maracas, güiro, cowbell). Melodic components of the music and dancers can choose to be in clave or out of clave at any point. However it is taboo to play or dance to the wrong type of clave rhythm (see salsa music). While dancers can mark the clave rhythm directly, it is more common to do so indirectly (with, for example, a shoulder movement). This allows the dancing itself to look very fluent as if the rest of the body is just moving untouched with the legs.
For salsa, there are four types of clave rhythms, the 3-2 and 2-3 Son claves being the most important, and the 3-2 and 2-3 Rumba claves. Most salsa music is played with one of the Son claves, though a Rumba clave is occasionally used, especially during Rumba sections of some songs. As an example of how a clave fits within the 8 beats of a salsa dance, the beats of the 2-3 Son clave are played on the counts of 2, 3, 5, the "and" of 6, and 8.
Tassa
Bass drums are usually constructed from a single piece of tree trunk, usually mango or cedar, which is hollowed out by either lathe or hand. Older, larger drums were made of the dense but light weight cottonwood tree which is rarely found today. Some bass drum shells are made of maple ply-wood, others have a barrel stave construction. The drum shell is covered on both sides by goat skins which are pulled tightly with rope. Different amounts of "massala", a proprietary thick, sticky, tar-like concoction, is placed in the insides of the skin to create a lower frequency resonation on the "bass" side hit with a stick, and a higher frequency resonation on the more "treble" side hit with the hand. The deep, booming sounds of bass drums can be heard from long distances. The flair and machismo of a tassa group usually falls to the bass player, the playing style of which can range from stationary and reserved to flamboyant, aggressive and punishing, the latter of which has been termed "break away". When 2 or more groups compete, it is often the loudest bass drum(s) which can lead to victory.
Galician gaita
Traditional use include both solo performances or with a snare-drum known as "tamboril" (a wooden natural-skinned drum with gut snares), and the "bombo", a bass drum.
Santal music
The Santal have two primary membranophones: the Tamak' and the Tumdak'. These instruments are critical for most traditional Santal music because they provide the metric foundation for the music. The Tumdak' is a hand-struck two-headed drum. The body of the drums made from clay. Like most similar Indian drums, the left head is larger than the right. Leather straps zigzag from head to head to connect and keep them tight. The drum is usually suspended around the drummers neck by a leather strap. The Tamak' is a single-headed kettle drum. It is struck by the player with two sticks. The size of the head is usually 14-16 inches in diameter. The Tamak' is thought to have special spiritual meaning and power.
Parrandas
By the 19th century the noisy children had developed into people’s rumba with rhythm, music and verses (usually instigating the other district). The first instruments used in the rumba were cencerro, bombo, repique, and one special local drum called “atambora”. Later, tumbadoras were added and in the 1930s trumpets made the final addition.
Songo music
With songo, the timbales were expanded with the addition of a kick bass drum, and sometimes a snare drum and hi-hat. Songo uses a Cuban-style timbale/drum kit hybrid, which can be anything from standard timbales with kick, to a full drum kit augmented with timbales, woodblock, and various cowbells. Songo was the first Cuban popular dance rhythm to blend rumba and North American funk rhythms.
Samba
The modern samba that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century is predominantly in a 2/4 time signature varied with the conscious use of a sung chorus to a batucada rhythm, with various stanzas of declaratory verses. Traditionally, the samba is played by strings (cavaquinho and various types of guitar) and various percussion instruments such as tamborim. Influenced by American orchestras in vogue since the Second World War and the cultural impact of US music post-war, samba began to use trombones, trumpets, choros, flutes, and clarinets.
Yuka (music)
Yuka is a style of Cuban music and dance and a type of drum, of Congolese origin. The word "yuka" is Bantu, and means 'to beat'. For preference, the drums are made from hollowed-out trunks of the avocado tree. Leather is nailed to one of the open ends, and the player hits the skin with both hands, the drum being slanted between his legs. The drums come in three sizes: "caja" (large with the lowest tone), "mula" (middle drum) and "cachimbo" (a term referring to its small size) which has the highest pitch of the 3 drums. Rhythms may also be played on the drum body, the drummer using a small mallet or a stave in one hand, the other hand slapping the leather. The drummer wears two small rattles ("nkembí"), made of metal or gourds, on his wrists. The drums may be accompanied by staves on a "guagua" (hollow wooden slit drum) or the drum body, and by percussion on a piece of iron, the "muela" or a guataca (a hoe pick used for plowing). The yuka accompanied by this guataca bell plays a variation of the commonly used tresillo pattern.
Big Drum
The "boula" of Carriacou is also a hand drum, now most often made of rum casks. It is also called the "tambou dibas", and is used in the Big Drum tradition.
Sri Lanka drums
is played with two sticks. The two drums are of different sizes and while the right one produces a louder sound, the left one produces a looser (and deeper) sound. The drums which have only the top side covered either with the skin of the cow or a buffalo. The wood used is from Kos, Kohomba and Milla trees. They used special sticks to play drums and the wood is from a creeper known as Kirindi. A book on how to play the Thammattama using Western Notation was published in 2011 and can now be found at: https://www.amazon.com/Sri-Lankan-Drumming-Michael-Balonek/dp/1466300337/