talking drum
Squeezed pitch instrument
A talking drum is a West African hourglass-shaped drum whose pitch can be modulated by squeezing the cords connecting its two drumheads.
The player tucks it under one arm and strikes it with a curved stick while varying tension to mimic the tones of tonal languages, allowing drummers to "speak" messages across distances.
The talking drum carried news between villages.
Nigerian people and language
- IgboNigerian people and language
- AshantiAkan people of Ghana
- griotAfrican oral tradition keeper
- NigeriaWest African federal republic
Ghana · Senegal · Mali · Guinea · Benin · West African · storytelling · oral tradition
Gravity-powered sand timer
- goatskinTanned caprine hide
- tensionStretched or strained state
- woodenMade from timber
- beatersTools for mixing
cords · squeeze · rawhide · lacing · resonator · carved · handcrafted · tunable
Relating to pitch
- speechOral communication ability
- messageTransmitted communication
- proverbsTraditional wisdom capsules
- announcementPublic declaration of information
summons · signal · imitation · mimicry · inflection · syllables · phrases · call
Rhythmic pulse or strike
- tempoRate of musical performance
- polyrhythmOverlapping musical beat patterns
- pulseArterial blood throb
- syncopationStressed unexpected beats
pattern · groove · accent · call-and-response · ensemble · interlocking · timeline · downbeat
Ceremonial set of actions
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
- initiationFormal admission ceremony
- sacredWorthy of reverence
- festivalOrganized public celebration
rites · tradition · mask · dance · offering · coronation · naming ceremony · funeral
Yoruba
Nigerian people and language
Nigeria · Ghana · Senegal · Mali · Guinea · Benin · West African · storytelling · oral tradition
hourglass
Gravity-powered sand timer
beaters · cords · squeeze · rawhide · lacing · resonator · carved · handcrafted · tunable · leather
tonal
Relating to pitch
announcement · summons · signal · imitation · mimicry · inflection · syllables · phrases · call · news
beat
Rhythmic pulse or strike
- tempoRate of musical performance
- polyrhythmOverlapping musical beat patterns
- pulseArterial blood throb
syncopation · pattern · groove · accent · call-and-response · ensemble · interlocking · timeline · downbeat · cross-rhythm
ritual
Ceremonial set of actions
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
- initiationFormal admission ceremony
- sacredWorthy of reverence
festival · rites · tradition · mask · dance · offering · coronation · naming ceremony · funeral · harvest
- AfricaEgypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania
- drumsbongo, tambourine, snare, djembe, conga
- percussionbongos, cajon, congas, cowbell, conga
- ancient communicationsmoke signal, hieroglyphs, carrier pigeon, pictographs, pictograms
- NigeriaAbuja, Lagos, Independence Day, National Assembly, Niger River
- African traditionsinitiation ceremonies, naming ceremony, ancestral worship, rites of passage, tribal chiefs
talking drumbass drum
Large mallet-struck cylinder
snare drum · kick drum · floor tom · bongo · conga
talk, drum, talks, talking, talkative, talker, drums, drumming, drummer