How many of your drums talk?
Talking Drum from Tulsa and West Africa
An hourglass shaped drum that is constructed by connecting two drumheads to leather tension cords. The pitch of the drum mimcks human sound
The history of the drum is from the Ghana people. The drum has evolved. Ayangalu was thought to be the first drum player and he did so by playing spiritual songs. ¨Ayan¨ means drummer.
Purchase the traditional drum to learn more about the culture of Africa. You can play around with playing the drum since there are really no rules to playing one. It is a great beginner instrument and will help teach aspiring musicians how to keep a beat. It also has great acoustics!
Music in West Africa is diverse since there are so many different types. Drums are the amin instrument but there is another one called the Balafon which is similar to a string instrument.
Griot
Griot people are storytellers and travelers. They are similar to the talking drum since both are important in the development in the music in West Africa.
Modern Day Technology
Modern day music makes a point to have a hard beat into popular song. Pop songs, such as those by Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, all use beats to make a dance song. It is similar to the talking drum since both kinds of music create steady beats.
Fun facts
Europeans first realized that the drums were a method of communication in the 18th century.
African languages are similar to Chinese since they are both tonal.
John F. Carrington wrote a whole book about the art of talking drums.