List of membranophones
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of membranophones divided along various classification schemes. Musicologists divide drums and other membranophones into groups based on their shape and the method by which sounds are produced. Distinctions may also be made between drums based on other social and cultural markers, such as the use of particular animal skins, colors, sewing styles.
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[edit] Hornbostel-Sachs
The Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification divides membranophones in a numeric taxonomy based on how the sound is produced:
- 21: by hitting the drumskin with a hand or object (most common form, including the timpani and snare drum)
- 22: by pulling a knotted string attached to the drumskin (common in Indian drums, and can be considered an example of a chordophone as well)
- 23: by rubbing the drumskin with a hand or object
- 24: by modifying sounds through a vibrating membrane (unusual form, including the kazoo) [1]
[edit] Shape and technique
Membranophones can also be divided into large divisions based on shape and manner of sound production:[2]
- Tubular drums include a wide range of drum shapes, like waisted, long, footed, cylindrical, conical and barrel
- Kettle drums and vessel drums are characterized by the presence of rounded bottoms.
- Frame drums consist of a membrane stretched across a frame.
- Friction drums produce sound by rubbing a stick through a hole in a membrane stretched across a grame.
- Mirlitons and kazoos vibrate by blowing air across a membrane. These are the only membranophones that are not truly drums.
SIL International maintains a classification system based largely on shape: [3]
- Cylindrical drums are straight-sided, and generally two-headed. A buzzing, percussive string is sometimes used. Examples include the bass drum and the Iranian dohol.
- Conical drums are sloped on the sides, and are usually one-headed. Examples include the Indian tabla and the Venezuelan chimbangueles.
- Barrel drums are normally one-headed, and may be open at the bottom. They bulge in the middle. Examples include the bendre, made by the Mossi of Burkina Faso out of a large calabash, and the trong chau of Vietnam.
- Hourglass drums (or waisted drums) are hourglass-shaped and generally two-headed. The drumheads are laced onto the body, and the laces may be squeezed during performance to alter the drum's pitch. Examples include folk drums in India (like the damaru) and much of Africa, as well as some talking drums.
- Goblet drums (or chalice drums) are one-headed and goblet shaped, and are usually open at the bottom. Examples include the Arab darabukka, and a range of similar instruments from Armenia, Azerbaijan, North Africa, Southeastern Europe and the Middle East.
- Footed drums are single-headed and are held above the ground by feet. The space between the drum and the ground provides extra resonance. Examples include a range of East African and Polynesian drums.
- Long drums are a diverse category, characterized by extreme length. Examples include the single-headed hollow tree trunk drums of Africa and the ornately carved and dyed gufalo of the Nuna in Burkina Faso.
- Kettle drums (or pot drums or vessel drums) are frequently played in pairs, and have a vessel or pot body, and are usually one-headed. Examples include the timpani.
- Frame drums are composed of one or more membranes stretched across a frame. Examples include the tambourine and bodhran.
- Friction drums produce sound through friction, such as by rubbing a hand or object against the drumskin. Examples include the Brazilian cuica and the Spanish zambomba.
- Mirlitons and kazoos produce sound by blowing air across a membrane.
[edit] Traditional classifications
The traditional Chinese method of classifying instruments by composite material renders the following categories of drums:[4]
- Jin: Metal drums, along with bells and gongs
- Ge: Leather-headed drums
- Mu: Wood drums and blocks
- Tu: Clay drums, as well as some kinds of clay ocarinas
Traditional Japanese and Korean instrument classification schemes use essentially the same scheme.[5]
The traditional classification of Indian instruments include two categories of membranophones.[6]
- Ghan: Percussion without membranes, such as chimes, bells and gongs
- Avanaddh: Percussion with membranes, such as drums with skin heads
[edit] Other categories
The predrum category consists of simple drum-like percussion instruments. These include the ground drum, which, in its most common form, consists of an animal skin stretched over a whole in the ground, and the pot drum, made from a simple pot.[7]
Water drums are also sometimes treated as a distinct category of membranophone. Common in Native American music and the music of Africa, water drums are characterized by a unique sound caused by filling the drum with some amount of water.[8]
The talking drum is an important category of West African membranophone, characterized by the use of varying tones to "talk". Talking drums are used to communicate across distances.[9]
- See also: List of Caribbean drums
[edit] References and notes
- ^ Glossary#Membranophone. Essentials of Music. Retrieved on January 22, 2007.
- ^ Catherine Schmidt-Jones. Classifying Musical Instruments: Membranophones. Connexions. Retrieved on January 22, 2007.
- ^ 534m Membranophones. SIL. Retrieved on January 4, 2007.
- ^ Gregory Youtz. Silk and Bamboo (pdf). Chapter 8. Retrieved on January 24, 2007.
- ^ Richard Hooker (1996). The Earliest Japanese Music. World Civilizations. Retrieved on February 4, 2007.
- ^ David Courtney (2006). Indian Musical Instruments. Chandra and David's Indian Musical Instruments. Retrieved on February 4, 2007.
- ^ Virginia Tech Department of Music. Modern Instruments and their Families: Symphonic Classifications in Western Music. Music Dictionary. Retrieved on January 22, 2007.
- ^ Claire King. Tuning the Water Drum. From Cradleboard to Motherboard. Retrieved on January 22, 2007.
- ^ Drum Telegraphy. TIME (21 September). Retrieved on 7 November 2006.
