Caisa drum

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Top view of a caisa drum
Top view of a caisa drum
Side view of a caisa drum
Side view of a caisa drum

The caisa is an instrument made of steel and wood. The steel section resembling the top of a steelpan and the wooden base section resembling a horn like stand. The steel and wood are held together with a stretchy rope material; there is no direct contact between the steel and the wood. Sound is emitted from the gap between the steel and the wood and not from the horn at the base. The tone areas are hammered by hand and are usually in a pentatonic scale. Having between ten and twelve notes depending on the individual tuning. The central (or one of the central) notes is much deeper.

The instrument can be played either on the lap with the horn held between the legs or can be stood on its wooden base. The caisa is played with the hands in a similar way to the Hang, however it sounds more like a Meditation Pan. Visually from the side the instrument resembles a mushroom.

The caisa is made in Germany.