"Tongue drum" redirects here. For other uses, see Steel tongue drum.
A slit drum or slit gong is a hollow percussion instrument. In spite of its often being called a drum, it is not a true drum because it lacks a drumhead, the membrane stretched across the top of a true drum. It is classed instead as an idiophone in which the entire instrument vibrates, usually carved or constructed from bamboo or wood, in the form of a mostly closed hollow chamber with one or more slits in it. It is played by striking near the edge of the slit. In some designs, the slit is a single straight line; in others, the slit is used to create one or more "tongues", achieved by cutting three sides of a rectangular (or similar) shape and leaving the fourth side attached. Most slit drums have one slit, though two and three slits (often resembling an "H" and thereby forming two tongues) occur. Tongues of different areas or thicknesses will produce different pitches. Slit drums are used throughout Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. In Africa such drums, strategically situated for optimal acoustic transmission (e.g., along a river or valley), have been used for long-distance communication.[1]
The ends of a slit drum are closed so that the shell becomes the resonating chamber for the sound vibrations created when the tongues are struck, usually with a stick or mallet. The resonating chamber increases the volume of the sound produced by the tongue and presents the sound through an open port. If the resonating chamber is the correct size for the pitch being produced by the tongue, which means it has the correct volume of airspace to complete one full sound wave for that particular pitch, the instrument will be more efficient and louder.
The people of Vanuatu cut a large log with "totem" type carvings on the outer surface and hollow out the center leaving only a slit down the front. This hollowed out log gives the deep resonance of drums when hit on the outside with sticks.
^Mercurio, Philip Dominguez (2006). "Traditional Music of the Southern Philippines". PnoyAndTheCity: A center for Kulintang – A home for Pasikings. Retrieved 12 June 2006.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Slit drums.
Collins Rhythmcraft page on slit drums
Drum Museum Siebenborn, Infos about antique slit drums and hand drums from Africa and New Guinea
Beauty of Life Blog – A few examples of wooden slit gongs from Asia, including elephant bells.
January 01, 1970
slit, drum, tongue, drum, redirects, here, other, uses, steel, tongue, drum, slit, drum, slit, gong, hollow, percussion, instrument, spite, often, being, called, drum, true, drum, because, lacks, drumhead, membrane, stretched, across, true, drum, classed, inst. Tongue drum redirects here For other uses see Steel tongue drum A slit drum or slit gong is a hollow percussion instrument In spite of its often being called a drum it is not a true drum because it lacks a drumhead the membrane stretched across the top of a true drum It is classed instead as an idiophone in which the entire instrument vibrates usually carved or constructed from bamboo or wood in the form of a mostly closed hollow chamber with one or more slits in it It is played by striking near the edge of the slit In some designs the slit is a single straight line in others the slit is used to create one or more tongues achieved by cutting three sides of a rectangular or similar shape and leaving the fourth side attached Most slit drums have one slit though two and three slits often resembling an H and thereby forming two tongues occur Tongues of different areas or thicknesses will produce different pitches Slit drums are used throughout Africa Southeast Asia and Oceania In Africa such drums strategically situated for optimal acoustic transmission e g along a river or valley have been used for long distance communication 1 Bamileke drummers in Cameroon s West Province The ends of a slit drum are closed so that the shell becomes the resonating chamber for the sound vibrations created when the tongues are struck usually with a stick or mallet The resonating chamber increases the volume of the sound produced by the tongue and presents the sound through an open port If the resonating chamber is the correct size for the pitch being produced by the tongue which means it has the correct volume of airspace to complete one full sound wave for that particular pitch the instrument will be more efficient and louder The people of Vanuatu cut a large log with totem type carvings on the outer surface and hollow out the center leaving only a slit down the front This hollowed out log gives the deep resonance of drums when hit on the outside with sticks Chromatically tuned slit drums range C3 C4 Contents 1 List of slit drums 1 1 African 1 2 Austroasiatic 1 3 Austronesian 1 4 Mesoamerican 1 5 Modern 1 6 Sinitic 2 Gallery 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksList of slit drums editAfrican edit Alimba Zairean Democratic Republic of the Congo Ekwe Igbo Nigeria Equatorial Guinea Ikoro Igbo Nigeria Equatorial Guinea Krin log drum or Kolokolos Guinea Lokole Congo Basin Lukombe 2 Democratic Republic of the Congo Mondo West Africa Mukoku Yaka people Congo Austroasiatic edit Grōg 木鼓 克罗克 库洛 克拉 Wa China and Myanmar Austronesian edit Agung a Tamlang Maguindanaon Philippines Atingting kon Ni Vanuatu Vanuatu Kagul Maguindanaon Philippines Kentongan Javanese Indonesia used to wake people for sahur meals on Ramadan Kulkul Balinese Indonesia Lali Fijian Fiji Pahu Maori Aotearoa New Zealand Pate Samoa Cook Islands and other parts of Polynesia Tagutok Philippine Maranao Philippines To ere Tahitian Tahiti Garamut Papuan Papua New Guinea Mesoamerican edit Huiringua Mexico Mayohuacan Taino people Puerto Rico Cuba Dominican Republic Caribbean Teponaztli Mesoamerican Modern edit Gato 20th century American originally a brand name later generic 3 Tongue drum Sinitic edit nbsp Wooden fishThe wooden fish works like a slit drum but is rarely classified with the other slit drums Gallery editSlit drums from different cultures nbsp Two Aztec slit drums called teponaztli The characteristic H slits can be seen on the top of the drum in the foreground nbsp An example of a slit drum from the Philippines known as a kagul by the Maguindanaon people 4 nbsp Wooden slit drums from Vanuatu Bernice P Bishop Museum nbsp Ekwe drum of the Igbo people nbsp Banda Yangere animal shaped slit drumSee also editBamboo musical instruments Drums in communication Tank drum Wood blockNotes edit Hart Mickey p 52 Lukombe slit drum Tetela Kasai or Kusu The Metropolitan Museum of Art Retrieved 18 February 2023 Gato drum Metropolitan Museum of Art Archived from the original on 9 March 2016 Retrieved 29 June 2023 Mercurio Philip Dominguez 2006 Traditional Music of the Southern Philippines PnoyAndTheCity A center for Kulintang A home for Pasikings Retrieved 12 June 2006 References editHart Mickey and Fredric Lieberman with D A Sonneborn 1991 Planet Drum A Celebration of Percussion and Rhythm New York HarperCollins ISBN 9780062504142 ISBN 9780062503978 ISBN 9780062504623 OCLC 23357061 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Slit drums Collins Rhythmcraft page on slit drums Drum Museum Siebenborn Infos about antique slit drums and hand drums from Africa and New Guinea Beauty of Life Blog A few examples of wooden slit gongs from Asia including elephant bells Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Slit drum amp oldid 1225071070, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
