Hand drums are a type of percussive instrument that has a long history. They’re just drums that are played by hand rather than with a stick or hammer. Hand drums, such as congas and bongos, as well as tablas and tambourines, are well-known in a variety of musical genres. They are the foundation of many global musical sounds, including African, Indian, and Latin music.
Hand drums, like all drums, are made up of a stretched drum head or skin over a hollow shell. They’re usually cylinders with one or both sides covered in drum heads. The tambourine is one of the most well-known hand drums. The tambourine is a frame drum with jingling noise makers on the sides. The tambourine belongs to the frame drum family, which includes drums with a face that is wider than the shell’s depth.
Hand drums can be played in a variety of styles, at a variety of speeds, and in a variety of tunes. They can be played standing or sitting, by one person or a group of people. A hand drum set can have up to a dozen drums and is similar to the popular rock and roll standing drum set. Many hand drum instruments, such as congas and tamblas, come in sets of various sizes and timbres.
Hand drums can be played softly with the fingers, quickly with a “thumb roll,” loudly with a palm or fist clap, or in a variety of ways with the fingers, palms, knuckles, and wrists. The size and timbre of the drum, the drummer, and the way the drum heads are stroked all influence the ability to make beats, just as they do with a regular drum set. Hand drums, like performance drums, are a rhythmic instrument by nature.
Many hand drums, like the simple frame drum, are made of wood. The most common drum heads in history were made from stretched animal skins, and authentic hand drums still use them today. Drum heads made of polyester and plastic have recently become popular. The drum shell is usually made of hard woods like oak or ash.
Hand drums are the world’s oldest instruments, having originated in the Middle East, the cradle of civilization. They originated in India and later spread to the Roman Empire, where they became a popular sound in many Islamic cultures. From ancient times, the Tar, the Daf, the Tonbak, and the Doumbek have been among the most important Middle Eastern hand drums. Tablas are still important in Indian music in the twenty-first century, and hand drums are responsible for much of the most popular Latin dance music, such as salsa, meringue, and Latin jazz.