Stupid question on board! I recently attended a house party where there was a drum n DJ jam session going on. Being proficient in samba, I spotted a cute little drum..about 2 1/2 to 3 ft. high, big head, slightly smaller bottom, with a mallet sitting all by it's lonesome and just had to try it. It sounded really good and I had a lot of fun playing it. My current problem is, rookie that I am, I just still haven't learned all of the different drum names..like that's possible anyway. I have tried internet searches and haven't come up with anything. Can anybody throw me some possibles to look up? It was made from natural materials and had an animal skin head, I believe. It wasn't an ewe, by the way. I know that one.
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Philadelphia
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Re: African Version of Surdo
Mon, October 29, 2007 - 2:10 AMto truly help you figure this out, you should tell us what the approximate
diameter of the drum head was and what the bottom diameter was
(so we can eyeball it).
Also, was it a wooden drum or was the body made out of some synthetic material?
Additionally, how was the head tensioned (rope? rawhide? hardware?)
All of these things can help us to solve your mystery.
Be appraised that there are tons of drums made in the US that are just one offs. They are made by creative people but don't follow
a particular ethnic paradigm. From your original description of this drum I would surmise that this is what it is.
Also, there are not very many drums in Africa played with mallets...............that seems to be a particularly new world
practise (like the aforementioned Surdo). There are notable exceptions but that is the generally true.
A photograph of the drum would cinch this mystery for sure.
I'm pretty good at spotting drums from most cultures so a photograph would really be cool
good luck solving this. -
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Re: African Version of Surdo
Mon, October 29, 2007 - 7:20 AMYeah, I would have to randomly show up at the hosts' house and ask if I can see it again. From what I remember, it was a fat-headed little thing, just slightly higher than the foldout chair I sat on and pretty much taking up all the space between my legs( the bottom was smaller by a few inches only). It was wooden material for the body. If I had to guess, the head was held with rope. You are probably right about it being a new creation. Funny thing is, it looked African, but would fit in just fine in Samba, Native American or Pacific Islander. It had a nice deep sound. My cousin thinks it was a dun dun, but I don't remember dun duns having such fat heads. Oh well.
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Re: African Version of Surdo
Mon, November 12, 2007 - 11:47 AMThe africa equivalent to a surdo in Mande drumming is a dun dun (doun doun).
There's 3 sizes, with different notes, much like a surdo.
Is the drum you played here:
www.djembefola.com/glossary.htm
The Doundounba maybe? They are played on their sides of upright.... -
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Re: African Version of Surdo
Mon, November 12, 2007 - 7:16 PMgosh, James, with all due respect, the Doundoundba
is a really different style of drum than a Surdo imho
They are played with a really different set of techniques
and the function internal to the rhythm is really very different.
It is true that they are both in the similar range, from a pitch standpoint
but even the timbres of the drums are vastly different.
I've played both styles extensively in professional settings.
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