tsuzumi
Sign in to savethumb|A tsuzumi drum thumb|A tsuzumi being demonstrated. The or tsuzumi is a hand drum of Japanese origin. It consists of a wooden body shaped like an hourglass, and it is taut, with two drum heads with cords that can be squeezed or released to increase or decrease the tension of the heads respectively. This mechanism allows the player to raise or lower the pitch of the drum while playing, not unlike the African talking drum and the Indian dhadd.
Article
6 sectionsContents
- History
- Performance
- Construction
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|A tsuzumi drum thumb|A tsuzumi being demonstrated. The or tsuzumi is a hand drum of Japanese origin. It consists of a wooden body shaped like an hourglass, and it is taut, with two drum heads with cords that can be squeezed or released to increase or decrease the tension of the heads respectively. This mechanism allows the player to raise or lower the pitch of the drum while playing, not unlike the African talking drum and the Indian dhadd.
== History == The predecessor to the tsuzumi, the , was brought to Japan from southern China in the 7th century as part of the gigaku ensemble. There were four types of yōko, of which only the and the survive. Like the modern tsuzumi, the yōko's membrane was fastened to a hemp cord called the . Unlike the contemporary instrument, the yōko was suspended from the performer's neck. The drumhead was hit with a mallet held in the right hand and the palm of the left hand.