Collection: Talking Drums

Talking drums from Groove Masters Percussion and MEINL.

The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped West African drum with a head at each end, laced together with tension cords running the length of the shell. It hangs under one arm, and squeezing the cords with the arm tightens both heads at once, which raises the pitch as you play. Releasing the pressure lowers it again.

That is where the name comes from. In several West African languages, meaning depends on the pitch of the syllable, and a skilled player can shape the drum's pitch closely enough to imitate the contour of speech.

It is played with a curved wooden beater rather than the hand. Getting a clean note takes a little practice, but the pitch bend is audible from the first attempt, which makes it a memorable instrument to demonstrate in a classroom.

The GMP model is twelve inch. The MEINL African talking drum is the other option stocked.