Our Slit Log Drum
We found a log about 20" in diameter and five feet
long. It naturally was hollowed out with about 1-1/2" of solid wood
around. We want to make a long distance talking drum out of it. Since
the sides are not there we will have to insert custom solid wood plugs
on both ends. Since the traditional slit drum is hollowed out from the
slit in varying thicknesses this drum will not have the high and low tones
since the thickness of the sides is around 1-1/2" all around.
7" x 20", rosewood, 3 slots, different slots create different
tones. Includes wooden beaters. Made in Pakistan.
Slit log drums produce various tones from the slits in the log. Slit
log drums were developed simultaneously by several cultures as a way to
send messages that could be heard over great distances. These cultures
lived in places where large trees grew (including parts of Africa, Asia,
the Pacific Rim, and the Americas) and they sent messages using drums
made out of huge logs. They would take a log from a large tree; the bigger
the log, the bigger its sound would be and the farther it could be heard.
A long slit would be cut in the side of the log, and the log would be
hollowed out through the slit, leaving wooden ledges, or lips, on each
side of the slit. If they wanted the drum to be able to make a lower note
and a higher note, they would hollow it out more under one lip than under
the other. To play messages, they beat on the drum's lips with sticks,
beating out rhythms of high and low notes. In modern times, slit log drums
are used mostly for music.
These drums are hand carved
from solid logs of paduc wood in Eastern Nigeria. By leaving one wall
of the log a little thicker when carving, they create two different tones
on either side of the slit. This is traditionally a "talking"
instrument, capable of transmitting messages by sound over long distances.
In modern times, these
log drums are used mostly for music. Each drum has a few "sweet spots"
which produce especially nice tones. It is possible to get more tones
by hitting the drums away from the sweet spots, also.
From From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
A log drum is a type of unpitched percussion instrument that creates
its resonance with two tongues that are carved into a hollow box. This
box is usually made out of cherry or maple wood. The two tongues are carved
in a manner such that one is higher pitched than the other one. When a
tongue is struck, it vibrates, resonating through the box-like chamber
and creating a dark mellow tone. The instrument is to be played with soft
rubber or yarn mallets.
http://www.philtulga.com/Talking%20with%20Drums.html
Drum Language of the Congo
- using vocabulary in the context of phrases -
Welcome to my page
on Drum Language of the Congo. It includes: 1) an explanation on how drum
language works; 2) an online virtual log drum you can play right now on
your computer; 3) fun facts about drum language, and 4) multimedia activities
that integrate drum language with other areas of the curriculum! So, take
a couple of minutes to read more about this amazing form of communication,
learn how to play a couple of phrases on a virtual log drum, and explore
some surprisingly fun connections we can make with drum language.
How Drum Language Works
The Lokele people of the Congo
use two-tone log drums to communicate phrases in their language. They
can accomplish this because their language is tonal. That is, each syllable
in a word has a high or low tone. The tonal patterns that result in their
speech are the same tonal patterns that they drum. By communicating in
this way, they create drum language in which their vocabulary is always
understood in the context of phrases. Listen to Phil explain how this
works by pressing the Play button below.
Virtual Log Drum
The Lokele use a two-tone percussion
instrument they call a boungu or bongungu. It is made from a solid log
of reddish-brown wood with the scientific name Pterocarpus Soyauxii. Given
it's design, it is actually a wooden slit-gong rather than a traditional
drum.
They begin by chiseling out
a long narrow slit along the length of the log. Once the slit is deepened
to the halfway point, they hollow the two sides until two lips are formed
— the thin side or low lip produces the low tone, and the thick
side or high lip produces the high tone. The two tones are typically tuned
to either a major or minor 3rd. Our virtual boungu is tuned to a major
3rd.
Let's listen to it. Start by
clicking your mouse on each side of the slit. Notice how one side produces
a lower tone, while the other side produces a higher tone. The sounds
you hear were recorded from an actual Lokele boungu, located in the forest
on the edge of the great Congo River.
Now let's learn two Lokele
words, and the phrases they drum for context. Notice that their word for
"bananas" has the same tonal pattern (three low tones) as their
word for "up" or "above." However, when you drum these
words in the context of a phrase, the difference between them is quite
clear. In this drum language, vocabulary is always understood and defined
in the context of well known phrases.
Lokele English
word: likolo (L L L) up or above
phrase: likolo ko nda use
(L L L L H H H) up above there in the sky
Lokele English
word: lik?nd? (L L L) bananas
phrase: lik?nd? libotumbela
(L L L H L H L L) bananas which must be propped up when ripe*
* because ripe bunches of bananas tend to fall over on their own weight
Fun Facts
1) Question: What is the best
time to send a drum language message? Answer: The Lokele prefer to send
messages in the early morning or late evening, when the air is cool. As
air cools, it becomes more dense and carries the sound waves a greater
distance.
2) Question: How far can one
drum be heard? Answer: The sound of a single log drum usually travels
the distance of 4-5 miles during the heat of the day, and 6-7 miles during
the cool mornings or late evenings.
3) Question: How do the Lokele
communicate with distant tribes that speak different languages? Answer:
Drummers in boundary villages are often bilingual — they can communicate
in Lokele drum language, and the drum language of neighboring tribes.
These bilingual drummers are usually children of parents from two different
villages. They learn both languages and become proficient in drumming.
Extensions
Learn how to make a homemade
drum and sing Lokele phrases.
