In Oceania and the Pacific Islands percussion is a confident and cacophonous way to communicate. Drummers “speak” with rhythm, piecing together beats into patterns analogous to sentences, arranging those into longer pieces that form the background rhythms for dancers who further the storytelling with narrative motion. Polynesian drum ensembles, such as those from Tahiti (like this one) and the Cook Islands (like this one) are composed of multiple drums of different sizes and pitches, all of which are made from materials found nearby. A drumming group from the Cook Islands–a set of islands that originated much of the drumming from the region will often feature instruments such as the sharply pitched to’ere pronounced “to-eddie,” which is a narrow cylindrical drum made from a hollowed-out log and hit with a wood stick (see the “to’ere” in action) and the more resonant pahu which drummers hit with padded sticks.
Tag Archives | Drumming
24 Festive Drums
Malaysian drumming sure feels festive.
This season as we learn about the music of East and Southeast Asia we’re going to enjoy so many drums. While drumming rhythms themselves aren’t the heart and soul of most music of the region as they are in other parts of the world like Africa, the Caribbean or Latin America, every nation has its own proud, powerful tradition of drumming. In this video we meet the drums of Malaysia — “24 Festive Drums” to be exact. Kudos to the kids who are continuing this Malaysian drumming tradition.
Batá Blends Africa and Cuba
Cuban batá music is synonymous with batá drums, Cuban instruments that provide its driving beats.
Cuban batá drumming is part of a religious tradition that has firm ties to Yoruba (Nigerian/Beninese) religion and culture. Religious batá drumming is meant to inspire the orishas, the spirits, to inhabit the bodies of dancing priests. In the 1930s batá started to appear in folkloric situations and, as you can envision from watching the drummers in this video, the art of batá drumming has developed an appeal worldwide.
