Drums
Drums
Drums are very likely some of the earliest musical instruments ever to be created. Historically, they have been used for communication, and as an integral part of ceremonies and rituals. Drums come in a wide variety of shapes and forms, and are made from diverse woods, skins, plastics, metals, clay and natural fibers. Drums are used today as a powerful modality for stress therapy, as well as being a fabulous starter instrument. At Gandharva Loka we work hard to offer a wide selection of high quality drums from around the world and our expertise in drumming can be counted on in finding you the right instrument.
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Bendir
The bendir (also known as erbeni or arbani) is a simple traditional frame drum used throughout northern Africa. Frame drums are the oldest and most common kind of drum and the bendir has been around since prehistoric times with strong evidence of its use in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. It typically has a two or […]
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Bodhran
The bodhran is an Irish frame drum. The wooden frame is covered with goat skin and usually strengthened with a cross in the centre. Modern bodhrans offer a mechanical tuning system which helps the player either to create a low bass sound or a higher sound. Usually the bodhran is played in a sitting position […]
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Bongos
The Bongo comes from Cuba. They are made from wood, fibreglass, other plastic, or even clay. Most Bongos are tuneable using a special system which is similar to that of a Conga. The player holds the drum tightly between the knees while the bigger drum is close to the dominant hand. Usually one plays the […]
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Cajon
The cajon originally comes from Latin America, and the name derives from the Spanish word for box. During the colonial period in Peru, slaves from Africa used simple wooden transport boxes as a substitute for their own traditional drums. These eventually became the cajon, with the characteristic snare sound we know today. The sophisticated interior […]
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Daf
A frame drum made of wood with a goat skin or synthetic originating in the Middle East. Most dafs are equipped with a small hand grip and the instrument is held upright a while the main rhythm is tapped out by the free hand. Many dafs also have small metallic rings around the inside of […]
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Darbuka
The darbuka, or goblet drum, is an ancient drum of Middle Eastern origin, and like the bendir, there is evidence of it having been used in Mesopotamia over 3,000 years ago. It has a goblet-shaped body which is traditionally made from clay and with a fish or goat skin. Modern Darbukas are also be made […]
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Dhol
The dhol is a drum widely used throughout India but is especially popular in the Punjab region and particularly so among the Sikhs of East Punjab. It was used in war by the Sikhs and later to celebrate successful harvests. The dhol is most commonly associated with Punjabi music and dance and has remained very […]
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Dholak
The dholak is a very popular folk drum of northern India that is also found in Pakistan and Nepal. It is barrel shaped with a degree of tapering at each end. It has a simple membrane on the right end and a single membrane with a special application (a mixture of tar, clay and sand […]
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Djembe
The djembe is probably the most well-known African drum. It was originally used by the Maninke people of western Africa, where it is played at a vast number of social gatherings, such as marriages, funerals, and as an accompaniment to story tellers. They are traditionally carved out of a single piece of hardwood, and have […]
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Djun-Djun
The talking drum, dundun, or djun-djun is a set of three drums that originated in the West African empire of Mali. The three drums that make up a djun-djun set are the dundoumba (literally meaning 'big djun-djun'), which has the lowest tone and is the largest of the three. Next is the mid-tone, medium-sized sangban […]
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Ghatam
The ghatam is a percussion instrument of South India – an earthenware pot that is played using the fingers, thumbs, palms and heels of the hand to strike the outer surface of the ghatam. It has a huge variety of sounds. An airy low-pitch bass sound, called gumki, is created by hitting the mouth of […]
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Gong Drum
A gong drum (also known as 'gong bass drum') is a percussion instrument that has a large single or double sided drumhead in order to create a powerful, resonant sound when struck. The head can be tuned as loose as possible to avoid any sense of pitch in the sound, or tensioned more tightly to […]
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Kanjira
The kanjira (also known as a ganjira) is a South Indian frame drum – a percussion instrument of the tambourine family. It is used primarily in concerts of Carnatic music (South Indian classical music) as a supporting instrument for the mridanga. Having been used for less than a century, the kanjira is considered to be […]
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Khol
The khol is actually a clay mridanga – a two-sided drum used in northern and eastern India as accompaniment to devotional, folk and Indian semi-classical music. The khol's origins are generally considered to be the area of West Bengal, India. One end of the khol is much smaller than the other in order to give variation to the sound, […]
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Mridanga
The mridanga is a percussion instrument from India. Of ancient origin, it is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in the Carnatic music (South Indian classical music) ensembles and is often accompanied by the ghatam, kanjira, and the mouth harp. The word mridanga is derived from the two Sanskrit words 'Mrid' (clay or earth) and 'Ang' (body). […]
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Naal
The naal (also known as Dholki) is a drum that is very popular with the tamasha tradition (a folk art form which includes singing and dancing) of Maharashtra state in western India. The naal has a barrel shaped body and the left side resembles the bayan (the large metal drum of the tabla) except that […]
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Ocean Drum
The ocean drum really allows you to bring the sound of the sea into your music. Using small metal beads inside a double sided frame drum, the ocean drum allows you to create wonderful ocean wave effects as you tilt the drum from one side to the other. The ocean drum can also be used […]
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Pakhawaj
The pakhawaj (also known as Mardal, Pakhavaj, Pakuaj, Pakhvaj, Pakavaj or Mardala) is an Indian barrel-shaped two-headed drum. The North Indian equivalent to the Southern mridanga, it also has many similarities to the dholak. It is the standard percussion instrument in the dhrupad style and is widely used as an accompaniment for various forms of […]
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Pandariq
The pandariq, or riq (also spelt riqq or rik) is a type of tambourine that is common to Arabic music and is an important percussion instrument in both folk and classical music. Traditionally the riq has a wooden frame, metal jingles (small cymbals), and a thin head made of fish or goat skin. These days […]
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Pandeiro
This very popular typical Brazilian Bell Drum is mostly heard in Samba and Capoeira, the fighting game of Brazil. Its origin is in the Arabian area though. In a solid frame made of plastic or wood there are a couple of flat metal plates fixed in pairs, whose size and quality fundamentally influence the sound. […]
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Shaman Drum
Shaman drums are integral to Shamanistic cultures all over the world. In their most recognizable form, the drum is essentially a solid wooden frame is covered with a thick animal skin. Ropes made of skin or sinews hold the skins to the frame and allow the drum to be held in the back. Depending on […]
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Spring Drum
A simple instrument, in terms of construction, the thunder drum is a resonating tube with a drum skin attached to one end. Through this skin is connected a long spring, which when being played hangs down from the bottom of the instrument. By shaking the instrument from side to side we create wonderful thunder effects […]
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Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting yet complimentary sizes and timbres. The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word tabl which simply means drum. Playing technique […]
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Table Drum
The Table Drum is used successfully in all kinds of therapy (music, linguistic, psychic therapy) and rhythmical-musical education. Its strong and deep frequencies bring most people down to earth, giving them a balanced feeling. The powerful vibrations are especially felt in the lower parts of the body. The Table Drum can easily be played by […]
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Taiko
Japanese taiko drums (taiko in modern times is a general term for 'drum' but historically taiko meant 'great' or 'wide drum' in Japanese) have been developed into a wide range of percussion instruments that are used in both Japanese folk and classical musical traditions. Taiko drumming has been part of Japanese culture for many centuries […]
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Talking Drum
Talking drums (known by many names including Dundun, Gangan, Dondo, Odondo, Lunna, Donno, Kalangu, Doodo, Tama, Tamanin and Ekwe) are a member of the hourglass shaped family of pressure drums and are one of the oldest instruments in West Africa. Their history can be traced back to the Ghana empire. The talking drum is particularly […]
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Udu
The native inhabitants of Africa (in this case, Nigeria) discovered once upon a time that their storage jugs produced interesting sounds. The Udu (pronounced Oodoo) was born of this discovery and refined into its modern form. Nowadays it was played in ceremonies and for dancing. But clay jugs are used for music in other countries, […]
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Water Drum
The surprisingly warm and sonorous bass sounds make the Water Drum a fascinating instrument with an amazing effect. The larger bowl of a pair is filled with water, the smaller one is laid on the water upside down. Now you can drum on it whether it be with hands or soft strikers. If you have suitable […]
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Zarb
The zarb (also known as tonbak, tombak, donbak or dombak) is a goblet drum that originated during the Persian empire (ancient Iran/Iraq). It is considered the principal percussion instrument of Persian music. The Persian frame drum, known as the Daf, was for many centuries the favoured drum of the Persian court while the zarb was […]
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