Tsuzumi
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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Hourglass drum. (Discuss) |
The tsuzumi (鼓) is a Japanese drum. 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.
The tsuzumi is the only Japanese drum that is struck with the hands; all other drums are played with sticks called bachi. The tsuzumi is played while being suspended over the shoulder by its cords. A single drum head is struck with the tips of the fingers of one hand to produce a distinct "pon" sound, while the other hand holds the drum by its cords, squeezing or releasing them to change the pitch of the drum. Depending on how the player tightens or releases the cords of the tsuzumi, and how hard or soft one strikes the head with one's hands, the tsuzumi can produce a range of sounds.
The tsuzumi plays roles in both Noh and kabuki theater music, but it is also used in min'yō (民謡), or Japanese folk music. It is often played with its bigger counterpart, the ōtsuzumi (大鼓) (lit. large tsuzumi; also called ōkawa (大革?, lit. "large skin") ). Thus the tsuzumi is also referred to as the kotsuzumi (小鼓), or "small tsuzumi."
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| Traditional Japanese musical instruments | ||
|---|---|---|
| String | Plucked | Biwa · Ichigenkin · Koto · Kugo · Sanshin · Shamisen · Yamatogoto · Tonkori |
| Bowed | Kokyū | |
| Wind | Flutes | Hotchiku · Nohkan · Ryūteki · Kagurabue · Komabue · Shakuhachi · Shinobue · Yokobue · Tsuchibue |
| Oboes | Hichiriki | |
| Free-reed pipes | Shō · U | |
| Horns | Horagai | |
| Percussion | Drums | Kakko · Taiko · (Ōtsuzumi · Shime-daiko · Tsuzumi) · Tsuri-daiko · Ikko · San-no-tsuzumi · Den-den daiko |
| Blocks | Hyōshigi · Mokugyo · Sasara · (Ita-sasara · Binzasara) · Kokiriko · Shakubyoshi | |
| Gongs | Shōko · Kagura suzu · Kane | |
| Others | Mukkuri · Koukin | |
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