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The big gourd with the seeds on the outside is an "Ishaka" which means
"big gourd with the seeds on the outside" Mine is from Nigeria.
The iron double bell is from Ghana and is called "Gankoqui"
(which means something equally un-pronouncable). It is used to lead very complex and wonderful polyrhythmic drumming.
The
wooden sticks are "claves" (pronounced 'clah-vays'), which in South America means "Two wooden sticks you bang together"
This
is called a Kalimba, or M'bira... unless you live in the USA ...then it's called a thumb piano. (We're such romantics, aren't
we?) This one has a spruce top and sounds absolutely gorgeous!
This is an Ceremonial drum from Ghana. It's used in a wide range of ceremonies such as Pre-nuptual Agreement
Banquets, Bar Mitvahs, tongue-piercings, and country line-dances. Notice the faces carved into the legs of the drum...The
one on the left is my uncle 'Shorty' from Florida.
Here is a ceramic doumbek made in Pakistan by Mid-East Mfg. The
picture doesn't do it justice. It is a very deep cobalt blue. The picture also fails to convey the weight of the drum. This
one is pre-tuned with a fiberskin head... An incredible combination making this one of the best-sounding doumbeks I own.
The history of cajon drums is facinating. African slaves were not allowed to own drums. (It apparently
made them sound too intelligent, cultured and organized.) Slaves in South America began drumming on codfish boxes with their
hands in secret, giving birth to what we know today as cajon drums. "Cajon" meaning "Box you fill with music, not smelly fish."
This is my favorite cajon drum. It has two playing surfaces and can be played traditionally by sitting
on it and playing the surface in front of you or with the two playing surfaces on either side of you.
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