How Are African Drums Used?

The sound of music would be less appealing if there was no drum beat. The sound of the drums gives music its soul and makes people want to move because they feel the rhythm. Drums give music the essence and the spirit of the sound. However, in Africa, the sound of a drum has a whole new meaning, and it is used for more than musical entertainment. The African drum's spirit connects with the individual.

Drum Roll Please

Listening to the sound of drums ignites the rhythm in the soul. It causes people to nod their heads, pat their feet and move the body. Drums have a beautiful sound and African drums are of no exception. In the United States, drums are used in marching bands for instance, entertaining the audience at half-time during foot ball games. Drums are used in every rock and roll band to add spice to the music. They even have drum competitions as with the movie "Drum Roll." However, in Africa, the drums are used for more than just entertainment.

Message Behind the Beat

When one hears a drum beat being played in Africa, several events could be happening. The drummer could be sending a message of importance to a nearby village. The drummer beats for recognition of weddings, when a baby is given a name, and the drums beat to signify a funeral. Drums are also used for healing the sick. To the African, drum beats are significant, for there are those people who can't stand the sound of the spirit of the drums because it makes them feel uneasy, edgy or nervous. Then there are those people who enjoy the beating spirit because it makes them move with excitement, for example.

The Spirit of the Drum

Africans believe that drums have a supernatural spirit in them, and that spirit is what drives the spirit in individuals. When they hear the beating sounds, they either connect to the spirit of the drum in a positive way, or it ends up being a negative experience, because of the negative spirit of an individual. It is a spiritual connection between the drum and the individual who hears it. For the African, it is important to understand the spiritual language of the drum.

The Talking Drum

There are many types of drums of Africa, and they are all different and unique in their own way. A few of the popular drums are called the talking drums, and they are used all over Africa. There is a drum called the Ashiko, the Bougarabou and the Banta' . The Bata' is one of the oldest instruments of West Africa, dating back to the ancient Emperor of Ghana . The Ashiko drum, one of those drums used in a healing ceremony, it is used with dancing, singing and when reciting poetry. The Bougarabou drum is used for celebrations, giving off a calm soothing sound. The Bata' drum is used in religious ceremonies, reading poetry, sending greetings and making announcements.

The Common Tie

The drums of Africa come in many styles. They come in all shapes and sizes, and range in all levels of sound and pitch. Some you play with the hands and others you make the drums sing and talk by using sticks and batons. The one thing that all the African drums have in common is the ability to communicate. They can deliver messages of cheer as well as deliver bad news. They give off messages in the rhythm of beats and through the spirit that lives within the African drum.

References

• How Bata Drums Talk and What they say
• Talking Drums
• The African Drum (Drums Heal)

Resources

• African Percussion Kambala Perc.
• The African Drum (Drums Heal)