King drum

A drum (or, technically, gong) made out of a hollow tree trunk with a long slot shaped like a serif capital “I” cut in it. One lip of the slot is thicker than the other, and gives a different note when struck. King drums are usually tuned to the interval of a major third or perfect fifth. King drums are generally very deep-pitched, and are capable of great loudness if struck powerfully, in time, by several drummers.

More common in the Archaic Period than later, king drums are used for signalling and in music, especially for war-dances. Many temples have king drums.


Copyright © 1991 by Brett Evill. All rights reserved.