What materials and shapes are used to make African drums?

African drums are diverse in both construction and form, reflecting a wide range of cultural and ritual significance across the continent.

Materials

The primary sounding medium for almost all African drums is a stretched animal skin, which serves as the membrane. The bodies of these drums are crafted from various materials, including:1
* Wood: Many drums, particularly kettledrums, are made from wood and often feature sculpted shells.2
* Gourds and Pots: These are commonly used to create bowl-shaped drums.1
* Supplementary elements: To modify tone or add buzzing qualities, makers may attach shells, jingles, or mirlitons (often made from spider’s egg membranes) to the drum body.12

Shapes

African drums exhibit a wide variety of structural forms:1
* Bowl-shaped: Includes drums made from pots and gourds.1
* Tubular: These come in numerous configurations, such as cylindrical, conical, barrel-shaped, goblet-shaped, and hourglass-shaped.1
* Frame drums: These are typically shallow-framed.1
* Footed drums: Some tubular drums feature a base prolonged to form feet, which can reach heights of up to 3 meters.12

Additionally, slit drums—which are technically distinct from membranophones—can be cylindrical, boat-, wedge-, or crescent-shaped, and sometimes zoomorphic.3