Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
drum
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images & Videos
See a man playing a Korean puk a double-headed barrel drum
A Buddhist monk in maroon robes strikes a large drum while other monks pray inside the ornate, colorful Ivolginski Datsan temple in Buryatiya, eastern Siberia. Musicians playing a janggu Kandyan dance Mongolian shaman wearing a ritual gown and holding a drum with the image of a spirit helper, c. 1909.
See Tom Teasley playing the frame drum using different drumming styles from various countries
A musician playing tabla. drum Eskimo man with a large handheld drum made of walrus stomach or bladder, Nunivak Island, 1929.
At a Glance
default image
drum summary
Quizzes
Young girl wearing a demin jacket playing the trumpet (child, musical instruments, Asian ethnicity)
Sound Check: Musical Vocabulary Quiz
Trumpet musical instrument.
Musical Instruments
Related Questions
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

drum

musical instrument
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

drum, musical instrument, the sound of which is produced by the vibration of a stretched membrane (it is thus classified as a membranophone within the larger category of percussion instruments). Basically, a drum is either a tube or a bowl of wood, metal, or pottery (the “shell”) covered at one or both ends by a membrane (the “head”), which is usually struck by a hand or stick. Friction drums, a class apart, are sounded by...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile